Wednesday, July 30, 2014

COOL ZOO playdate

So today we thought we would bring the kids on a big end of summer outting. We haven't been to the Cool Zoo ALL summer so we figured this would be really our last chance. With knowing we were going to do this we thought it would be fun to invite Colby's little friend Nijel to go with us.
The last Zoo date we had we brought one of Lindsay's friends so I thought it would be good for him to have a friend to run around with. We have gone to the Cool Zoo atleast once every summer since Colby was 2 I think. Lindsay went with us last summer.
Anyway we planned it with Nijel's mom that she could drop him off at the Zoo and we would watch him then they would pick him up from there. It worked out really well. The boys had a blast together! Thankfully with Austin being off I was able to sit at the table and man the snacks haha! He's always so great to actually get in and play in the water with the kids. Poor man though I know he will be glad when he can just sit on a bench and watch! As soon as we got Colby independant along came Lindsay =) Maybe in another year! Anyway the boys played hard. I think Nijel was a little timid b/c he had never gone before. Lindsay enjoyed it but either was at the table with me snacking or clinging to Austin.
We packed a bunch of snacks which worked out well. It was healthier and cheaper and kept the kids from having any hunger meltdowns! After the Cool Zoo we let them ride the carousel before leaving! AND LINDSAY actually rode it without screaming! She has always freaked out at carousels. It was so cute too b/c she had this determined "I know I can do this" face the entire time!
We got Nijel safely to his mom then we went to eat at McAlister's. This is just our thing after leaving the zoo. So it was a very fun day! A day we needed before Colby starts back to school! The rest of the day was low key. We worked on things around the house and just relaxed!
The rest of the week will be pretty routine with groceries, school supply shopping, and maybe a park visit! Just trying to soak up and enjoy the last of summer!

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Weekend Fun

So we are having another busy weekend in the Westbrook House! Its always a party around here! So Friday we had nothing planned so I took the kids to a locak park. I love park visits with them b/c its free fun! It was hot and humid but I think its good for kids to sweat and get a little sun from time to time. We were the first ones out there but soon a Family Reunion came along to set up with about 4 littles. Well the kids were close to Colby's age so he enjoyed talking and playing with them. We came home and had a pretty restful day. We were going to the baseball game that night so I wanted everyone to feel relaxed and refreshed.
So the game that night...it was with our church's Children's Ministry. We were excited to go and see the game but also be with friends! It was only Colby's 2nd game and Lindsay's 1st. I guess we just don't ever think about going. We all really had fun. Honestly Lindsay did better then Colby. She pays attention more. I think he liked it once he gave it a chance but he gets bored and antsy. Plus he fell asleep on the way over so he was a little moody. Austin met us there thankfully bc I don't think I could have handled both there alone! It was a fun evening and just something different outside of our box I guess! We left at the top of the 6th inning though and with even leaving early it was 10 before we got home and 11 before the littles really got to bed! I cannot imagine had we stayed for the entire game! We were all exhausted! Plus it didn't help that Austin still had to work the next day and I knew the littles and I had to be up early for tennis!
So Saturday Colby had tennis lessons again. We have missed a lot this month due to being out of town and birthday weekend. I was glad to get Colby back on track. I can tell he's learned a lot and I don't care if he becomes a star player although I do hope he will play tennis for fun for the rest of his life. I think its mostly just a good discipline and exercise for him right now. I want my kids to be active...they don't have to be athletes but I want them to atleast be active while they are young and hopefully for the rest of their lives. Afterwards we went swimming. It felt good to get in and cool off and ofcourse the kids always have a blast in a pool. We left after swimming and came home. We were again lazy most of the day. I guess between the business and the heat I find myself so lazy in the afternoons. We did play outside for awhile though.
Sunday was church. Austin wasn't off so it was just the littles and I. Something just told me that I needed to be prepared to work in childcare even though it wasn't my week. And honestly I used to get upset about things like this. I have been in situations like this since Colby was born. Anyway today I felt a peace about it. I mean yes I really wanted to go sit in on adult worship but I prayed to have servant's heart and do what I needed to do. Well sure enough I was the only teacher that showed up. Was I a little disappointed...well yes but I know those kids need someone...my daughter needed someone. I knew Laekan needed someone. Someone needed to fill that role and that person was me. It wasn't a bad morning at all...was it hectic YES! We had 12 two-four year olds! But for some reason I was calm and really never felt overwhelmed. I love the kids in there and I love seeing them grow/mature. Some of the boys in there were 2 when I first started working in there and now they are pushing 5! Its amazing how much they change. Anyway it was a good morning. Busy but good. This afternoon will be pretty quiet and low b/c Colby is spending the night with my parents so they came and got him after their church got out. So its Lindsay and me and then Austin =). I am looking forward to the quiet night then having Austin home for the next 2 days!

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Sweet Simple Days

So this week we haven't been up to too much exciting. Honestly its been nice but hard at the same time to get ourselves off that highpaced high of traveling and birthday madness! We've still managed to be busy but the days have been quieter and we are just trying to soak up the last laziness of summer!
Monday Colby had his 6 year checkup. We did that and the Toystore then just hung around the house the rest of the day.
Tuesday I had Bible study that morning and my parents kept them. It was our last one of the summer. I missed a lot of this particular study this summer but I did really enjoy the book and being with the ladies. That afternoon we just hung around the house. My parents took the kids for icecream after dinner which gave me about an hour to relax and clean up the house.
Wednesday was our grocery shopping day. We stayed in the rest of the day until church that night. We are enjoying our summer series. We haven't had many preschoolers though so Lindsay and whichever ones we have have just been going upstairs to hang out with the big kids. Its been fun seeing Colby and his friends although I do think he will do better when I get back to my own class in the fall =)
Thursday was our first big adventure of the week. I took the kids out to Lakeside to get school shoes. This has been a once a year thing for us. I like to get their feet measured atleast once a year just to make sure my shoe buying is still on track b/c I order most of their shoes online. We did Stride Rite first...Colby was a champ and had his feet measure and tried on shoes very easily. Although Lindsay was a totally different story! She cried and refused. Colby's foot measured a 12 but they said it was ok to buy him 13s b/c obviously his feet will grow and the 13 didn't seem overly big on him. He's been wearing 13s for quite awhile lol. Lindsay I have no idea but I did buy her a pair of 8 tennis shoes. She is wearing 7s right now and they are obviously getting small so I know she will go into 8s this fall. I wanted to get her 2 pair but they didn't have the others in her size so I will have to order some online she needs about 4 more pair to get her through winter. After shoes I promised the kids a trip to the Disney store to just LOOK! My parents met us there at this point and my dad did decide to buy them t-shirts. They did good though about not asking for toys. They did though like making a list for Christmas! After the Disney store we went down to PB Kids. The kiddos usually enjoy looking and playing with a lot of the stuff in there and I needed to get some info on beds for Lindsay. Afterwards we had lunch in the food court with my parents. It was a fun time just to chat and visit. I know they eat up this time and we do too. Just making memories! I am so thankful my kids get to live close to their grandparents so we can do stuff like this on a pretty regular basis. That afternoon we just took it easy at home. I tried a new pinterest recipe.
So thankful for these days! The days are sometimes long but the years are short!

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

The Struggle

So this week has been "one of those weeks" for one reason or another I have been moody and probably..no not probably HAVE let my anger fly with my kids. I hate when I do that but its so hard sometimes. I love love staying at home with my kids and like 90% of the time its awesome and sunshine but then the other 10% happens. Life happens....hormones happen...kids acting rude happens.
I know we are probably all guilty. For me its probably half hormonal and the other half maybe just tired and feeling overwhelmed. We've been in vaction mode and birthday mode for about 3 weeks so maybe its coming down off that high!
Lindsay for some reason has had several accidents this week and I am not sure what the deal with that is. All I know is I keep telling myself it is normal and this too shall pass although after the 4th day in a row today I lost it! I know Colby did something like this as well. First off she still isn't pooping in the potty...tmi I know but I want to be able to go back and read this when she is 12 and laugh! Anyway I know it'll happen b/c Colby took awhile too but its frustraing b/c unlike him she just poops in her underwear! I think that only happened a couple of times with him b/c he knew to wait for a pullup.
She's done so well with peeing in the potty that when she sorta "trained" herself she rarely had accidents. But this week she's completely emptied her bladder in her clothes and underwear!
On top of all this the fighting...oh the fighting that the 2 of them do! I know they have to share a lot and are together a lot and I know its been a long summer in some aspects!
I honestly don't look forward to starting back to school often mainly b/c I know it means they are 1 year older and how fast life will fly and I know I will miss them so much. But the days with all the fighting I must confess I look forward to the quietness!
I know I am guilty this summer of also not staying spiritually fed. With all the trips and birthdays and holidays and such I have not been staying in the Word. I did a summer Bible study but only went half of the time due to vaction and or sick kids. I also haven't been in worship due to teaching on Sundays and vacations! I know the root of this problem is me and I need to get back on my knees and in His Word.
UGH I just had to get these things out of my head and onto paper or a screen haha! I love my littles and I hate when I lose it with them! Praying for a peaceful afternoon and that something can learned from all of this!

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Six


















So here I am writing Colby's 6 year old post! Very hard to believe! Really to me it feels like he should still be 1! He's growing up so fast and def now a young boy instead of a preschooler. He's grown up a lot over the last year. Ofcourse finishing kindergarten he learned so much! He's reading now and just knows and understands so much!
He's still very much into cars/planes. He likes to build and put things together! He still has a love for animals though. He still isn't much into sports but does enjoy swimming and is still taking tennis lessons. He's improved a lot with tennis and I hope it will be something he will keep up. Every now and then he wants to play baseball outside but he still hasn't actually played on a team. For now that's not really his thing!
His best friends are Nijel and Ella. He's a very good big brother but he can also get pretty annoyed with his little sis too!
He's still a big boy he's somewhere in the 75%-80%. He weighs 52 lbs and is 46 inches tall. He wears a size 6 or boys small. He can also still fit in some 5T stuff though so to me he isn't all that big. He wears a size 13 shoe but they are a little big.
I think he is looking forward to 1st grade! I cannot wait to see what the next year brings! Oh and he still hasn't lost any teeth so I guess maybe sometime this year he will have that to look forward to!
He's still overall very cautious and reminds me so much of my father!

Colby's Birthday Weekend











It always seems like we end up celebrating kid's birthdays all weekend! So here is a rundown of this past weekend!
Friday morning the kids and I woke up and went over to my parent's house to work on making the cake for Colby's birthday. Yes MAKE the cake! First time I've ever made one of his cakes! But this year he asked my mom to do it! She made the cookie cake and I decorated it! And I was very proud of us both! It turned out so cute!
Afterwards we came home and ate lunch and rested and helped prepare the house for company. Austin's family came in Friday afternoon and we invited them over for dinner that evening. Colby and Lindsay love playing with their cousins so we figured it would be best to just eat here that way they could play more and we could visit more. They got here around 4:30. The kids played inside and had a lot of fun. We hated it rained all day so they couldn't get outside but I think they still had fun! We enjoyed visiting and everyone talked about their summer vacations! Its so neat to watch the cousins play together. They are now 10, 7, 6, and 2 so they are all growing up so fast!
Saturday morning we got up early and hit the ground running ready for the big party day! We went over to my parent's house around 9 so we could help get set up for the party. Austin's family got there right at 10 and the other guests were about 10:30. We had a smaller birthday crowd this year then in years past. We decided with the Texas trip and after having 3 years of big parties we thought we would do a low key one. We let Colby choose 2 friends in addition to family. He invited his friend Nijel who is also 6 and in school with him and his little sister Mia who is 2. He also invited his friend Ella. who is 6 and  he's known basically his whole life who goes to church and school with him. He also invited her younger brother Eli who is 4. And ofcourse Shelbi and Maggie! The kids all got in the pool first thing. We were nervous about the weather b/c it had been raining but luckily by the time of the party the weather cleared and they were able to swim for an hour. The kids all had a blast in the pool. They kept Austin and his dad quite busy. I stayed out and mostly visited and just made sure everyone had what they needed. Around 11:15 we corralled them all in to eat lunch. All the kids sat at the table in the kitchen and were so cute! Again I got to enjoy visiting with the other moms. I felt like this party was so much more low key...I don't know if its b/c we had less kids or b/c my kids are getting older and they don't require as much hands on. After eating the kids wanted to make their minions. I had found a cute little project involving yellow balloons. I think the kids all liked it and it took about 15-20 min for them all to finish. It was a nice little activity to keep the pace of the party. Afterwards they danced to a couple Despicable Me songs. The kids really loved that! We did cake afterwards and I was pleased that everyone loved our homemade cookie cake! This may be the new thing! The last activities were opening presents and doing the pinata. I think Colby had a blast! I really enjoyed watching him laugh and smile and play with his little friends! Lindsay even had the time of her life! She's been so sweet and good to not complain a bit about the attention her big brother is getting! Once everyone left and we cleaned up from the party we came home to rest/relax.
That night we went over to the hotel where Austin's parents were staying to order pizza so Colby and Lindsay could play and hang out with the girls a little more! It was fun just getting to spend a little bit more time with them. The kids had a blast the first hour but after pizza they were both getting obviously tired and cranky. We left around 7 to get them home and off to bed!
Sunday was church and Austin was home. I had to teach but we had a great morning! We had 7 littles. I was the only teacher so I was a little nervous how it would go but it actually went really well. That afternoon we came home and did our usual Sunday afternoon thing. We ate lunch and napped.
That evening we took a Family Date Night! I figure this will be one of many now that our kids are getting older and easier to do things with! We went to see PLANES Fire and Rescue! This would be Lindsay's 2nd movie experience. If you remember earlier in the summer I took them to see Wizard of Oz. They loved the movie and it was just a sweet little family night. I love the ages they are at right now and just want to soak up this precious childhood time with them!
I would say Colby had a great birthday weekend! He got to celebrate for 4 days! Lucky boy!

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Colby's Birthday





Colby turned 6 on Thursday this week. We once again gave him the choice of what he wanted to do for his birthday. We also let him choose breakfast. He chose donuts for breakfast! Ofcourse the kids were happy about that! Colby picked the aquarium as our destination. He also chose this last year. The kids really enjoyed it although it was a little crowded but we mostly managed to avoid the crowds. They pretty much breezed through it though and we were finished in an hour! We decided on going to the Riverwalk for lunch and to go walk around since it was recently re-opened.
Colby loved this mall! It will definitely be a place for us to go I believe! We ate lunch and the FoodCourt had plenty of options for everyone. Afterwards we walked around. Lindsay got a new pair of Crocs and Colby got some little things to decorate his.
That afternoon was pretty low key we just stayed in and enjoyed being at home together. My parents stopped by to wish him happy birthday! I think he really enjoyed his day!

TX Trip Day 7

Sunday we rounded up our last full day in the great state of TX. Again we headed out fairly early and headed to Mesquite to meet my aunt and uncle for breakfast. We met them at this little hole in the wall place but it was SO good! It was fun getting to visit. The kids were pretty good and let us visit but after an hour or so it was time to hit the road!
We drove to Kilgore, TX. My dad wanted to take the kids to the East Texas Oil Museum. My parents took me when I was little b/c we have an aunt who lives there. Anyway when we first arrived the museum wasn't open yet but we ran into a cousin of Laura Bush! Craziness! So we went to Whataburger to wait in the AC with a cold drink...Dr. Pepper ofcourse ;). Afterwards we went back to the museum. We stayed about 2 hours and the kids had a blast! It really is a neat little museum for such a small town! I think Colby learned some stuff and it was just fun seeing my dad in his hay day! After the museum we jumped back in the car and drove to Longview, TX. Here we stayed the night. Our purpose was just to break the trip up a little and not have to drive quite so long the next day. We got to the hotel and checked in then were able to walk over to Panera Bread for dinner. After dinner we once again took the kids swimming! It was a perfect way to close out the trip!
This trip was so fun! I love the ages that the kids were at! They were so good too! I look forward to summer vacations!
The next day we loaded up and headed out at 6am. We were home by 2ish. The kids were great! So thankful for this opportunity! It was a blast and many memories were made!

Friday, July 18, 2014

TX Day 6

So Saturday was our 6th day in Texas. It started out a little more low key. We were able to sleep in and take our time getting ready. Once we were all finally dressed and ready we headed out for breakfast. We just settled on McDonald's knowing that they kids would eat and they could play for awhile. It had a great playground so we let them run and stretch for awhile. Afterwards my parents took the kids back to the hotel and we took a trip to Target for a couple of things. Afterwards we got back to the hotel and let the kids swim for an hour. My dad and Austin got in with them and my mom and I just sat by the pool and visited. Again it was a lovely low key morning and helped us all sort of unwind and relax! The kids loved all the swimming they got to do! After swimming we ate a little snack lunch in the lobby of the hotel. The kids enjoyed that and it kept us from eating out.
That afternoon I spent mostly just getting cleaned up and ready for the wedding. We made the kids rest and take naps in the hotel room. This room was nice b/c they had their own room which gave us a little more space and everyone was able to rest/sleep better. Austin dropped me off at the wedding venue around 4:30. Ashley was still getting dressed and makeup done so I just sat around and visited which was nice. We took pictures around 5:30ish. The wedding was beautiful! I really enjoyed being a part of it! I was a little nervous of how the kids would do (it was only Colby's 2nd wedding and Lindsay's 1st). They ended up doing awesome though. I was caught up most of the time with wedding stuff though atleast until later in the reception b/c we had to take a few more pictures after the ceremony. Afterwards I was able to sit down and enjoy my little family. The kids loved playing with Jude again and it was so nice getting to visit with our old Calvary friends. We stayed until about 10. The wedding wasn't over but we knew the kids needed to get back. They were troopers though and hung in there without getting too crazy/grumpy!

TX Trip Day 5




Friday our 5th day in TX was an exciting day. This day we arranged to go to the George W. Bush library and museum. It was my first time in any presidential library. I was also excited my kids would get to do something like this at such a young age. We got an early start to the day and got to the museum around 9ish. The museum was awesome and done really well. Even the kids were able to enjoy it. There were plenty of interactive exhibits that kept them busy. I really liked the 9/11 exhibit and the Life in Whitehouse exhibits. The kids mostly enjoyed the interactive exhibits of No Child Left Behind and the Bush Pets. I was really proud of how well they did. I would say we were in the museum about 2 hours. A lot of the workers I think got a kick out of them as well!
After the museum we went to lunch on the SMU campus. My aunt had joined us for the museum and lunch so it was good getting to visit with her. We had a nice liesure lunch. We could tell though that the kids were getting tired.
We got back to the hotel and made them rest. It wasn't long though before we had to start getting ready for the Rehearsal Dinner that evening for my friend Ashley. I was a little nervous on how the Rehearsal would go especially with 2 kids but we wanted to bring them so they could meet everyone in a more casual atmosphere then the wedding plus I figured it would be good for Ashley's son Jude to have some company. We got to the Rehearsal before any of Ashley's family so we had to wait around a little while before things got started. Finally everyone arrived and we all visited for a bit. We went quickly through the ceremony then it was time to eat! The kids did well during all of this since it was outside they were able to run around and play a lot! During the dinner we found a table for 4 but Jude joined us too which was precious! He and Colby had lots of fun talking and playing. Austin took them outside after we all ate and let them play while I visited with Ashley and her other bridesmaids. It ended up being a wonderful, laid back evening! I had so much fun and so did the kids! We got them back to the hotel and put to bed pretty early for the next busy day!

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

TX Trip day 4

So onto our 4th day in Texas. This day we weren't in a HUGE hurry to wake up so we kinda took our time. Once we were up and packed we went to Cracker Barrel for a big breakfast before heading North to Dallas/Ft. Worth. The breakfast was good. Also Lindsay seemed to be feeling much more like herself which was a huge relief! My throat though was sore when I woke up though.
It took us about 4 hours to drive to Ft. Worth. The kids were great in the car. We only stopped a couple of times for bathrooms and gas. We ate a snack lunch in the car. We really tried to conserve money and calories on this trip. I hate eating out so much!
We got into Ft. Worth around 3 I think. We settled into our rooms. Yes rooms! At this hotel we had adjoining rooms with the kids which was lovely. It was nice to be able to spread out some! We relaxed for a bit before freshening up to go to Olive Garden for dinner. Also my parents joined us for this part of the trip so they were with us! it was nice having them along and the extra hands with the kids!
We got back to the hotel fairly early but we skipped swimming b/c the pool was crowded and I felt like we all needed an early to bed kinda night. Especially since I wasn't feeling that great! I felt like everyone slept better since we were in 2 different rooms.

TX Trip Day 3

Wednesday we planned to hang out with some friends and visit the Houston Children's Museum. The kids were very excited to go do this. We ate breakfast in the hotel restaurant before we went. It took us about 30 min to drive there. Again the kids just enjoyed sitting and seeing all the sights there in Houston. We got there and met our friend Rick and his 2 girls Addison and Mackenzie. They are 5 and 2. They were great friends of ours here in NOLA and moved to Houston this year. The museum was really big and awesome but Oh so crowded. I think it was a little overwhelming for all 4 kids. It was also hard to get them all interested in the same exhibits at the same time. They all wanted to go in different directions. We explored most of the museum downstairs. Lindsay was very clinging and whiney. We were thinking she was just overwhelmed and tired but we later found out she was getting sick. Colby really loved the kid town they had but we didn't get to fully explore and enjoy it b/c Lindsay was getting really fussy and it was just soo crowded. We did a few more exhibits inside before heading out. Going outside was wonderful...even though it was hot it wasn't nearly as chaotic as the indoor exhibits. The kids really seemed to love the water exhibits too! Although they all got soaked! We took a break and even had a juice and popcorn break in the shade. We went back in and tried to get the little girls to do the toddler exhibit but neither was really interested. We went to one more area to design some things. Colby and Addison were having fun but the little sisters were miserable...especially Lindsay! I would have loved to stay longer bc I don't feel like Colby got to do everything but I felt so bad for Lindsay and it was hard carrying her around everywhere.
We stopped to eat lunch at Jason's Deli. This is where we discovered why Lindsay wasn't herself. She was burning up! I didn't have a thermometer but I knew she had a low grade fever atleast. She refused to eat lunch and didn't eat anything the rest of the day. We got back to the hotel and she fell asleep. I felt so bad for her. I wasn't sure what would happen the rest of our trip. I was afraid she might have a stomach bug. We all rested that afternoon. I ended up calling and cancelling our dinner plans with the Theriots. I hated so much to miss it! But we didn't want to spread germs plus it seemed like we all needed to rest. So we stayed in the hotel the rest of the day. We all started to get restless around 4 though. Lindsay perked up enough to swim for an hour. She acted completely fine in the pool! I loved that we got to take them swimming almost every day on this trip! Such great excercise! We went back upstairs and Austin picked dinner up for us. It worked out well just to eat in the hotel room and take it easy. That night I slept with Lindsay and Austin with Colby just to hopefully prevent any spreading of germs. She ended up eating some yogurt about 3 am.

Monday, July 14, 2014

TX Trip day 2






So our 2nd day in TX we went to NASA. Austin and Colby have been excited about this for awhile. We woke up pretty early to head out there when they opened. The kids ate breakfast in the car on the way out there. It was about a 45 min drive so they were able to eat and take in the sights of  Houston. We got there around 9:30. We went in and walked straight to the TRAM tour. We were going to do the more "kid friendly" version but a huge group of camp kids were going to be on that one so we opted for the other. We got to see the old Mission Control room and see Rocket Park. The kids enjoyed the sights I think. The whole tour took about an hour or more so by the time we got back it was time for them to eat lunch. We enjoyed a little lunch in the Food Court before continuing our tour. We walked around and enjoyed seeing the different space things. Colby did get upset b/c he was too young to do most of the space experiment type things. It was fun just checking everything out though and Lindsay was quite the trooper with all of this. We did buy them a couple souvenirs which they were excited about! After that we saw a movie/presentation then it was time to head back to the hotel. On the ride back Lindsay got in a little nap which was helpful. We got back to the hotel to rest and cool off. It was nice being able to take our time and go at our own speed.
After cleaning up we went to eat at Chuy's. We were told about this place and it definitely lived up to its reputation! It was soo yummy! After dinner we went back to the hotel for a swim. It was so nice having the empty pool to ourselves in the evenings to play and hang out with the kids! I know they loved swimming and I think it made bedtime a little easier in the evenings!

Thursday, July 10, 2014

TX trip day 1

So we are traveling for the first time ever to tx for 8 days with two kids! We are having a great time! Let me start at the beginning though!
So day 1we finally got out of nola about 11. This was later than our goal but we had two errands and plus just trying to get everyone and everything packed for that long was quite a feat! So we drove into Baton Rouge where we stopped for lunch. The kids were excellent travelers and really enjoyed their Jason's deli lunch break! From there we started driving to tx. We only stopped again at the tx rest stop. The kids did great and both actually napped in the car some. We got to our hotel around 5ish. We checked in and got settled! We wrote very happy wot your hotel and room! The room was huge therefore made it easier to all four be in the same room. We unpacked and drove a short distance to eat at a smash burger. Afterwards we knew the kids needed some exercise so we took them to the pool! It was awesome bc we had the whole thing to ourselves! We had so much fun splashing around and playing! The pool was awesome and very kid friendly!
Afterwards we bathed and just tried to settle in! It took awhile for the kids to sleep but once they did everyone slept really well!

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Monkey Room and 4th of July Weekend

So Thursday was one of our first FREE days in what felt like forever! This summer has been filled with to do's and honestly I don't like it! I do like that we've been busy and therefore I haven't really heard the kids say they were bored too much but I really love just free fun days with my kiddos and taking them fun places! So since Thursday was free for us we went to the Monkey Room! This was the first time we had been since Colby was 3! Lindsay had never been! Its so hot these days that I figured indoor play would be best plus it was a new thing for them! I am not sure Colby even remembered it much so he had a blast! Lindsay really had fun but it was good that Colby was there to help her on the big stuff. She freaked out a few times but Colby was good to stay with her and help her on stuff. I do love that about them! They fight like crazy but when it really comes down to it they can be soo sweet to each other! I hope those memories stick with them! We stayed for about 2 hours before coming home. I was just glad they got to run and climb and be kids!
Friday was the 4th of July. We had a really quiet day. Austin had to work unfortunately. Its better for us for the 4th to fall during the week b/c when it falls on Essence weekend he has to work plus with our upcoming trip. The kids and I just went to my parent's house for a quiet day of swimming. Randall and Elizabeth are out of town too so it was just us. It was fun swimming with the kids. Again we haven't gone nearly as much as I would like to due to such a busy summer! Colby is doing so well swimming alone and Lindsay is getting really brave. We mostly keep floaties on her but she can kick and move her arms around and does great! After swimming we had lunch and just enjoyed the time to visit. The afternoon has been really quiet b/c Colby stayed over there for a few extra hours. I think this worked out well b/c its given me a little time to clear my head. With being with the kids non-stop I have felt myself really reaching my breaking point several times lately and I hate that! So now with Lindsay napping and him gone its been a nice break for me! I do look forward to hanging out with them tonight though.
Saturday morning was another busy day! Colby had tennis lessons at 9:30 so we went to that. Afterwards we had to go run a few errands. The day has gone by fast and I have a lot to do before our trip! We will have a quiet afternoon. I am hoping the kids will be able to play nicely while I pack and prepare for the trip!
Sunday was church day. Austin again was working so the kids and I went to church. This was my week to teach the preschoolers. It always seems a little crazy the weeks I am there without Austin and have to teach. I have to deliver my own kids to their classes then teach. Today I was hoping to split the classes up but we once again ended up having like 7 twos and 1 4 year old. It worked out ok though b/c Cash was the older one and he's just so go with the flow I don't think he really noticed he was the only older one! It was a little hectic though with that many two year olds. We did the older curriculum mostly so that Cash wouldn't be bored but it was very hard to keep the attention of all the 2 year old boys! They run around like crazy! Although I am looking forward to seeing them grow and mature this year! Anyway we came home to eat lunch and rest. Now this afternoon I will be busy trying to clean the house and get packed for our trip!