Tennessee Day 3

So on Day 3...it was our first full day in Tennessee. We had made plans to go to Dollywood. We brought Colby when he was 2 1/2 but I don't think he remembered much. We got there right at 10 when they opened. The kids immediately wanted to ride the old fashioned cars so that is where we went first. They both LOVED the ride. After that we stopped at a Water ride along the way and decided to ride that. It was already super hot and we thought it might feel good. Needless to say we all got SOAKED! Colby loved the ride and thought it was hilarious but Lindsay not so much. She cried. I don't think it was the ride that scared her but she just hated the feeling of being wet. After that a snack cured any ill feeling between them and we headed off to the next adventure. We meandered through the park and decided to go ride an indoor roller coaster. We thought for sure Lindsay was tall enough for it but when we got there they said she wasn't. The boys rode it while she and I went and found a shady spot. After that she wanted to ride a coaster so we found one on the map that was 39 inches so we went to that. Honestly I expected a kiddie roller coaster but it was far from! It was huge and had some pretty big drops in it. Needless to say she was terrified. She liked it at first but then was scared. Colby said it made him feel like he was going to puke! Austin and I thought it was awesome! After that the kids were starving and hot so we decided to break for lunch. We ate chicken tenders and fries at a little place that was outside but had a cover and some fans. After that we decided to take the kids on the train as a nice winding down activity. We got stuck right in the front though so there wasn't much breeze and it was super hot! It was still fun though. After that we decided to go back to the cabin and cool off. They got to pick out a souvenir though on the way out. We got back to the cabin and all rested for awhile before going back. We left to go back around 4:30. When we arrived we were going to head straight for the old cars b/c that is what they both wanted to do again. Unfortunately by the time we got in line there was lightening and they had closed down the ride. We decided then that we needed to go ahead and eat dinner b/c we knew with rides closing everyone would be headed for the restaurants. We chose to eat at the southern buffet. It was really good and I think we all 4 enjoyed our meals. It was raining though by the time we got out. We skipped around to a few shops and tried to wait it out but it kept thundering and raining. We made our way back to the car area and went into the Dolly Museum. That took about an hour. By the time we got out it was still raining. We tried to wait it out awhile longer but the rain kept coming. At that point we decided to make our way towards the front of the park. We ended up having ice cream then left. I hated we didn't get to do more rides but we still had fun and it was a memorable day. We were all tired when we got back so it was baths and bed for everyone! 

Tennessee Day 2

We got up around 7 Monday morning and got ready to hit the road again. We packed up and first set out to find breakfast. We knew there was a Panera bread close to the hotel so that's where we decided to go. From there we drove straight to Chattanooga. We arrived at Ruby Falls around 11. We did the tour which took about 2 hours total. We really enjoyed it. I think Colby was really into the cave and seeing the waterfall. Lindsay got bored but did enjoy the waterfall. Once we got back to the car we were all pretty tired and hungry. Austin got a call though from our cabin company saying they wanted to re-locate us to a condo in Gatlinburg....um no! He was not happy at all. Needless to say it took a couple or hours to straighten that out. We ended up cancelling those reservations and going with the company we had used before and they set us up with a 2 bedroom Condo in Wears Valley. Much more like it! We were all starving after that ordeal so we found a Taco Bell and ate a quick bite there. 
We finally arrived at our cabin around 6. Austin still had to go to the grocery and get stuff for the week and to cook spaghetti for dinner. We were like 8 eating which is super late for us. Plus Austin wasn't feeling good. We found out it was from getting overheated and all the turns on the mountain. He finally felt better. It was a bit of a rough afternoon but we were thankful to be at our cabin. We finally all got to bed and slept great! The cabin was wonderful. It was really high in the mountain and very woodsy. There were only about 5 other cabins in the area so it felt secluded too but not too secluded. It was nice to know there were a few people around in case we needed something. The cabin had a super cute back yard and front porch. The inside was small but cozy. There were 2 dens...one with a tv and one without. The kitchen and dining area was small but it was fine for 4 people. Our bedroom was downstairs and the kids were upstairs in a sort of loft. They had a really cute bedroom with their own tv and bathroom. I think they loved their own little space up there! 

Tennessee Trip Day 1

The first day of our trip was quite a busy one! We started the day by going to church. Normally we probably would have skipped but since it was VBS Sunday and the kids were singing and saying their Bible verse in church we wanted to be there. Everything went well and I enjoyed teaching my class about God creating sky and water! This is such a fun unit we are doing this summer! We got home around 11. We picked up Subway and ate quickly and loaded up the car. We were able to leave around 12 or so. We headed straight for Hattiesburg. We brought 2 cars b/c we left Allie with Austin's parents while we were gone. We stopped there for awhile. It helped to break up the trip and give the kids a break from the car. I think Austin's parents were also glad to see us. We left there and were on our way to Alabama. We stopped at the Alabama rest stop and kept on going to Birmingham. We got into Birmingham around 6:30. We decided to find a place to eat first. We stopped at Zaxby's. After a quick dinner we set off to find our hotel and get settled for the evening. It was almost 8 by the time we got to our hotel so we let the kids play for a short time then headed them to bath and bed. Sleeping all 4 of us in a room is always interesting. The kids were super hyped up! Austin and Colby slept in one bed and I slept with Lindsay. I think we were all pretty tired though by 10 and we all slept good. It was a great start to our vacation! 

VBS Week

This week has been VBS week! Its going great! 
Monday-The first day started great! I was a little stressed this year just feeling not quite as prepared as previous years but I felt like Monday just went so smoothly. We have a perfect number of preschoolers too! It hasn't been overwhelming! We have like 15, 10, and 10! As far as I can tell too the kids are wonderfully behaved! Lindsay is enjoying her class. She is actually in the prek 4 class. Technically she should be in the younger 4 group but since so many of her friends are prek4 about to promote to kinder I knew she would want to be with them. She is loving her class and teacher Mrs. Carla. Her friend Layla from preschool has also been there so she's loving that too! Colby also seems to be having a good time. He has several school friends in his class so I think he is having a fun friend week too! 
The kids got to do a water color painting craft and I think that was the hit! It was a busy/long day though. We were all tired after VBS and we were able to come home rest a bit before heading out to swim lessons. It will be a hard week conquering both but it'll be great to have it all DONE! The kids have been troopers! Austin worked late so it was just the kids and me mostly. We had a low key dinner and played outside for awhile after.
Tuesday- Austin was off and it was nice to have his help in the morning. He made the kids eggs. While we were at VBS he stayed home and worked on our gallery wall and worked on the yard. VBS was good. We had another great day. The kids learned about being good friends. It was nice to have Austin home when we got here. He was a big help with the kids. He even took them to swim lessons for me. I hated to miss it but I also knew I needed the break. It helped me to have a little while to clear my head and have some quiet time. I hoped it would help me get through the week. That night we cooked chicken alfredo and had some playtime outside. 
Wednesday- It was back to the kids and I. It was quite a busy day. VBS went well but between a suspected pink eye case and a kid pooping his pants it was CRAZY! We were able to rest before swim lessons but I just feel its been an overall busy and hectic day! I can tell today the kids are really tired. Especially Colby...I am praying for a restful night so they will be refreshed and ready for tomorrow.
Thursday- Today went really well. We began our day early and picked up the Director breakfast at Chickfila. It was just a simple way to say thanks for all he has done! The day went really well I felt. We had less kids but that's pretty typical. As the week goes on kids get sick or just plain ole tired. I think Colby and Lindsay both had a great day! I am so proud of how well they are still hanging in there! I enjoyed helping out in the classes and getting to love on the kids. They talked about telling their friends about Jesus. Once again we had a busy afternoon with getting in and going to swim lessons. That evening we had baked potatoes and just chilled. I could tell the kids were soo tired too! That night was also a little rough. We had the kid put to bed around 8 and Colby kept coming out crying until about 9:15. Poor guy! I think he was just flat exhausted. Lindsay got up at 10 to say she needed her music then Colby was up at 5 to potty. Needless to say I was exhausted and so were they. 
Friday- Whew! After a semi rough night I wasn't even sure we would make it. I made up my mind to let the kids sleep as long as they needed to. Well they both woke up within 15-30 min of their normal wakeup. We were able to still leave the house by about 7:30 and got to church by 7:45. We really weren't late at all. The last day went well but ofcourse it was busy with trying to run the day but also pick up the supplies from the week. It was a great week and I am so thankful. The preschool classes seemed to run wonderfully. We averaged 10 in 2 classes and about 15 in the other. Lindsay had a great time and loved being around her friends all week. I think Colby also had a fun week. He had 2 sweet teachers and most of his school friends were there. Its always bittersweet! i mean I am so glad for the week to end so we can move on and get rest but I am also sad to say goodbye. This was our 4th VBS at Calvary! I cannot believe how fast the years go by! That afternoon was also the last swim lesson. Another bittersweet thing b/c its the sign of another season passed. 

Weekend

After quite a busy week I was happy to see the weekend arrive. Friday we decided to take a break from errand running and VBS prep to enjoy being together. I needed some time to just be with the kids and enjoy them. We decided to go swimming at my parents house. They love this and my parents do too and its an easy way to get them out the house and some energy out. We got there about 9:30. We swam for about an hour and a half. Afterwards we came straight home. I hated to not stay and visit like Colby and my parents wished we would but I needed time at home. We got home and ate lunch and then I had time to do some clean up around the house. It was a MUCH needed break. The kids seemed to be in better moods. I think we all needed that time to slow down. They played and just enjoyed each other. We rested up before swim lessons. I couldn't believe they finished up a week of swim already. Both are doing so great! After swim we relaxed a bit then the kids had a grilled cheese picnic before the rain set in. I enjoyed visiting with them and enjoying the slightly cooler temps. The thunder finally chased us in. Since it was a stormy night Austin brought home a pizza for the 2 of us. We ate pizza and watched PAN for our Friday night movie. I loved that movie! The kids were exhausted though and def didn't complain about going to bed. 
Saturday I was up early. I just had so much on my mind about VBS. We had a birthday party that morning so we had to get going pretty early and quickly. We left the house about 9:30 but had to go to Target. We got the b-day present a couple other items. We hurried off to my parents house. The birthday party was for Makylee. It was just an all girl party so my parents kept Colby. It was nice for it to be just the little sisters though. Plus Colby was excited about having the grandparents to himself. The party was a little splash party in their backyard. It was perfect for the 3 little girls. They swam and played with squirters and a water table. After about an hour they went in and changed and played and watched Pocahontas. Then it was soon time for lunch and cake. It was a sweet little birthday party. I was so glad she and I got to do something like that together. The last thing Makylee did was open up her gifts. Lindsay and I left shortly after that b/c we had to pick colby up and go up to the mall to get his new glasses. That afternoon we took it easy. It was nice to not have to get back out. We had a very low key evening. 
Sunday Austin was off and it was a very busy day! we started ofcourse with 1st service. I had 12 I think in my class? It was a good morning and I felt like things went well. They are learning about creation this summer and the theme is trains! I am super excited about that! After church we first ate at Five Guys then we left to go to SAM's. We had to get the snacks for the preschool VBS. We also had to get a membership to SAM's. The whole process went smoothly. Since i've now done this 3 years I know exactly what we need and how much. We got back to the church and put the stuff away and organized a few things before leaving. We all got home and crashed after that! It was a nice low key evening. Austin made corn dogs and mac n cheese for supper. It was yummy and then we took a walk. That night everyone went to bed early to prep for a BUSY week of VBS! 

Summer Week 2

Its hard to believe we are almost through our 2nd full week of summer around here. Its been busy and flown by! Well Austin was off Tuesday which was nice. We were able to get out that morning and check some things off our lists. We started the morning by bringing our old couch to Aurora Methodist Church for the youth group to use. the kids enjoyed running around "familiar space". The next thing was going to Target and Hobby Lobby for house things. We got all that done and dropped off our things at the house then went out to lunch. Lunching out is always fun as a family during the summer. Its just a special time especially now that our kids are getting older and eating out is more pleasant then it was say 3 years ago! 
We came home and all rested before heading out to swim lessons. Again it was nice to go as a family. Austin and I enjoyed watching their progress. We came home and relaxed for a bit before cooking. I love when he and I can cook together. Its one of my favorite things! we made chicken friend rice! It turned out wonderfully for our first time. Colby liked it but Lindsay refused to even try it. Not a surprise there really? We were able to take a walk and just enjoy the outdoors for a bit. I love the longer days! 
Wednesday was another busy day for us. This was probably the LONGEST day I had had in awhile. The kids and I got started early that morning to go run errands. I needed to stop at the library then meet our friends at Party City to look for VBS stuff. Since we had 4 kids with us I felt like the shopping trip was CRAZY. I mean shopping with my 2 I usually feel flustered at times but they are usually very well behaved in stores. Not perfect but not terrible either. Well these kids were unruly and b/c they were unruly it encouraged my kids to be unruly. I was completely embarrassed at times and just waiting on someone to say something to us. I heard Colby telling his friend that he wanted to live with him b/c his mom was nicer blahh blah. It hurt my feelings and also made me angry. I already felt the stress rising. Well when we got to Hobby Lobby I about lost it on Colby. They were still acting crazy and I just couldn't handle it anymore. Ashleigh took Makylee to the bathroom and I gave the boys a stern talk. And after that talk I heard Colby say "See?" I knew he was referring to how mean his mom is. I know this is normal and I probably said/did the same thing but it angered me so much. I was ready to hang him up by his toes. We got the shopping done and I tried to contain myself. When we got to the car though I let loose on him. I shouldn't have reacted that way but I was stressed, tired, hungry, and my feelings were hurt. I knew the whole time I was not doing what I should do but I just had to let it all out. Once we got home and everyone could calm down I was able to have a calm rational talk with Colby. I explained that everything I do is b/c I love him and Lindsay. I think by the end he understood he did the wrong thing and didn't choose his words wisely. We had the talk also about peer pressure and how we should choose the higher road type thing. The rest of the day was ok. They had swim lessons and I just felt a little stressed the whole day but we had a low key night. I didn't cook and we just did leftovers.
Thursday was another sort of long day! We had to go work up at the church so we got an early start and got there around 9:30. This was only our 2nd work day this summer. I am used to working with my kids and they usually do just fine. But today we had our friends meeting us. Well the kids were kinda wild as expected. I got a little annoyed and just felt flustered b/c it was hard to focus and correct littles. We worked on getting everything downstairs and the supplies organized and separated. We got all that done and we were able to focus a little on the decorating. By 11:30 or so I was ready to go. Thankfully we had done about all we could do. We got home and had lunch and rested before swim lessons. The kids are doing great at swim. Its hard getting out in the afternoons but its kept them from being bored so that part has been good. We got home and had white beans for dinner. Austin was actually off in time to eat with us and we were able to take a walk. 

Memorial Day Weekend

Friday began our Memorial Day weekend. The kids and I decided to go up to the mall. We rarely make trips up to the mall and Colby was in need of some new glasses. It was also something "low key" for us to do. We have done so many big things I was kind of looking for a "smallish" thing to do. We got there around 10. We ordered his glasses right away...ofcourse he chose Harley Davidson glasses...some of the most expensive. He's gotten even more picky too. After finding just the right glasses we went to walk around. The kids wanted to stop in the play area and play. Lindsay got mad b/c I wouldn't let her take off her sandals. If we were going to be playing for awhile I would have but I knew it would be like a 5 min stop since they are getting too big for it anyway and get bored. So she ended up pouting for awhile. I took them into Dick's Sporting Goods b/c I really wanted to get a pair of Keen's for them for our upcoming mountain trip. We didn't find any so we kept on. During this time Lindsay said "I'm angry" and stomped off. Honestly it was the cutest thing! I couldn't be mad at her. She stomped and pouted and growled her way to the Food Court. I didn't say a word I just ignored her. I was thankful she could say she was angry instead of crying and screaming. I even told her its ok to be angry. So we went on to the Food Court and got our lunch. It was nice to eat an early lunch before the place got crowded. It was nice just sitting down to visit with them both. I treasure these times that they are 4 and 7 b/c they are growing up so quickly! After lunch I had promised them a cookie so we went and sat by the fountain and enjoyed that. It was a sweet morning! We got home and just relaxed that afternoon. My parents came to get Lindsay around 4. she was excited for her turn with the grandparents. I enjoyed a quiet evening with my big boy. It was amazing how quiet and calm the evening was! Austin wanted to take him out to a Zephyr game and I told him but he turned it down and wanted to stay home. Austin then even opted to take us out to dinner and I gave him the option of where or what he wanted to eat. He replied with sandwhiches. Well we figured Austin could just pick up Jimmy John's on the way home from work since has passes right by one. I love his sweet simple taste: he wanted a night at home, eating sandwhiches, take a walk, then watch a show about Cars. We really enjoyed our time with him. Its nice to get them alone once in awhile. 
The next morning Austin made french toast for us. We went to go get Lindsay around 10 and spent some time swimming before coming home. The pool felt great and we all enjoyed the break. We picked up lunch and came home to rest. It was nice to just have a lazy day around the house. We all needed it! We made a chicken and sausage alfredo dish that night that was pretty yummy! 
Sunday Austin was back at work and it was just the kids and I. We went to church. I was teaching ofcourse. I had 1 dad as my helper and we had 7 kids. It seemed so easy only having 7 kids. Its crazy that that used to feel like a lot. After church I had to grocery shop. UGH grocery shopping on a Sunday is something I hate but it needed to be done. My week was filling up and I needed to get it over with. The kids and I got everything we needed and got to the register and realized I left my wallet at home! UGH so we had to drive all the way home grab the wallet then drive back and pay and deal with the groceries! I was exhausted when all that was over. We finally were able to eat lunch and I could sit down. We relaxed the rest of the afternoon. That night we just had a light meal for dinner...Austin made breakfast for us and the kids had sandwhiches. 
Monday was Memorial Day. It was a little strange b/c Austin wasn't off. The kids and I enjoyed a low key morning before heading to my parents house. We had a low key celebration this year b/c my brother and sis in law were also out of town. The kids and I went swimming with my dad. It was nice to enjoy the pool on such a pretty day. We ate lunch and then visited then came home. It was a busy afternoon b/c shortly after getting home I had to get the kids ready for swim lessons. Swim lessons went well. The kids did excellent for their first day. Mrs. Joan spent the majority of the time reviewing with Colby what he has learned. That evening we were all ready to just crash! Austin brought home Chickfila and did yard work. We all went to bed pretty early.