My Trip to San Antonio with Cooper Tires

April 26, 2013 By 2 Comments

Last weekend, I told you guys I was headed to San Antonio with Cooper Tires to represent Simply Being Mommy. I really had no idea what kind of an amazing experience was waiting for me when I got there. The full write up about everything I learned will be over on Simply Being Mommy soon, but I wanted to share some pictures with you all.

The experience itself was by far the best part, but what really blew me away was the way the girls from The Zimmerman Agency treated us. From a welcoming smile and hug at the airport, to sweet treats left in my room both nights, and a fun last night out on the town. These girls really know how to treat people and they were on top of EVERYthing! It was fantastic!

cooper tires, hotel treats

A cookie in the shape of The Alamo, an iTunes gift card, a cupcake with a tire on top :) , and a Starbucks gift card is not pictured. I was definitely spoiled.

We spent the one full day we were in San Antonio at the Cooper Tire Training Center. Most of our time was spent on the 14 acre wet pad, where we were testing out Cooper Tires, competitor tires, worn tire tread on the back of the car, and worn tire tread on the front of the car. I can’t wait to share more about my experience over at Simply Being Mommy and I’ll be sure to let you know when it’s ready for you to see.

Jeff was extra extra jealous that I was taking “hot laps” with professional racer, Johnny Unser. :) I couldn’t believe we were really only going about 40 mph but a lot of that was sideways. I have no idea how many times I was thrown back and forth in my seat. :) It was awesome, to say the least and I have a whole new respect for the term “Professional Driver.” I couldn’t imagine doing what he was doing and keeping everyone in the car alive. :)

cooper tires

So glad that big, excited (and smooshed) smile is hiding my crazy nerves before we took off! ;)

Another one of my favorite parts of the day was taking the Tahoe around the wet pad obstacle course.

cooper tires

 

They WANTED us to go fast. They WANTED us to take corners fast. They WANTED us to maybe take out a cone or two.

Crazy, but I did ALL of that and loved every second of it.

Maybe it helps that I drive a Suburban everyday at home, but I had no problem whipping that Tahoe around pretty fast. I even had the 3rd fastest obstacle course time out of the 14 bloggers out there. I’ll take it. :)

Driving the Tahoe in the obstacle course was just prepping us for the BMWs we got in to next. Now THAT was fun! I actually got to do a donut – on PURPOSE! Woohoo!

I even got to learn how to do my own DIY tire maintenance, which makes this DIY girl happy! I usually could care less about tires and always just expect Jeff to do it, but the safety of my family is #1 in my book and that means I’m more than happy to learn about tire maintenance. Who knew it was so easy, too!?!?

The experience was amazing all around and I was pretty blown away at the amazing bloggers I got to spend the day with.

cooper tires

 

This was definitely a once in a lifetime experience and one I will never forget!

Thanks to Cooper Tires, The Zimmerman Agency, and most importantly Crystal from Simply Being Mommy! It was amazing!

Filed Under: Blogging, Travel Tagged With: , , , ,

Blogging is Good These Days

April 21, 2013 By 4 Comments

When I started this blog in 2007, I had every intention of sharing our life with friends and family. I really had no idea it would evolve to what it has today.

If you had told me I could actually make any kind of money on my blog, I would have been intrigued, but I probably would have just giggled a little. Who knew there were so many amazing opportunities for bloggers! Who knew I would be invited to super fun events put on by amazing brands! Definitely not me, but blogging is good these days!

I never guessed I would make connections with so many amazing bloggers and eventually find myself working alongside them.

I think I mentioned to you all once, earlier this year, that I’m now contributing to Simply Being Mommy. It’s a review blog, MUCH bigger than this little ol’ blog you’ve found yourself on today. I’m the “Baby Contributor,” meaning we get lots of fun stuff for Brantley and me to review. Actually, we get more than just things Brantley can use. Our latest review was a balance bike for the boys. They LOVE it and I loved writing about their experience.

We’re definitely enjoying the perks of that contributor job I’ve started but the biggest perk, so far, will start this afternoon when I get on a plane for San Antonio. Crystal, the brains behind Simply Being Mommy, is sending me to an event put on by Cooper Tires that will include riding shotgun with Indy legend, Johnny Unser, for “rubber-burning hot laps” as well as a putting my skills to the test in the Distracted Mom obstacle course.

We’ll be learning all about tire safety and even how moms can take better care of our own tires, without having to worry about our husbands or someone else doing it for us. Sounds great for this DIY girl. Actually it sounds better than great. It sounds AMAZING and I can NOT wait!!

This is just one of the pictures they sent us to give us a little sneak peek in to the experience.

IMG_6097

 

Doesn’t that just look awesome?!?!

 

I’m so grateful for my mom, who’s willing to keep my littles while I head down south for what many bloggers would consider to be a dream opportunity! She is, after all, one of my biggest blogging fans. ;)

I’ll be sharing many Instagram pictures and the occasional Facebook update, but I’ll be tweeting like a mad woman from @SimplyBeingMom and I’d love to have you follow along. If you’re not following me already, now’s the perfect time. :) I’d love it, too! ;)

Oh and also, is it crazy that I can not remember the last time I boarded a plane alone?? Oh well, I’m too excited to care!

Filed Under: Blogging, Travel

Favorite Places to Travel

March 15, 2013 By 3 Comments

Linking up with Kelly’s Korner today for Show Us Your Life – Favorite Vacation Spots.

Truthfully, I could go on and on because I’ve never been to a vacation spot that wasn’t my favorite. I’m pretty easy to please. I just really like to get away. :)

I will be honest, though. As much as I love skiing (Crested Butte was awesome!), I don’t love cold weather and all of the gear that has to be packed in preparation for it stresses me out!

I much prefer the heat and simple packing the beach trips call for. :)

Mexico

I haven’t ever tried to count the amount of times I’ve been to Mexico, but when you live in Texas, it’s a pretty easy destination for “exotic travels.”

My parents started taking me when I was young and it was then that I fell in love with the Spanish language. More on that in just a minute.

My favorite vacation to Mexico was our honeymoon in 2007, of course! We stayed at El Dorado Royale in the Mayan Riviera, very close to Cancun. The resort was amazing and we have yet to find a place that even compares. The food was just incredible.

travel

We  took a trip back to the area in 2008 with 11 other friends. We stayed in an all inclusive resort, this time. The resort was not so great but only because we did NOT like the food. Thankfully, the company we had more than made up for it.

travel

Jeff and I took a little excursion with another couple to the Mayan ruins of Tulum. I had been there before, but it had been a VERY long time.

travel

travel

Our last trip to Mexico was in 2011, when Jeff’s best friend tied the knot, on the beach!

We stayed at Azul Fives hotel and loved everything about it. The best part of the whole trip was actually spending time in the pool, with these crazy people….our friends. :)

pool

I love to look back on these pictures since it was our last vacation together in our favorite travel destination. MEXICO!

photo IMG_26952-1.jpg

 

Costa Rica

Remember when I mentioned falling in love with the Spanish language? I spent 4 months soaking it up while I lived in San Jose, Costa Rica on a study abroad trip in 2003.

I got to see views like this regularly!

travels

Pacific Coast Sunset

It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been two and felt like it was a privilege to spend the amount of time I did there. I was able to travel in to Panama, do some zip lining in a cloud forest, soak in the natural warm baths right outside of Arenal, the country’s only volcano, and even feed watermelon to wild monkeys.

My parents and best friend were able to visit me during Spring Break and my mom still has these pictures from her trip. It’s a good thing, too, because I can’t find any of mine. :(

travels

Surfing Lesson

 

travels

If I had only one word to describe Costa Rica, it would be “GREEN!”

It was truly a dream come true and I am constantly trying to plan in my head when I can go back and take Jeff.

—————————————-

This was such a fun post to write because I constantly find myself dreaming about our next vacation, whether it be just the two of us, or with some kiddos. ;)

I always think about ways to start up an account to save for future vacations. Maybe I’ll get serious about that idea this year. ;)

What about you??? What is your favorite vacation spot?? Let me know in the comments! I’d LOVE to hear! Although we are so loyal to Mexico, I really want to know more about other places you all love! If you have a blog post about it, leave a link! I’d love to read it!

Filed Under: Jeff, Travel

Family Road Trip….Kinda

June 26, 2012 By 2 Comments

My brother, Randy, and I always talk about the next time we are going to get together, although we usually never know when that will be.

His son, Rollins, is 10 months older than Langston.  As a matter of fact, I’m so fortunate to be on the receiving end of all of his hand-me-down clothes.  It’s fabulous!

I knew my time for traveling was limited, with baby coming soon, and there were really just a couple of weekends that would work out for both of our families.  Fortunately, this past weekend worked for both of us, so I loaded up the kids and we were off.  Sadly, Jeff had to work and couldn’t make the trip with us.  I’ve honestly never driven on a family vacation {it’s Jeff’s thing} and after driving from Dallas to Baton Rouge, I’d be ok to not do it again for a VERY long time, especially if it involves crying babies in the back seat.

We had the best time just hanging out with family.  We probably looked a little redneck with our blow up pool at the bottom of the playground slide and slip n slide just on the side of the pool.  I don’t care, we made some memories and had a blast!!!

Randy tried bowling Riverson down the slip n slide.  We were both worried he would cry, but he got up, laughed, and walked back to Randy with his hands in the air.  He wanted to do it over and over again.

He’s a pretty fearless little boy.  Scares me to death.

We had the best times just hanging out in the backyard watching the kids play!!

I can’t believe I didn’t take any group shots, but we stayed so busy playing!

Not too many little boys can look this awesome in a pair of pink goggles!  I couldn’t stop laughing at them on his little face.

Langston even got brave enough to go down the slide a time or two.

Whenever we weren’t outside, this is where these three wanted to be – watching movies!  It was precious to see the way they played together and just loved being around each other.

The big kids had a fun time, too!  They got to go to the local water park on Saturday and a movie after church on Sunday.  They were happy!

Yesterday, before we left, I snapped a couple of quick pictures.  Riverson is missing from the picture because he wouldn’t sit still.  Rollins’ older brothers were missing because they had football practice.  Nevertheless, I wanted to get a quick group shot of the kids.

And of course, I waited until the last minute to try and take a good picture of my brother and me.  I really love this guy and he is always making us laugh.  I’m not sure I know anyone who is more of a smart aleck, but he definitely keeps me laughing. :)

I hate that we live so far apart, but I DO love how easily we reconnect when we get back together.

8:00am. Don’t judge. ;)

I don’t really like traveling with little kids for 7 hours straight in the car, but I am so thankful for the big kids who were such a big help!  I was so thankful to get home to my husband and sleep in my own bed!

Now, I’m looking forward to Randy coming to Dallas to meet his new neice, after she makes her arrival.

I’m so thankful for sibling bonds and fun with family!!  We had a blast!

Now I can cross “road trip” off of the summer list and start getting ready for baby girl to be here in a month!  Can’t believe it’s sooooo soon!

Filed Under: Family, Kids, Langston, Travel

Weekend Fun!

April 4, 2012 By 4 Comments

Ideally, I would have liked to have this posted on Sunday or even Monday, but I think it has taken me a few days to recover from the busy-ness of last weekend!

On Friday afternoon, my friend, Mollie, and I loaded up to head out to East Texas.  We were meeting over 20 other women from our neighborhood for a “Tot Tender Retreat.”  Tot Tenders is the name of our neighborhood babysitting co-op I feel so blessed to be a part of!  Instead of paying each other, we use coupons.  In essence, it’s free babysitting!!  And, I love it soverymuch!!

I was really looking forward to three things:

  • Time away, even though it was only for one night
  • Relaxation
  • Getting to know the women who would be/have been caring for my babies

The retreat is a yearly event and lasts all weekend.  Mollie and I were only able to stay one night, so it worked out perfect for us to ride together.  We made sure to stop and take a small town picture.  Please note the small town “icon” in the background.  :)

When we made it to the cabin, after taking the very scenic route, dinner was waiting for us.  It was music to my pregnant ears.  That sounds funny: “pregnant ears,” but you know what I mean. ;)

We spent lots of time talking….

and even played some games.  Lots of fun for this competitive girl!  We didn’t win, but it was really fun!

Such a great group of girls to spend the night with!  Several girls I already knew, and I had a great time getting to know them even better!  It’s the new friendships I really love!  It’s one of the things I truly truly LOVE about our awesome neighborhood.  Everyone wants to be a friend and it’s so nice that everywhere you go within our little area, you run in to someone you know.

I know not everyone loves that, but as a girl from a small town, I like it!  Our neighborhood feels like our own little small town inside this big city.  It’s great!

The next morning, Mollie and I had to head out before lunch to get back to Dallas, but we made sure to spend some more time chatting with the girls and soaking up the environment, which was this.

It was awesome…..until the guy came to mow.  Why did he mow on a Saturday morning when people were staying in the cabin?  I don’t know but it sure did run us off the porch.

Luckily, we got to do some of this before our good times were interrupted.

Total relaxation.

The reason I had to head back before lunch was for a contributor photo shoot for Dallas Moms Blog and man was that fun!

Our photographer, Haley, was fantastic!  We did some walking around Deep Ellum and she found some great backdrops for us.  It’s tough to make every person in the picture look good when there are as many as we had, but she definitely did it.

My friend, Jenny, who blogs at Conscientious Confusion, took this picture of me while we were getting our headshots taken.

If you live in DFW and are looking for a place to have your pictures taken, Deep Ellum has some fun backdrops and a wide variety to pick from!

Here are a couple of Haley’s pictures she took of us.  There is even another picture on the Haley B Photography blog.

This girl is talented!

I had a fun afternoon with these girls and for some of us, we were meeting for the first time, even though we’ve been reading each other’s posts for months. :)

Fun times, fun times!

And, if you are not reading Dallas Moms Blog, you should be!  All of these girls have so much to offer other moms in Dallas!

After all of that craziness was done, I was exhausted!

Sunday was a very low key day with the family!  Hallie got to pick out her Easter dress and oh my word does she look 17.  Not because the dress is scandalous, but she just looks so grown up in it.  I can’t wait to see how pretty she looks on Sunday!

Hope I can figure out something for myself to wear.  My options are limited these days with a growing belly. :)

I’m so so so excited about hanging out with family on Easter Sunday while we fill our bellies!!!

Filed Under: Blogging, DFW, Friends, Travel

Celebrating 5 Years of Marriage

March 12, 2012 By 11 Comments

We celebrated 5 years of marriage on Saturday and it was kind of surreal.  Although we have been through SO much as a couple, it’s so hard to believe it’s been 5 years since we said, “I do.”

It was fun to look back on pictures of our history together and laugh about times we have shared.

This is one of my most favorite memories.  Yes, the Texas Rangers mascot Jeff proposed to me at a Ranger game, in a suite, with my family surrounding us.  It was an amazing night and took me totally by surprise.  He had been scheming it up with my aunt and uncle for months.

Look at this picture carefully.  The horse hit Jeff in the leg and it knocked the ring loose from the box.  The ring is actually in the air in the picture.  THAT was a scary moment. :)

I said “Yes” with ping pong ball earrings on.  Awesome.

I loved them when I saw my aunt wearing them many many years ago.  She passed them on to me that night. :)

Pure excitement!

That night turned in to this day, 7 months later.  I walked down the aisle and promised the rest of my life to my very best friend in front of all of our friends and family.

I love this picture for so many reasons.

  • It was a special prayer to begin our life together.
  • My uncle, who officiated the ceremony, was leading the prayer.
  • I love the view of the rose petals in the aisle.
  • I know who each person in the background is and I love knowing they took the time to celebrate us that day.
  • One of our arrangements is peeking in to the picture and it reminds me how gorgeous all of the flowers were.

Our wedding party.  I think it’s so funny that both of my dads are in the middle of the bridesmaids. I think it was one of those “get in where you fit in” moments, I guess.

The weekend wasn’t only about Jeff and me.  I had lots of time to be silly with my girlfriends.  Love them!

We finished up our wedding adventure in The Riviera Maya of Mexico for our honeymoon.

After an amazing weekend and an incredible honeymoon, we were ready to begin our life together.

There have been a lot of changes in the last five years.

Sept 2008

Dec 2009

Oct 2011

Our family has GROWN!  We are BUSY!  But, we love it.

In spite of everything going on with the kids, it’s nice to stop for a bit and enjoy some time together as a couple….and that’s exactly what we did on Saturday.

Fortunately, our kids have the best grandparents, who love to spend time with them.  We shipped the kids off to them and enjoyed some adult time.

We wandered around downtown Plano for a few hours going in and out of shops before we stopped at a little pub for appetizers.

After, we headed home, got prettied up, and headed out for our anniversary dinner.

This was my hot date.

The one picture we got together was taken by our waitress and the flash is not so flattering for either of us, but it was the only choice.

We had so much fun together and I can’t remember the last time we laughed that much!  It truly did feel like a night from our dating life, before we had a life that was so invested in our kids.

We left so full, but still took cheesecake home for the fridge.  It was nice to see this waiting for me the next day.

Can’t wait to see what the next 5 years hold for us….and the next 5…..and the next 5……

Filed Under: Family, Jeff, Travel

Looking Back on 2011

January 4, 2012 By 2 Comments

2011 was a pretty good year for us.  We moved in to a different house, in the same neighborhood, at the beginning of the year.  Yes, we LOVE our neighborhood and it’s become like our own little small town in this big city we live in.  However, other than that, the year was spent learning how to adjust to life with two small boys and two tweens.  I’ve been looking back through the blog and wanted to highlight some posts from the year for you.

Reading several of these has made me laugh all over again.  So funny how quickly little ones change.

January

Riverson started to become a little more responsive at 2 months old and I got the best laugh out of him in this video.

I even tried my hand at being a pageant mom.  It’s not for me, that’s for sure, but it was fun taking home a crown and a medal for our big guy.

He will probably be so embarrassed when he’s older and I tell him his mom entered him in a pageant.  Oh well!

This was also the month that the boys were able to start taking baths together.  That was so nice to be able to cut some of my workload.  They’ve been bathing together ever since, and they love it!  The only reason I wanted to highlight this post is because of the picture from their first bath together.  They look SO much alike and I got so much response when I posted the picture on facebook.  So many people told me they look like twins.  We get that a lot now. :)

February

This was the big month for SNOW and TONS OF IT!!  It really was crazy!  In Texas, we rarely get snow and to have this much in such a short timeframe is just weird.  I don’t think I left the house for 5 days.  It gave me a chance to do a little furniture painting, between feeding the three month old, of course.

Jeff and I got to dress up in 70′s getup and have a little fun at a neighborhood party.  There were lots of fun people and seeing all of the costumes cracked me up!  Lots of afros and big sunglasses.

We Jeff had to make the big decision to put our 14 year old yellow lab, Sargent, down.  It was such a tough decision and was heartbreaking for our family, but we knew it was time.  We’re big dog lovers around here and losing a dog is like losing a member of the family.

We did get to have a celebration this month when Easton hit double digits.  He had a fun little party with his buddies and we just loved celebrating him.  He’s is and always has been such a sweet boy!

March

March was a rough month for us!  Riverson came down with RSV and that kept Jeff and I up several nights watching him sleep, sent us to the ER once, and the pediatrician’s office three times in one week.  It was not so great!

Add to the fact that it was the same month one of our dogs got out and couldn’t be found for an entire day and the other dog getting hit by a car.  Fortunately she just broke a leg, but our medical bills for baby and dog were scary.

Surprisingly, we were able to do a little celebrating in there.  Jeff and I celebrated four years of marriage.  It’s been quite a ride but so glad we have each other to hold on to. :)

April

We took the plunge and started Riverson with solids this month.  He LOVED them and did great, immediately!  Langston showed a lot of his affectionate side and this post always makes me laugh, especially one picture in particular. :)

We took the small window of opportunity to get our pictures taken among some amazing bluebonnets…..one of my favorite things about this great state we live in!

Another post from this month that gets a lot of hits from google is my garage sale lamp redo.  So easy and it makes a BIG difference!

May

May was the month that we really started to enjoy the warm weather.  We went on lots of walks, played some sports, and celebrated a very special baby dedication for the sweetest 6 month old.

Langston became quite the helper this month for his little brother.  The videos to prove it are priceless.  I will always love looking back on them. :)

As for my love for crafting, this month, I did a little update to Hallie’s room.  I love the paint color and she’s excited about the projects that went in to it.

June

June meant that we were getting a two year old in the house.  That’s right, Langston turned 2 on June 7th and I was busy in the weeks leading up to it working on projects for his airplane themed birthday party.  I put a lot of work in to it and he had a great time at his party.  The work was worth it, but I think this will be the last of his birthday parties at home, for a while. :)

Jeff and I were lucky enough to take a wonderful vacation to the Riviera Maya for his best friend’s wedding.  We REALLY needed to get away and Mexico is one of our all time favorite places!

July

Other than this month being the month I started weaning Riverson, it was a very uneventful month for us!

I picked up a new hobby with my mom……woodworking!  I fell in love with Ana White’s website and I was determined to try something out.  After seeing one of my favorite craft sites tackle the project, I knew we could do it, too.

August

This was a great month for all of us!  The kids went back to school and even Langston started going to school one day a week.  It was an adjustment but it’s been good for all of us!  Easton started playing tackle football, which meant that I hardly saw Jeff until the end of the season.  Hallie started playing volleyball for her school and she did an awesome job!  She loved all of the time she got to spend with girlfriends.

The biggest change this month was in Langston’s world.  He moved out of the crib and into a big boy bed!!  He did awesome, too!!

September

Jeff and I had a great time at the LSU v Oregon game at Cowboy Stadium with my dad and step mom.

Langston really pushed me to my limit with his behavior but then surprised me with how quickly things can change.

October

I started doing more blogging work with brands, which I LOVE to do!  I had my first SUPER fun experience and was a Chevy Girl On The Go.  A local dealership gave me a Chevy Traverse to drive for two weeks and all I had to do was blog about it and send them two videos.  It was so fun to have a free car and our big kids LOVED it.  I am still so thankful for that experience!

I blogged about one of my favorite projects in Hallie’s room and that post still gets a lot of Google traffic, too.  It’s such great wall art and pretty easy, too!!

Riverson turned one on October 28th and we celebrated with a fun costume party with his friends.  The pictures of him tackling that smash cake are AWESOME!

November

My favorite post from the month of November was my Fall wreath.  It’s actually more than a “Fall” wreath because it’s still hanging above our mantle, in the winter. :)

I ran two giveaways on the blog and did several sponsored posts.  Always nice to know this blog can actually make a buck or two.  I have more goals for that in 2012.

We had so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!

December

Langston started out the month with a nice run in with some Scentsy wax.  That was fun, lemma tell ya.

I did some of my favorite things getting ready for Christmas: putting up decorations around the house and picking out and mailing our Christmas cards.  LOVE it!

————————————————

Sorry for such a long post!  I didn’t think we had that big of a year until I started looking back on each month!

Just wait, there is a lot to come in 2012!  I can’t wait to tell you all more about it!

 

Filed Under: Baby, Birthday, Blogging, Boys, Christmas, Dogs, Family, Friends, Giveaways, House, Jeff, Kids, Langston, Parenting, Parents, Projects, Riverson, Travel

Family Reunion

June 22, 2011 By 1 Comment

This past weekend, Jeff and I loaded up the kids to head to Oklahoma for his family reunion.  He’s been going to it every year since he was a little guy and the kids look forward to it every year.  We enjoy the relaxation (when I’m not chasing Langston around), as well as catching up with the rest of the family.

We had a rough start to the trip when we realized we had a big problem with one of the tires on my truck that was going to take us on the next three hour drive.  There was no way we felt comfortable enough to drive on the tire in the condition it was in, so we headed to the nearest NTB Tire to get it swapped out for a new one.  That added an extra hour and a half on to the drive time and with a nursing baby, let’s just say it definitely messed with the plan.  We had to add an extra stop in for a feeding, but we did finally make it and surprisingly, there were still some people awake when we pulled in.

Saturday is the main day for the reunion and it includes an annual turtle race, water balloon toss, and swim time.  Most years I get to sit around talking to the rest of the family members, but with a restless two year old and a clingly seven month old, I had to stay “on my game.”   As much as I love getting away for a little vacation, it’s tough to pack up half of the house, change our sleeping arrangements, and get off schedule.  Honestly, I was dreading being gone, but the trip turned out great and we all had a great time.

Riverson and Jeff’s sister, Kimber

Grandad and Langston

Gamma (Jeff’s step mom) and Langston

Jeff, his sister, Kimber, and his brother, Justin

pretty Hallie

our beautiful niece, Sarah, and Riverson

cousins

our beautiful niece, Ally, and Easton

Jeff’s sister, Kimber, and brother-in-law, Jimmy

We’re already looking forward to the next reunion, but I’m hoping the next one won’t fall on Father’s Day weekend like it has the past few years.  My dad is starting to get his feelings hurt.  :(

Even though I didn’t get to see either one of my dads on Father’s Day, we still had a great day.  We came home and I made chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes for the father in our house.  The key to his heart is always through his stomach.  :)

I hope everyone else had a great Father’s Day weekend!

Filed Under: Family, Travel

Beach Wedding Vacation

June 15, 2011 By 5 Comments

Jeff and I just got back night before last from Riviera Maya, Mexico, and we had so much fun!  However, as much fun as we had and as bad as we needed that vacation, we were so glad to be home and in the same house with our babies.  I missed them like craaaazy!  I actually got a video the second night we were there of Langston laughing hysterically.  Yep, I cried after I watched it.  It was the first time I’ve been away from them that long.  Fortunately, they were in wonderful hands (grandparents) and I knew they were having a great time!

We made the trip for Jeff’s best friend, Rob.  He was tying the knot and we wouldn’t have missed it!  Jeff and I were so excited to get to step foot in Mexico again.  Even with all of the turmoil going on we still LOVE that place!  Fortunately, none of the danger was near where we were.

Our resort, Azul Fives, was amazing and I highly recommend it.  It’s kid friendly and still very peaceful.  The weather was wonderful and I didn’t have a thing to complain about.  Getting to wake up on my own and not because of a crying baby was awesome!

The bride and groom had a beautiful wedding and looked stunning in their beach backdrop.

Jeff and I took advantage of the beach backdrop, too!

We had some pretty intense games of water volleyball everyday and it seemed like we never left the pool.

The food was fantastic and the vacation was just the kind of battery recharging we needed.

So thankful for my husband who made the trip possible for us.  We really enjoyed our time away as husband and wife and not Mommy and Daddy.

I’m thankful to be home and back in our usual routine, even if it does include cleaning up pee.

Oh yeah, that’s right, yesterday, I found Langston in his crib after his nap.  His diaper had been thrown on the floor in the middle of his room.  As I walked up to the crib, I stepped in wetness on the carpet.  I quickly noticed he was sitting in a puddle of pee in his bed and there was also pee on his crib bumper.  I guess that was his way of welcoming me home.

No more sleeping without pants on.  Ugh!

Filed Under: Friends, Langston, Travel

Birthday Fun in Austin

January 3, 2011 By 4 Comments

December 28th was a big day for me!

I turned 30.

A lot of people dread turning 30 and I always said I wouldn’t.  It’s just a number, right?  Well, in the weeks leading up to it, I found myself looking a little harder at myself in the mirror.  Were did those lines come from??  How long have they been there?  I definitely need to start using more moisturizer around my eyes.  Maybe it’s more from the lack of sleep in the past 18 months, but I think it’s finally age catching up with me.  UGH!

However, I only thought about that whole bit for a short time.  Luckily, I didn’t have time to dwell on it.  Jeff took me on a birthday getaway for two days.  It. Was. WONDERFUL!  The big kids went to their mom’s for the remainder of their Christmas vacation and the babies went to my mom’s house.  We finally got to get on the road and I still didn’t know where we were staying.

Our hotel was an awesome surprise!  We stayed at the W Hotel in Austin and it had only been open for two weeks.  I felt so fancy!

The first night we were there, we grabbed dinner at Sullivan’s Steakhouse.  SO YUMMY!

I was so excited to crawl into that comfy bed and not worry about being awoken by a crying baby.  The only reminder I had was the pump I brought along with me.  :)

The next morning, we woke up at 10:30.  I can’t remember the last time I got to sleep through the whole night and sleep until 10:30.

We went to lunch at the Hula Hut and I love this restaurant.  

I really feel like this restaurant is a “must” for me when I’m in Austin.

What’s with that piece of hair?!?

After lunch, we made our way back to the hotel and did absolutely NOTHING (other than pumping for the babe) for the next few hours.  We got to Facetime with Langston and it was great to see his cute little face.  For all of you non iPhoners, it’s video chatting over the phone.

We got ready for our dinner and headed out to Hudson on the Bend.  It’s a cute little restaurant with amazing food and wine.  There’s that stupid piece of hair again!!  UGH!  Jeff said the waiter took the picture when he had a big bite of bread in his mouth.  HA!

I loved that cute little wine bottle!

The next morning, we took our time at the hotel and enjoyed some more relaxation.  We had to make sure we had some breakfast at The Magnolia Cafe before we left town.  It was de-LISH!

Checking out of the hotel was the saddest moment of the trip.  The place was wonderful and I hope we get to go back there sometime soon.  Of all the beautiful things in the hotel, this was my favorite.  Maybe it’s the simple girl in me, but I couldn’t believe they changed out the mats with the time of day.

Cool huh?

It was a great trip and so relaxing!  I couldn’t wait to get back to my sweet baby boys, but it was so nice to get away and get recharged.  I totally agree with people when they talk about how important it is to have date nights or time without the kids.  It’s not just important, it’s vital to every relationship!  I’m already looking forward to the next date night!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Filed Under: Jeff, Parenting, Travel
«Older Posts