Our goal is to check off at least one or two things every week on our bucket list. We purposely made a bucket list with thing that are out of our norm and we didn't purposely put things on that list that we KNEW we were going to do anyway in an attempt to get ourselves outside of our usual routine and change it up a bit. So, I have come to the realization that I might have been a bit too ambitious with a bucket list for a family with two young children especially since I didn't account for things that I knew we would do. Oh well. As long as we try out some new things and have fun while doing it, we feel pretty good about it. I'm also noticing that we are checking off the super easy things first which leaves me to wonder how many of the "harder" ones will get done. Harder is relative. We have two small children with schedules (like Will's nap time) and shorter attention spans so "harder" for us is something like visit an aquarium. We don't have one local (at least not one that we want to see) so we have to plan an entire day trip out to Tampa (for instance). We also already have so much that goes on in the summer months already so we are realizing that we are short on weekends. Luckily, Steven might be able to take off random Fridays if he works enough hours during the week, giving us time to do some of those things.
Anyway, back to the task at hand. We were able to do a couple of things on the Bucket List this week. We have avoided doing some things during the week since it means Steven wouldn't be there, but we might have to just go with it. For instance, I plan to take the kids to the Winter Garden splash pad (it's really just fountains) next week during the week on a morning.
We woke up early on Friday to hit up the pool. We have to go in the morning because 1. It is too freaking hot out later in the day. and 2. In Florida, pools seem to get more crowded later in the day and it is just too much with 2 small kiddos. Plus, if we went in the evening, it would be difficult since Steven would be rushing home from work and I would either have to meet him there or go without him more than likely. Also, we had later plans with Steven's parents on Friday to go pick out a new recliner. Ours broke. It might have been me that was sitting in it when the level decided to call it quits. Oops. It's been rough without it (first world problem alert!!) We had a lot of fun on our quick pool trip. We were limited to about 30-45 minutes of pool time, but the kids loved it. Kenzie practiced her floating and swimming to me and then the wall and stairs a few times. She also did one sit jump (though I couldn't convince her to do a stand jump... but we will work on that) and she rode the "Daddy train" all around the pool. Will practiced his floating and swimming to the stairs. He liked hanging out on the steps and practicing his kicks and bubble blowing. Whatever works. We had to argue some to get them out of the pool, but we were on a time crunch. P.S. Ignore the exorbitant amount of leaves it rained last night and the pool guy came after we left.
After the pool we went to pick out the new recliner. We found a really nice one and I think we will all be happy with the purchase. Because it was bought separately from our furniture (and not even in the same store) we ended up with a brown that is lighter than our very dark (everyone thinks our furniture is black) brown, but we think it will be okay and the chair is super nice so we will overlook the fact that they are the exact same color. =) We had lunch at Steak and Shake after that. Will was yelling at the kitchen when he realized he could see them making food. I think he was telling them to hurry up. The kids ate their weight in food and then, Steven and his mom went down to the outlets to pick out new shoes. We are less than a month from the 5k so he needs shoes to break in prior to that. (This was his Father's Day gift, hence the reason Mom Y took him and I didn't go.) Sidenote: A 5k in less than a month?!? I have not been training nearly enough it seems. I'm back to running 20 minutes without stopping but my pace is slow. The heat slows me even more, it seems. Steven is doing really well with the c25k program though. That's another update for another post though (which will be coming in a couple of weeks just before the 5k.) Mom and Dad Y stayed for dinner. It was pretty nice having Grandaddy around while I was cooking. Someone to keep the kids busy while I made dinner. We had chicken parm so it is a meal that has a few more steps than I typically do on a weekday when Steven isn't home just because usually I am trying to keep 2 kids alive at the same time. Having some help was refreshing. The kids kept bringing him books and toys and they even got to FaceTime with Cousin Evie for a bit so everyone was happy. Dinner was awesome and after Mom and Dad Y left, we even managed to get a walk in.
On Saturday we would have loved to go to the pool again, but we really wanted to make story time at the main library downtown. (Had to get in a run first though and even shaved 20 seconds off my fastest 5k time so far!) Going to the main library was a bucket list item. Neither Steven nor I have ever actually been inside it and I had heard that there is a large children's section. We were hoping to not only pick up a few new books, but also pick out a movie for the kids. Now, the kids and I typically go to our local library branch at least once a week. We at least go to pick out new books and maybe a movie (typically a show on DVD). We have missed a few weeks of story time because of the timing of swimming lessons lately, but we did go this week and they loved being back. The main library often has different story tellers though so we wanted to check it out. Same structure, but different people. We decided to park at Steven's office and walk the 1/2 mile or so to the library. On the way, we saw a large group of people getting ready to leave on a march related to the Pulse shootings. We saw a large group praying before leaving. It was definitely a sobering experience. Once we got to the library, the kids were immediately taken by the castle they have an enjoyed playing in it while we picked out some books. We ended up going to the toddler story time in lieu of the preschooler one. This turned out well because Will was being a bit weird. New place and all and it kept his attention better than the older version would have. Plus, Kenzie still likes the movement aspect of the toddler version. Unfortunately, we couldn't find a movie that we really wanted so we nixed the movie and popcorn idea we had for that night. Kenzie found a Tinkerbell movie so we set them up with that after dinner. Steven did his run after dinner and reported that running in his new shoes was like "running on clouds" so I think he likes them. Good shoes can make a world of difference.
After the library, we worked on checking off another bucket list item. We were supposed to go down to Lake Eola and walk around before having dinner one night but we decided that we would modify that a bit and change it to lunch. We set off around the lake and went to Anthony's Pizza. The kids were excited. Will chanted "piz-za" until it was delivered to the table. We forgot to bring something to color or something for the kids but it worked out well that we went to the library first. Reading library books totally kept them busy until food was served. Parenting win! The best part of the lunch was Kenzie insisting she was "starrrrving" (although she had polished off almost 2 entire garlic rolls) and eating her pizza without picking it up because it was too hot to hold. This kid. Both kids were super happy with our lunch choice. We also love this place because they will "kid cut" the pizza for Will. Works for us! After lunch we walked back to Steven's office to pick up the car. Will fell asleep on the walk back and slept all the way until we got to the store to run an errand by the house. Love that he is so easy going. It was nap time... so he slept. Whenever. Wherever. Haha!
On Sunday we had plans with both sets of grandparents to celebrate Father's Day. When we got up that morning, we gave Steven his Father's Day present. We decided to finally update the DAD pictures that I took of Kenzie 3 years ago. It's about time. I love how they turned out. I have no idea how I got those pictures with no help. They were super cooperative that day, I guess. Also, on Wednesday at the library, the kids made Steven "cards". Well, I did most of Will's. He just picked his colors and helped push down things with glue. Kenzie did hers entirely on her own with the exception of putting the glue on (in the interest of getting out of the library without sticking to every surface on the way). She also wrote her name on the front and "I Love My Daddy" on the back. She needs me to talk through how to write each letter with her usually (with the exception of some of the letters in her name) but she rarely needs a model even anymore. She has come a long way.
Grandma, Grandaddy, Nana, and Papa came early to go to church with us. I was volunteering in the nursery, but they were able to sit in the service with Steven. After church we came back to the house and did a shrimp boil. We did it with Steven's sister and brother-in-law a few years back and loved it. We have done it a handful of times since and it always turns out yummy. We also made Julie's crab dip that we had over that weekend. Yum! Everything was yummy and we had a great time celebrating Father's Day with the family. Even Gus (my parents' dog) came to get in on the fun so Jack had a playmate. We had a nice family evening walk and leftovers for dinner because it has been a long weekend and we are all just exhausted. It's a good exhausted though.
It was a jam packed weekend (again). We don't really see an end in sight either. Next weekend we have Kenzie's recital, then over the next few weeks we have (in order) my birthday, our anniversary, my sister-in-law's birthday, the 5k, Dad Y's birthday, Steven's birthday, the kids and me staying with my parents for the weekend, Kenzie's birthday, Joe's birthday, and a bunch of other stuff. It's like a never ending cycle of crazy around here. You would think we would be used to it by now, but we just keep adding things. Danielle (my sis-in-law) married into our family in March and she managed to somehow fit the week between mine and Steven's birthday perfectly with her birthday. We are all a week apart (and then Kenzie is exactly 2 weeks after Steven). Anyone with a July 23rd birthday want to be a part of our family? Might as well complete the pattern... =)
We hope everyone had an awesome weekend! We sure did.
Anyway, back to the task at hand. We were able to do a couple of things on the Bucket List this week. We have avoided doing some things during the week since it means Steven wouldn't be there, but we might have to just go with it. For instance, I plan to take the kids to the Winter Garden splash pad (it's really just fountains) next week during the week on a morning.
We woke up early on Friday to hit up the pool. We have to go in the morning because 1. It is too freaking hot out later in the day. and 2. In Florida, pools seem to get more crowded later in the day and it is just too much with 2 small kiddos. Plus, if we went in the evening, it would be difficult since Steven would be rushing home from work and I would either have to meet him there or go without him more than likely. Also, we had later plans with Steven's parents on Friday to go pick out a new recliner. Ours broke. It might have been me that was sitting in it when the level decided to call it quits. Oops. It's been rough without it (first world problem alert!!) We had a lot of fun on our quick pool trip. We were limited to about 30-45 minutes of pool time, but the kids loved it. Kenzie practiced her floating and swimming to me and then the wall and stairs a few times. She also did one sit jump (though I couldn't convince her to do a stand jump... but we will work on that) and she rode the "Daddy train" all around the pool. Will practiced his floating and swimming to the stairs. He liked hanging out on the steps and practicing his kicks and bubble blowing. Whatever works. We had to argue some to get them out of the pool, but we were on a time crunch. P.S. Ignore the exorbitant amount of leaves it rained last night and the pool guy came after we left.
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| I'm sort of in love with Steven's new shoes. Haha! |
After the library, we worked on checking off another bucket list item. We were supposed to go down to Lake Eola and walk around before having dinner one night but we decided that we would modify that a bit and change it to lunch. We set off around the lake and went to Anthony's Pizza. The kids were excited. Will chanted "piz-za" until it was delivered to the table. We forgot to bring something to color or something for the kids but it worked out well that we went to the library first. Reading library books totally kept them busy until food was served. Parenting win! The best part of the lunch was Kenzie insisting she was "starrrrving" (although she had polished off almost 2 entire garlic rolls) and eating her pizza without picking it up because it was too hot to hold. This kid. Both kids were super happy with our lunch choice. We also love this place because they will "kid cut" the pizza for Will. Works for us! After lunch we walked back to Steven's office to pick up the car. Will fell asleep on the walk back and slept all the way until we got to the store to run an errand by the house. Love that he is so easy going. It was nap time... so he slept. Whenever. Wherever. Haha!
On Sunday we had plans with both sets of grandparents to celebrate Father's Day. When we got up that morning, we gave Steven his Father's Day present. We decided to finally update the DAD pictures that I took of Kenzie 3 years ago. It's about time. I love how they turned out. I have no idea how I got those pictures with no help. They were super cooperative that day, I guess. Also, on Wednesday at the library, the kids made Steven "cards". Well, I did most of Will's. He just picked his colors and helped push down things with glue. Kenzie did hers entirely on her own with the exception of putting the glue on (in the interest of getting out of the library without sticking to every surface on the way). She also wrote her name on the front and "I Love My Daddy" on the back. She needs me to talk through how to write each letter with her usually (with the exception of some of the letters in her name) but she rarely needs a model even anymore. She has come a long way.
Grandma, Grandaddy, Nana, and Papa came early to go to church with us. I was volunteering in the nursery, but they were able to sit in the service with Steven. After church we came back to the house and did a shrimp boil. We did it with Steven's sister and brother-in-law a few years back and loved it. We have done it a handful of times since and it always turns out yummy. We also made Julie's crab dip that we had over that weekend. Yum! Everything was yummy and we had a great time celebrating Father's Day with the family. Even Gus (my parents' dog) came to get in on the fun so Jack had a playmate. We had a nice family evening walk and leftovers for dinner because it has been a long weekend and we are all just exhausted. It's a good exhausted though.
It was a jam packed weekend (again). We don't really see an end in sight either. Next weekend we have Kenzie's recital, then over the next few weeks we have (in order) my birthday, our anniversary, my sister-in-law's birthday, the 5k, Dad Y's birthday, Steven's birthday, the kids and me staying with my parents for the weekend, Kenzie's birthday, Joe's birthday, and a bunch of other stuff. It's like a never ending cycle of crazy around here. You would think we would be used to it by now, but we just keep adding things. Danielle (my sis-in-law) married into our family in March and she managed to somehow fit the week between mine and Steven's birthday perfectly with her birthday. We are all a week apart (and then Kenzie is exactly 2 weeks after Steven). Anyone with a July 23rd birthday want to be a part of our family? Might as well complete the pattern... =)
We hope everyone had an awesome weekend! We sure did.
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