Thursday, September 29, 2016

Super September

September has come and gone in LIGHTENING SPEED, and was so much fun! Let's face it, August is a month I feel like you just have to get through, September starts looking up, and October is MONEY. We have finally kissed the 90's goodbye and it's actually been kinda chilly the past few mornings! I haven't made the inaugural boot-wearing yet, but we're close people.

I realize that tomorrow is the last day of September, but it's already booked up and G is napping, so we're gonna say that's a wrap, folks. 

Labor Day weekend we wanted to go somewhere we've never been. I Googled "Activities for Toddlers in DFW" and found this list: 181 Things to Do in Dallas before You're 5 Feet Tall. How funny....I'm still barely 5 feet tall.  

Sandy Lake Amusement Park was on the list and I saw it had a TRAIN, so we were IN. This was the most ADORABLE little amusement park. It's kind of old school; it looks like the carnival style from the 60's/70's. (Or what I can imagine looks like the 70's.)  Let's just say it reminded me of the carnival scene in The Sandlot movie. It is very family friendly, SHADY, and had several small rides for Greyson. He had a BALL! Everyone there was so friendly, and we will definitely be back. 











Since Dak Prescott became the new Cowboys starting quarterback, we inevitably became Cowboys fans. Dak is pretty much talked about during EVERY news segment, so we are proud to hear Mississippi State being talked about so much too! BTW, Greyson thinks EVERY football player is "DAK!" The Cowboys have moved their headquarters to Frisco, which is about a 10 minute drive for us! They had Community Day a couple weeks ago and opened up the new practice facility to the public, so we headed there. It was SO much fun! Greyson LOVES a football and thought he was big stuff running around a real football field. 



For most young men this would be a dream come true, but this actually took some convincing.
P.S. I'm currently watching the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader reality show, so seeing that the brunette made the squad was a spoiler alert for me.  


Greyson's school also hosted a Cowboys-themed "Donuts With Dad" last week, so Jeremie got to have breakfast with him. Jeremie said this was is "highlight" of his week. SO SWEET. I love that he took a selfie with his little guy. Looks like there was some leftover icing on G's cheek. 


We also went to a super fun event at Preston Trail Farms, which is about 30 minutes north of us. It was called "Touch a Truck", and they brought in ALL TYPES of vehicles....firetrucks, tractors, army trucks, cranes, police cars, helicopters, etc....and the kids were free to climb, touch, and play on all of them! I feel like this was a dream come true for BOTH my boys. ; )  Greyson is completely OBSESSED with firetrucks and tractors, so it was a complete score. 





The helmet weighs like 10 pounds!!! We couldn't even let G put it on his head without holding it.
Nothin' better than a TRAC-TOR in G's book. 
Greyson was AMPED about the helicopter until we put him in it. 
And while I got a new car this month, G also picked out his new rides.....



If you're noticing a theme here....you're RIGHT. It's ALL BOY over here ALL THE TIME. Just when I thought it couldn't get anymore "boy", Jeremie found a show on Amazon kids called "Stinky and Dirty" about a garbage truck and bulldozer. And the theme song is pretty much in my head 80% of the day. And while I wouldn't change it for the WORLD, Mama needed some GIRL over here. Some PINK. Some drama. Some sparkles. Showtunes. Tears. Estrogen. So I threw a Miss America party. We ate pizza and chowed down on tiramisu while we judged gals in their bikinis.  

There's something about the Miss America pageant that keeps me coming back for more. Judge away, but I love it and it's completely entertaining. So I made sashes, purchased crowns, and printed out the official judging forms. And even my girlfriends who I know had a raised eyebrow at this activity got totally into it! We had a blast! 


We had 13 "Contestants" including Miss Behave, Miss Take, Miss Demeanor, Miss Fire, Miss Fortune, Miss Deeds, etc. 
The pageant didn't start until 8:00, which means 10:30 in mom time, so only 7 of us made it to the crowning. 
Sweet Kaitlin (in the middle) won the judging competition (most points for most correct placings) so we "crowned her" and used some of G's toys as props. ; ) 
September was fantastic, but now we're moving into one of my FAVORITE months and definitely favorite time of the year! Bring on the pumpkins and holidays! 

Friday, September 23, 2016

Friday Favorites

OH MY STARS.....I actually started this post last week, and never got around to posting it. What the heck happened to the past seven days? And to answer my own question, everything and NOTHING all at the same time...you feel me friend??? 

Okay, so, I'm officially linking up with two of my favs, Erika and Narci for Friday Favorites! 

1) Can I just be honest and say that I've been a little emotional this week? Mainly due to some sleep deprivation thanks to a few nights of extreme INSOMNIA. Ya'll, I wasn't falling asleep until like 4:30 or 5:00 a.m., and up at 6:45 with Greyson. Made me think twice about having #2. 

And as Jeremie says, it's NEVER the big things that finally GET ME. It was the man at the car dealership that sorta made me feel like my day was "unimportant" that broke me. I called Jeremie in tears resulting in his indecision to beat up the salesman, actually try to SOLVE my problem (HE KNOWS TO NEVER ATTEMPT THAT), or just say "Sorry, babe, I hate that." He opted for a combo of #2 and #3, so he was pretty safe. I still had to do my full Kroger run wearing my sunglasses, but I finally straightened out. 

I made it through the day and as I got out of my car that evening for Bible Study, this was my view: 


I felt like all the failings of my day just got a LOT smaller, and it felt so good. God is BIGGER and stronger, and compassionate, and present. So this pic was definitely a FAVORITE for me this week.

2) On a MUCH lighter note, I have a new love affair called Hello Fresh. I feel like it's going to change my life as much as Wal-Mart Grocery Pickup. It's a meal delivery service that comes with ALL the ingredients pre-measured and a recipe with step-by-step instructions. I ordered a box that came with three meals for two people. (A few of the meals had leftovers too!) I think I'll have to do a full blogpost devoted fabulous-ness of this service and the food itself, but just HAD to mention it in my FAVORITES! For me, just having 3 less meals I have to even think up is huge.



3) I am also SUPER EXCITED to announce that I've been selected as a Contributor for the new Collin County Moms Blog that will be launching October 17th! This is a branch of the popular City Moms Blog network! The mission of City Moms Blog is to connect, encourage, and share with other moms! All those things are my FAVORITE! I'm so excited! My first post will be published in October! If you are local, you can go ahead and follow CCMB's Facebook page here


4) In other FUN news, I finally got me a new ride, PRAISE THE LAWD. Ya'll, I pretty much drive something until it won't drive anymore. Actually, my old Avalon WON'T DIE. It was my car from college and my parents STILL HAVE IT. It's got 300,000 miles on it. It came to a point where Jeremie wouldn't allow me to keep it. Anyway, I have literally driven the wheels off my ole Camry. Literally-like they wouldn't let me renew my inspection sticker without new tires. Something was happening every week; she new she was getting replaced and she was DYIN' ON ME. After a big search, I ended up with my third Toyota, yes please. They're the best. And it's MAROON. #hailstate


Image result for crimson mica toyota highlander

4) This was actually last Friday...or wait...maybe two Fridays ago??? Whatever.....I took Greyson to the Vintage Market Days at Southfork Ranch, and we had a ball....my FAVORITE little TEXAS boy....



5) Greyson also set his eyes on a darling little gal, Zoe, at one of our playdates last week and I caught him HOLDING HANDS with her as we were walking out. Mama's heart melted a little bit. Trying to get him to hold MY hand is like baptizing a cat.



6) As I previously mentioned, my emotional state was not swinging par this week, so neither was my household. But I needed to catch up with my friend Emily.....so here's the text I sent her before she came......


And you know what....girlfriend needed to fold clothes too....so she brought her big basket, dumped it on the floor, and we had a big ole laundry folding party! By the end, all of our clothes and emotions had been folded and organized. ; ) That's a REAL friend ya'll.


7) Last night, Beth Moore spoke at Prestonwood church in Plano and she is my ultimate FAVORITE! So my friend Melissa and I hit up the Sonic for a fancy corndog date and then to see Bethy. And as always, she brought the WORD while being adorable and hilarious at the same time. I've never seen her in person, and she was awesome!


8) Lastly, we've started going out to eat every Friday night when Jeremie gets home, before the 7:00 crowd hits. (Another plus of having a child that goes to bed early!) We've been trying to hit somewhere different each time, and let's face it, living in DFW, you could do this for eternity. We've really enjoyed this new tradition! I realize we won't always be able to do this, but Greyson does pretty well in the restaurants, so we're gonna milk it while we can! Plus, it's so nice to have a night where I don't have to cook or clean the kitchen! 

Last week we headed up to Firewater Kitchen at Watters Creek and it was so fun! We ordered a bunch of appetizers and they were all delicious!!! And there is the most darlin' play area outside that G loved. He especially loved the duck statues......he kept running up to them thinking they would chase after him.


That's all I've got folks! Hope ya'll have an awesome weekend! 

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Summer O DONE

Whew. We did it. We made it through Summer.  Like most moms, I’m over here in the emotional imbalance of crying over Greyson’s new backpack and doing the happy dance. August is over which means the glorious return of Mother’s Day Out and Bible Study. WHICH means I get SEVEN hours a week to eat with TWO hands and the privilege of going to the bathroom by myself.

I realize that for many reasons, I’m in an EASY season of motherhood. But I will argue that summertime with a toddler was a TOUGH one.  He’s old enough to be bored, but too young for VBS or Camps.  And since he’s an only child, that means that I am his FULL TIME SHOW MONKEY.

But LISTEN. We had an AWESOME SUMMER.  And I owe it all to the “Summer O Fun.”  When all our activities ended back in May, I realized my full time job was about to be a FULL-ER time job. And I panicked a little bit. I also noticed a LOT of negative social media about how much parents HATE summertime. And that made me kinda sad. My mom always treated summertime like it was one big party. She’s got the “Work Hard, Play Hard” mentality.  

So with just a little mental switch, I actually got really excited.  No schedule, no commitments, no boundaries!  DFW really is one BIG playground, and there were still so many things we hadn’t done!  So I coined it the Summer O Fun”.  I even made a banner. Because everything is more official with a title and a banner.


Even more than my love for a title and a banner is a LIST. Hence, the compilation of the “Summer Bucket List”.  And Lawd, have mercy, people, Pinterest will let you take this as far as you want to go.  I ended up just printing a simple checklist and started filling it in:

On the left column, I listed what were “big outings” for us, like the Perot Museum and Klyde Warren Park.  And on the right were simple things we could do in an afternoon, like “Make cupcakes” or “Go for a Sonic Run”. I wasn’t shooting for “magical”, just “manageable”.


And ya’ll. Oh my gosh, we had so much fun. We experienced SO MUCH. My little guy was THRILLED to touch the stingrays at the Children’s Aquarium.  We discovered his HATRED of whipped cream, and obsession with Dairy Queen blizzards. His TERROR of bounce houses, and LOVE for splash pads. We ate popsicles, went to puppet shows, and had “pool parties” in the afternoons with Dad. He got SO DIRTY at The Lot that we literally had to hose him down before we got in the car.  He got stuck in the second story of the Prestonwood jungle gym, causing me to PIRATE CLIMB a rope to save him. And those cupcakes? We finally took them to the firemen who saved our house from burning down and said THANK YOU.

Even a couple of things that weren’t on the list ended up being our favorites, like gymnastics class and pushing the mini-buggy around Trader Joe’s.

Now-I fully realize that my two year old will NEVER remember this summer. But that certainly doesn’t mean we should sit in the house and count the days until summer’s over. With every activity we did, I could see him learning new things and growing his little personality. 

And of course there are the pictures; and his smile says it all. For me, it was like reliving summer all over again, and seeing things through a child’s eyes.  


Don’t get me wrong folks, it wasn’t all sprinkles and fairy dust. Some weeks felt LONG and it certainly took some extra effort and planning on my part. There were rainy days, sick days, meltdowns, and mornings that the car just wouldn't start. Heck, we didn't even complete everything on our list!

I also don’t pretend to think that every summer will be as great as this one. Because, life, people. But I’m so glad that I invested in this summer, because FOR ME, these memories WILL last a lifetime!



Peace OUT Summer O Fun…..we hope to see you next year! 

Friday, September 2, 2016

Friday Favorites

Today I'm linking up with one of my favs, Narci for Friday Favorites!  Grab the graphic and join in with YOUR favorites! 

1) PRAISE THE LORD OF ALL HEAVENLY HOSTS IT IS FOOTBALL SEASON. 

Not much could make me or my hubby happier. Last night actually kicked it off with two CLOSE games between Vandy vs. South Carolina and Appalachian State vs. Tennessee. And I have to say I giggled a little bit watching those poor Tennessee fans in their ever so tacky orange and white checkered overalls SWEAT IT OUT. Listen. I know overalls are back in apparently, but NO. Just no. 

Nevertheless, we are amped about starting our weekend and chowing down on sausage balls and our favorite dip (called MSU Sin). 

2) Mother's Day Out has begun!!! Greyson only goes from 9-2 one day a week, but ya'll know....5 hours to a Mama is like 10 for a regular person. Last year I was a little apprehensive about leaving Lil' G, and this year I was there 20 minutes early and spinning out on two wheels. As I was cheers-ing my girlfriend at Starbucks, another mama friend text me and said she was still in the parking lot with tears in her eyes. #NOPE

                                       

Greyson had to wear his new firetruck shirt. Appropriately, the back says "STAY BACK 200 FEET". I LOVE G's new Wildkin backpack! It's the perfect size for a toddler! For some reason it looks bigger in this picture than it really is. 

Checking out his new schedule. Doesn't he look like such a BIG BOY! 
3) New Restaurants! One thing I LOVE about living in the city is the nearness of all the restaurants and entertainment! There's always a new place to try out! Last week, Kenny's East Coast Pizza opened and we had to try it! The pizza was fabulous, but this peanut butter pie had me all but LICKING THE PLATE. It was quite possibly the best dessert I've ever had. Don't worry, I did share it with Greyson and Jeremie. Some of it.

                                   

4) Swap Site Finds! I'm a bargain hunter and I LOVE finding good stuff on these Facebook Swap Sites. This little play kitchen has definitely been a favorite find!!!! I snatched it for $25!!! No reason to pay full price for stuff, Mamas!!! It's already paid for itself in hours of fun! 



5)  Favorite Read/New Author! I kept hearing recommendations about this book called "Big Little Lies" by Liane Moriarty.....so I read it this summer and OH MY! It was SO GOOD! Easy read, funny, great twists and turns! AND it's going to be an HBO mini-series staring Reese Witherspoon! Definitely gonna check out her other books! 

Image result for big little lies

 Hope ya'll have a great weekend!