Welcome to Round 3 of July Weekend Craziness in the Young House! This week we are celebrating two family birthdays, Steven and his dad, so we are extra busy, it seems.
Our weekend started early again because Steven was able to work (had to work??) extra hours earlier in the week and ended up being able to take Friday off.... or rather, didn't have to work it because he already did his time. Thursday night he had to go to church for the band rehearsal (he does tech periodically) so when he left for the evening, I got the kids ready to check off a bucket list item. Bake with Mommy! See, Steven's birthday was Saturday and since we are pretty much done with cake at this point in the month, we wanted to make him something yummy and special so we set about making a cookie/brownie thing. I really don't know what to call it. It's super easy though, which is a plus for me because while I love to cook and am pretty good... I am not the best baker. We elected to use boxed mixes just because it was easier and when I am trying to include both kids, it makes life much better. You use a boxed brownie mix (prepare as directed) and a bagged cookie mix (again, prepare as directed) and then you just put the brownie mix in a pan and plop the cookie mix on top. Bake like you would the brownies, let cool, and ice. Simple enough. Also, since there were two things to mix, it worked out well because each child was able to help. Kenzie stirred my cookies and Will tried really hard to stir the brownies. He needed a lot of help, but he was happy with himself. When we were putting the cookie onto the brownie, him and Kenzie both thought it was hilarious to say "doop" every time we dropped a spoonful on. Whatever works. I sent the kids to bed while it was baking because I planned for us to ice it Friday afternoon so we could have some after dinner.
Friday was a super fun-filled day. Another bucket list item for the fam was to go to an aquarium. I ended up doing a post dedicated to just the aquarium that you can read HERE if you are interested and didn't already. It was such a fun day, that we thought it deserved it's own recap. Plus, it was pic heavy and it seemed like too much when added into the rest of the weekend. Anyway, it was awesome and I think we all can't wait to be able to go back one day.
Saturday started pretty early because it was Steven's birthday!!! Yay! We had plans for later in the day with family but had the morning to ourselves. Kenzie wanted to give Daddy the gift she and Will picked out first thing in the morning. They chose a new running outfit for him, but my favorite part was the card she made. She painted a picture of random colors and we cut it into a card shape. Inside she wrote, "Happy Birthday Daddy" and signed her name. It was so cute.
We started our day by heading out to Chick Fil A for breakfast. Partially because Steven really likes the chicken biscuits and partially because it has a play area for the kids. They love going to Chick Fil A so they can play. The best part of the morning was poor Will wanting to go higher in the play place but being slightly too short. He could get his foot on the next ledge, but couldn't hoist himself onto it. So, Steven in all of his 6'2" glory, crawled himself into the play area to help him. I'm not sure how he got in there, but he did. Anything to help out the little man. Will got up to that level but couldn't get back down. I went in to help with that, but luckily, Steven didn't think to take a picture. After Chick Fil A, we had to run a couple of errands before we had lunch and headed out for the beach for the afternoon. Unfotunately, Will fell asleep on one of those drives and got about a 10 minute nap. That might seem like a good thing... but it usually isn't.
After we fed the kids lunch, we packed up and headed out for the beach. Our plans were to meet Steven's parents at the beach for a bit before we went back to their house for dinner. Steven and I actually ended up bringing a couple of sandwiches for on the way, which turned out really well.
We made it to the beach and after about 20 minutes of prep. finally got onto the beach itself. I learned last year that putting the sunblock on the kids BEFORE getting anywhere near the sand is the best idea out there. So, it takes us a while to get everyone prepped and then everything down to the beach. The kids walked right onto the beach and immediately started playing in the sand. We are so thankful that Will doesn't have the same sand aversion that Kenzie had at this age. She either had to wear shoes or be carried. Will walks onto a beach, takes his shoes off and is immediately fine. So much easier.
We got all set up and then went down to the water. Kenzie had chosen a new boogie board at Wal-Mart that morning since we lost hers on our last trip and wanted to try it out. Unfortunately, Steven couldn't help her alone because the waves were a bit rough and his parents were heading out to start prepping dinner so I had to keep an eye on Will. We didn't get to use the board. Instead, we took both kids into the water. Will has a slight fear of the rough waves. He is fine if the water is calmer (like in the Keys last year) but isn't sure about the rough waves of the East coast of Florida. He was okay if I was holding him in the water but doesn't want to be put down at first. Kenzie loved having someone hold her and jump over the waves. She isn't comfortable enough to go too far into the water on her own yet but loves being out there with someone. Eventually, Steven and I changed places. He took Will back to the tent to dig in the sand and I took Kenzie out into the water to jump the waves. She had a blast. We ended up taking Will down to the water's edge again and letting him sit on the boogie board and play. He eventually came around and was loving digging in the sand and having the waves wash over the board and move it some. He seemed to think that was a fun ride.
Steven took Kenzie out one more time and then we all played in the sand. I think this was my favorite time at the beach so far with these two. All of us just sitting in the water at the edge and playing in the sand. Laughing and enjoying ourselves. I am also loving watching Kenzie get more and more comfortable with the water and slowly working her way out farther and farther despite the rough waves. I'm sure Will is going to be right behind her next year when he is a bit more comfortable. We just keep going and getting them more and more used to it. We have been quite a few times this year already and have at least one more visit planned in the coming weeks. I'm hoping that even after school starts, we can continue to visit the beach on weekends for a while. We also still have "Visit a West Coast Beach" on our bucket list... so there's that.
This trip ended up being our biggest clean up adventure after a beach yet. I think what happened was that we spent our final moments right up until we had to leave in the water. So, the kids didn't really dry off any. Usually they are fairly dry by the time we leave and we sort of just dust them off and get them changed. This time, they were soaking wet and both of them laid down on their tummies in the sand as Steven and I were packing up. Wonderful. We had to shower them both off before we could change them. Steven and I ended up waiting to change until we were back to his parents' house just because it took us about 45 minutes from the time we packed up the end of our stuff and the time we pulled out of the parking spot at the beach. 45 minutes. It was crazy. Taking two small children to the beach and wanting to be semi clean before we put them in the car is no small task. Especially because we always bring our tent and everything else. Anyway, we made it to his parents' house, cleaned up, and shortly thereafter my parents, bro, and sis-in-law showed up to celebrate Steven and Grandaddy's birthdays.
We had an awesome dinner. There is a barbecue place in Palm Coast that is continually voted as one of the best in Florida and their ribs and chicken are to die for. We ordered from there and had some sides including my mom's sweet potato casserole which was special requested by Steven. Everything was yummy. After dinner, we had cake before everyone headed home.
I pulled a mommy brain moment and accidentally forgot the kids' pjs at home so we weren't able to bathe them before we went home. Oops! Both kids were exhausted though. Remember that 10 minute nap earlier? Yeah... that is literally the only nap Will had all day. Somehow he was still the happiest kid ever at 8pm when we packed up the kid. We were very, very surprised. It all caught up with him though and he was OUT before we were out of the development. Kenzie made it about 10 minutes before she was also asleep. Both kids slept the entire way home. Will woke up for a minute as I carried him inside but Kenzie never stopped snoring. We let them sleep in their clothes because we thought that was a better alternative than waking them to change them and risking them not going back to sleep. It is what it is. Haha! They didn't mind and both kids slept all night through. Will didn't get up Sunday until almost 8am. That's pretty late for him.
Sunday we went to church. Steven was serving in the tech booth and I was in Grace Town in the nursery. We had a pretty quiet day at home since our weekend was so crazy. BOTH kids ended up taking naps. Kenzie has been acting sort of off for a few days. We think she is growing. She is eating a lot and sleeping way more than her usual. She is also tired more than usual as her day progresses and she gets a bit mouthy. She is also about to turn 4, so... that's probably part of it. Anyway, after the crazy weekend, her and I got into it about cleaning up and she was sent to her room where she put herself to bed and took a 2 hour nap. Will took a 2+ hour one so you can see how tired they must have been. That set up for a good afternoon though. We ran a few errands including running to Wal-Mart because we wanted to pick up some school supplies to donate at church. We want the kids to understand giving back to those that have less than us and our church is collecting supplies for kids K-12th grade so we thought this was a perfect opportunity to do that. We let Kenzie pick some things out and will donate it.
That evening we had an early dinner (well, the kids did because Steven and I weren't hungry and were planning to eat leftovers from the night before after the kids went to bed) and headed up to the pool. One of the reasons we rarely hit the pool in the evening is because we have to eat so early. The other is that it tends to be pretty crowded and today was no exception. There was a party going on apparently and there were a ton of kids. Most of the people were nice, but there were a few kids getting a bit rowdy which can be tough with little ones nearby. The kids had a blast though and once the pool cleared out, they were super excited to practice their swimming. Kenzie also requested numerous train rides from Daddy. We had to drag her out of there. Will was easier to get out but I think he just likes to ride in the wagon and wanted another ride home. We are keeping the kids up a bit later than normal tonight due to their good naps, but Steven and I are exhausted. Haha!
Next weekend is a bit calmer. The kids and I are staying with my parents for the weekend (with Jack, too) while we have the carpets cleaned at home. We are thinking of driving over to see UF because I have actually never seen the campus and it is only about an hour or so from my parents. Just for something to do. We will see. Kenzie restarts swimming lessons this week. It is her last week but we are excited for her to finish the second year of her lessons. She has progressed so much this summer. Other than that, we plan to lay pretty low and start resting up for Kenzie's birthday weekend in two weeks. We are more than 1/2 way through July... home stretch!!
Our weekend started early again because Steven was able to work (had to work??) extra hours earlier in the week and ended up being able to take Friday off.... or rather, didn't have to work it because he already did his time. Thursday night he had to go to church for the band rehearsal (he does tech periodically) so when he left for the evening, I got the kids ready to check off a bucket list item. Bake with Mommy! See, Steven's birthday was Saturday and since we are pretty much done with cake at this point in the month, we wanted to make him something yummy and special so we set about making a cookie/brownie thing. I really don't know what to call it. It's super easy though, which is a plus for me because while I love to cook and am pretty good... I am not the best baker. We elected to use boxed mixes just because it was easier and when I am trying to include both kids, it makes life much better. You use a boxed brownie mix (prepare as directed) and a bagged cookie mix (again, prepare as directed) and then you just put the brownie mix in a pan and plop the cookie mix on top. Bake like you would the brownies, let cool, and ice. Simple enough. Also, since there were two things to mix, it worked out well because each child was able to help. Kenzie stirred my cookies and Will tried really hard to stir the brownies. He needed a lot of help, but he was happy with himself. When we were putting the cookie onto the brownie, him and Kenzie both thought it was hilarious to say "doop" every time we dropped a spoonful on. Whatever works. I sent the kids to bed while it was baking because I planned for us to ice it Friday afternoon so we could have some after dinner.
Friday was a super fun-filled day. Another bucket list item for the fam was to go to an aquarium. I ended up doing a post dedicated to just the aquarium that you can read HERE if you are interested and didn't already. It was such a fun day, that we thought it deserved it's own recap. Plus, it was pic heavy and it seemed like too much when added into the rest of the weekend. Anyway, it was awesome and I think we all can't wait to be able to go back one day.
Saturday started pretty early because it was Steven's birthday!!! Yay! We had plans for later in the day with family but had the morning to ourselves. Kenzie wanted to give Daddy the gift she and Will picked out first thing in the morning. They chose a new running outfit for him, but my favorite part was the card she made. She painted a picture of random colors and we cut it into a card shape. Inside she wrote, "Happy Birthday Daddy" and signed her name. It was so cute.
We started our day by heading out to Chick Fil A for breakfast. Partially because Steven really likes the chicken biscuits and partially because it has a play area for the kids. They love going to Chick Fil A so they can play. The best part of the morning was poor Will wanting to go higher in the play place but being slightly too short. He could get his foot on the next ledge, but couldn't hoist himself onto it. So, Steven in all of his 6'2" glory, crawled himself into the play area to help him. I'm not sure how he got in there, but he did. Anything to help out the little man. Will got up to that level but couldn't get back down. I went in to help with that, but luckily, Steven didn't think to take a picture. After Chick Fil A, we had to run a couple of errands before we had lunch and headed out for the beach for the afternoon. Unfotunately, Will fell asleep on one of those drives and got about a 10 minute nap. That might seem like a good thing... but it usually isn't.
After we fed the kids lunch, we packed up and headed out for the beach. Our plans were to meet Steven's parents at the beach for a bit before we went back to their house for dinner. Steven and I actually ended up bringing a couple of sandwiches for on the way, which turned out really well.
This trip ended up being our biggest clean up adventure after a beach yet. I think what happened was that we spent our final moments right up until we had to leave in the water. So, the kids didn't really dry off any. Usually they are fairly dry by the time we leave and we sort of just dust them off and get them changed. This time, they were soaking wet and both of them laid down on their tummies in the sand as Steven and I were packing up. Wonderful. We had to shower them both off before we could change them. Steven and I ended up waiting to change until we were back to his parents' house just because it took us about 45 minutes from the time we packed up the end of our stuff and the time we pulled out of the parking spot at the beach. 45 minutes. It was crazy. Taking two small children to the beach and wanting to be semi clean before we put them in the car is no small task. Especially because we always bring our tent and everything else. Anyway, we made it to his parents' house, cleaned up, and shortly thereafter my parents, bro, and sis-in-law showed up to celebrate Steven and Grandaddy's birthdays.
We had an awesome dinner. There is a barbecue place in Palm Coast that is continually voted as one of the best in Florida and their ribs and chicken are to die for. We ordered from there and had some sides including my mom's sweet potato casserole which was special requested by Steven. Everything was yummy. After dinner, we had cake before everyone headed home.
I pulled a mommy brain moment and accidentally forgot the kids' pjs at home so we weren't able to bathe them before we went home. Oops! Both kids were exhausted though. Remember that 10 minute nap earlier? Yeah... that is literally the only nap Will had all day. Somehow he was still the happiest kid ever at 8pm when we packed up the kid. We were very, very surprised. It all caught up with him though and he was OUT before we were out of the development. Kenzie made it about 10 minutes before she was also asleep. Both kids slept the entire way home. Will woke up for a minute as I carried him inside but Kenzie never stopped snoring. We let them sleep in their clothes because we thought that was a better alternative than waking them to change them and risking them not going back to sleep. It is what it is. Haha! They didn't mind and both kids slept all night through. Will didn't get up Sunday until almost 8am. That's pretty late for him.
Sunday we went to church. Steven was serving in the tech booth and I was in Grace Town in the nursery. We had a pretty quiet day at home since our weekend was so crazy. BOTH kids ended up taking naps. Kenzie has been acting sort of off for a few days. We think she is growing. She is eating a lot and sleeping way more than her usual. She is also tired more than usual as her day progresses and she gets a bit mouthy. She is also about to turn 4, so... that's probably part of it. Anyway, after the crazy weekend, her and I got into it about cleaning up and she was sent to her room where she put herself to bed and took a 2 hour nap. Will took a 2+ hour one so you can see how tired they must have been. That set up for a good afternoon though. We ran a few errands including running to Wal-Mart because we wanted to pick up some school supplies to donate at church. We want the kids to understand giving back to those that have less than us and our church is collecting supplies for kids K-12th grade so we thought this was a perfect opportunity to do that. We let Kenzie pick some things out and will donate it.
That evening we had an early dinner (well, the kids did because Steven and I weren't hungry and were planning to eat leftovers from the night before after the kids went to bed) and headed up to the pool. One of the reasons we rarely hit the pool in the evening is because we have to eat so early. The other is that it tends to be pretty crowded and today was no exception. There was a party going on apparently and there were a ton of kids. Most of the people were nice, but there were a few kids getting a bit rowdy which can be tough with little ones nearby. The kids had a blast though and once the pool cleared out, they were super excited to practice their swimming. Kenzie also requested numerous train rides from Daddy. We had to drag her out of there. Will was easier to get out but I think he just likes to ride in the wagon and wanted another ride home. We are keeping the kids up a bit later than normal tonight due to their good naps, but Steven and I are exhausted. Haha!
Next weekend is a bit calmer. The kids and I are staying with my parents for the weekend (with Jack, too) while we have the carpets cleaned at home. We are thinking of driving over to see UF because I have actually never seen the campus and it is only about an hour or so from my parents. Just for something to do. We will see. Kenzie restarts swimming lessons this week. It is her last week but we are excited for her to finish the second year of her lessons. She has progressed so much this summer. Other than that, we plan to lay pretty low and start resting up for Kenzie's birthday weekend in two weeks. We are more than 1/2 way through July... home stretch!!
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