The Summer 'O Fun 2018

WHOOOOO......HEY THERE WORLD. So it's been a while. Too long. But we've been a bit busy over here. (Like the kind of busy where you forget that you have to go to the bathroom.) I'll catch up eventually on all the NEW ADDITIONS happening around here, but for now there are pressing matters like...

IT'S SUMMERTIME AGAIN.  And the toddlers are "home" for the next 3 months and need to be entertained. (By "home", I mean no Mother's Day Out, bible study, or weekday activities.)  It's like anyone and everyone remotely related to the childcare industry says PEACE OUT and moves to Abu Dhabi. (And I don't blame them one bit.)

It's the bittersweet season where everyone on Facebook looks like they're having THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES but they're really dying inside.

I'M JUST KIDDING. Sort of. I actually do love the Summer season. It gives us some freedom from a schedule and allows us to plan things that we normally wouldn't do or NOT plan anything at all! Some of the best times are when we spend half the day in our pajamas and the other half in the backyard.

I feel like some memories are made naturally and some take effort, so three Summers ago, I decided I would aim to do a little bit of both. And out of each Summer came some of our best and favorite memories. This has stirred a serious passion in me about Summertime with my littles!

Greyson was only 8 months old for his first summer and I was still nursing.  But I rolled the dice, booked a condo at the beach and booked another one across the parking lot for my Mother and Mother-in-law.  I split my time between my girlfriends and my squishy little fish.  It was the first trip away from home with a baby and really opened my eyes that life could and would go on and made me excited for future family vacays!

Our second summer was the first one that Greyson was really on the move! We hit all the splash pads, playgrounds and pools!

And last summer was no different! We made our list and checked (almost everything) off one by one! We picnic-ed, we swam, and added some new experiences, like Legoland and the new Star facility.

And each summer we trekked over the river and through the woods (literally) to visit our favorites in Mississippi.

We are already a couple weeks into Summer and due to the newborn, of course it's looking a little different than the ones before. I've forced myself to lower the bar quite a bit and accept that it might not be as "glamorous" or eventful as some of the past summers.  But I know that we will still be making special memories!

But since I can't stand NOT to make a Summer Bucket List...and because we can't just stay in the house all day ER'DAY, I do have a few things that we'd like to check off!

So here we go for the SUMMER 'O FUN 2018:

- First Vacation Bible School (this is next week!)
- Camp Cinemark (A super cute theatre designed for children)
- Peek N Play in Grapevine (indoor play place)
- Lake Highlands Rec Center Play time (complete with bounce houses, etc.)
- Lemonade Stand @ home
- Movie Monday @ CUMC
- Frontiers of Flight Museum
- Kid's Bowling
- Summer Service Project
- Attend Performance at one of the Children's Theaters (There are a couple good one's here like Genesis and Plano Children's Theatre)
- Lots of home playdates with friends

This is probably pretty ambitious with a nursing newborn. But it gives me a goal each week and mentally helps me have something to look forward to, because let's face it---however precious, life with a newborn can be a little isolating and make you feel homebound sometimes.

I hope YOUR summer is off to an amazing start and I'd love to hear some things on your Bucket List!

I can't say that we've done EVERYTHING that the Dallas Metroplex has to offer, because new amenities are popping up almost daily! But I will say we've done A LOT of them!  Feel free to look back at any of my Summer 'O Fun blog entries from past summers OR grab some ideas from the MASTER Summer 'O Fun List I made last year! (You can find that link by clicking here.)

And as always, I recommend checking out Dallas and Collin County Moms Blog; they have a TON of great summer idea posts regardless of where you live!

OK! So Happy Summer and I hope to be updating the blog again sooner than later...

The Summer 'O Fun Week 10!

We are down to the wire here people and just rounded up week 10! This week (Week 11) is our LAST "official" week of the Summer 'O Fun before school starts! I can't believe it! We have had an absolute BLAST, but it's about to be the Summer 'O DONE.  Time to get back to a routine, people.  

Anyway, we checked out a couple new places on our bucket list during Week 10, but also did some repeats!  

The Little Elm Beach went on our list pretty quick this year because a lot of my friends had mentioned it! We finally got around to visiting on a cloudy day, which was actually pretty fabulous since it wasn't blazing heat.  This beach is adorable! It has a large sandy area, beach volleyball, and I think you can rent kayaks. There's a couple of restrooms and stations to wash the sand off your feet before you get in the car! There's also a little cafe that is super reasonable and smelled great! (We didn't eat there, cause we planned to go to Hula Hut!) 

This place totally quenched our beach desire here in Texas! As far as Greyson was concerned, we were at the real beach! He enjoyed playing in the sand, and the water was actually really nice too! On the same property (within walking distance) is a darling playground too! Little Elm has really designed this park/playground well and there's SO MANY Events and Activities to check out on the beach like Movie in the Park, Autumn Fest, Christmas at the Beach, and a Kids Fishing Tournament.  You can find all their events here! We will definitely be back!  

About a mile down the road, and situated on the other side of the lake is the most darling Austin based restaurant, called Hula Hut. 

As you know, I'm a sucker for atmosphere, and this place certainly has it! It's the wildest combination of Mexican and Hawaiian.  In fact, on their website it's called "Mexonisian". The decor is laid back and fun and there's an awesome outdoor area you can walk around with ducks, a volcano and dolphin fountain.  SUPER ENTERTAINING for the little ones. Our waitress even gave Greyson some duck food because he was melting down being so charming.

We didn't have to wait, but there's some cute stuff out front if you did! Our food was really good and the overall experience is just super fun and family friendly! I definitely recommend it! 

The next day we made another appearance at Sandy Lake Amusement Park with our friends. This place just never disappoints! So fun and charming! 

They had even opened up the "Rocket ship Ride" which Greyson rode THREE TIMES.  He had to experience from the driver's seat AND the shooter's seat! 

That afternoon, we headed over to my friend Jorie's house for lunch, nap, and play! I totally forgot that Preston has transitioned to a toddler bed, so I had no idea what G would do.  MUCH to my surprise, he laid right down and napped like normal! This helps me wrap my brain around transitioning! I had to get a picture when he woke up! He looked like such a big boy! 

After nap time, we played on Preston's new and very exiting water slide! G was a little apprehensive about this, but they had a good time.  Of course I went down it and thought it was a blast! ; ) 

Later in the week, we joined Dallas Moms Blog on their Playdate tour at Polka Dot Party + Play. They had ALL the fireman gear, so guess what G did for an hour and half.  He ESPECIALLY enjoyed reporting the "Emergencies" into the play walkie talkie.  

And yes, those are Paw Patrol slippers.  We bought them at Target earlier that day and he REFUSED to take them off.  I resigned to the fact that he's still young enough to wear slippers in public and people still think it's cute. 

And finally, we took lunch to Daddy's office! This was on our Summer Bucket List and we've done it maybe 2 other times this summer.  We really love seeing him during the day, and he says it definitely brightens his day, too. And even though Greyson doesn't fully understand, I think it's good to expose him to Jeremie's office and see where he is all day. Eventually he'll catch on and understand that this is "Work."  (It also reminds ME how hard he works every day!)

At one point during lunch, Greyson was playing with an unplugged phone, but Jeremie got a real phone call....and I had to snap this picture....

Working lunch....

This is definitely something I want to do more all year round! 

And that's it! Week 10 is in the books and next week will be my LAST Summer 'O Fun post! We're trying to finish strong and stay sane! I'll let you know how that goes next week....; ) 

The Summer 'O Fun Week 9

Well here we are in Week 9 folks.  And although we're having a blast, I can feel myself getting all angst-y for a routine.  There's only so long you can keep up the "care-free/schedule-free" state of mind.  There comes a point where it's time to send these little cherubs to Mother's Day Out and have a hot minute to yourself.  

BUT....I'm not quite there yet...we are still kicking the list and taking names and last week was no different.  

Monday, we headed to Altitude (the trampoline park) for come bouncy time with our buddy, Ford. I have no pictures from Altitude because Greyson was like keeping up with a real live Tigger.  G wants me to be INVOLVED with ALL THE ACTIVITIES, perhaps so I can get the full experience of what he's feeling. If I had to describe our time with a word picture, it would look like this...

OR THIS..

I'm just sad because I had to pay $2 for the "special socks" and I haven't been able to talk to my Mommy friend the whole time.

So I became one with the trampoline, and the ballpit, and the balance beam, and he was even trying to talk me into the zip line....."You COULD do it Mom..."...almost like he was daring me. And I ALMOST fell for it.  

Listen, unless your child is great with "Independent Play Time", this is not the place you're gonna be able to chat it up with your girlfriends. 

We did get smart afterwards and took them to Chipotle...nothing will make them be still like a little Blaze and stuffing quesadillas down their mouths. And finally, the mamas got a real conversation. 

On Thursday, we joined the Dallas Moms Blog Playdate series at Jungle Joes in Frisco. This place is really a Mama's dream..they have wi-fi, coffee bar, full cafe with snack and lunch items, and a room full of indoor jungle gyms and play areas.  Greyson had a blast. Of course I had to navigate the jungle gym with him, but this one was small enough that I escaped down the slide and he actually stayed up there by himself for a while!  I didn't get too many pictures because I was actually able to chat with some friends while G played in their toddler area.  Super cute place! It was actually on LAST YEAR'S Summer Bucket List, and we never made it!

On Friday we headed to one of my FAVORITE places in DFW, Sandy Lake Amusement Park. This place is older, a lot of my Dallas original friends say they went there every year for a school field trip.  But it looks like it's had a little makeover and I think it's SO CHARMING. There's several little rides nestled under some trees and even swimming pool and splash pad on the other side of the property.  We stuck to the rides, that was about all we could squeeze in before nap time. I had several friends that were supposed to go, but everyone backed out that morning for one reason or another.  (#momlife) We certainly missed our buds, but I did enjoy my solo time with my boy.  I just let him go wild and pick whichever ride he wanted next for however many times.  With 2 weeks of summer left, I soaked it up....

He LOVED the race cars again....

And the boats....

But this time he was brave and rode the fishy ride and that is the new favorite! I think he rode it 4 times!

He was even big enough this time for the mini-roller coaster, which I was SHOCKED he wanted to go on! But we had a blast! He kept calling it the "Dino-Coaster"...a nod to a Blaze episode. I guess Blaze will single-handedly teach my son how to count and be brave. 

The coaster actually had a little speed to it!!!

For you locals, Greyson was able to ride 5 of the "rides" PLUS the pony ride, train ride! I don't know exactly how tall he is, but he's average 2.5 year old height! So there's just really a lot of options for the kiddos here.  (Especially if you make time for the pool!) There's also paddleboats and goofy golf. Most of the rides take about 3-4 tickets (tickets are $.50 each) I bought a book of 44 tickets for $20 and we still have about half of them left. On the back of the $20 is also a voucher to get into the park free (for up to 6 people) next time! (Admission into the park is $2/per person.) Their tickets NEVER expire too! I used some leftover from last summer! There is a concession stand with your typical pizza/corndog/chips stuff or you can bring your own lunch! I also love that this place is shady! If you haven't been, you should totally check it out! (P.S., This is totally not sponsored, I just love this place!) 

On Saturday, we were gonna do our regular pool thing, bug Jeremie got to looking at what was left on the Bucket List, and the Forest Park Minature Train Ride in Fort Worth was still un-checked! So he said Let's Go! 

                         

This place was adorable and more bonus points for mostly being in the shad the entire time! This train ride is a decent length-like 30-45 minutes long with some great views of Fort Worth! Greyson LOVED going under all the bridges....he's obsessed with "Tunnels" ever since going through the one in Mobile on the way back from the beach! 

I love train rides, because they seem to keep the kiddos so entertained, yet SO STILL. PRAISE THE LAWD.

Greyson has never been to the Stockyards before, so we couldn't resist heading to Exchange Avenue to watch the Cattle Drive.  (I swear, I'm not promoting Blaze, but it just so happens that a new episode called "Cattle Drive" came out last week...so Greyson was all the more excited to see a real one. Now I'm going to stop talking about a Nick Jr. show on my very riveting blog.) 

Greyson loves the idea of a cowboy, but WAS NOT a fan of this one. He's just not big on characters in general.  We tend to strike out with Santa, the Easter Bunny, and most CERTAINLY, the Gecko at Rainforest Cafe. 

His name was "Tex" (duh), and I thought he had a pretty striking resemblance to Kurt Russell when he played Wyatt Earp in Tombstone. 

RIGHT?!

Anyway, I still can't believe we found ourselves standing on the blazing streets of Fort Worth in the dead of summer to watch a handful of Longhorns walk down the road, but there we were. And of couse it was fun. If you've never been, you should definitely go to say you've been. 

I just love the Stockyards in general, because my grandfather "Big Jack" was a cattleman in his younger years, and hauled cattle and donkeys to the stockyard countless times.  He even taught himself how to be an auctioneer and that, along with managing a stockyard, was his lifetime career.  He would DIE LAUGHING to know that the Stockyard is totally a tourist attraction now.  

Especially to see the mini "gunfight" skit! It's been the same every time I've gone, but it's always a hoot. 

And that was Week 9! We're narrowing down the list and days left of Summer! G has even adapted a "Summertime" little song he sings, and when I mention school coming he says.."But it's STILL Summertime!"...and YES, YES IT STILL IS. ; ) 

The Summer 'O Fun Week 8!

Happy Tuesday and Happy August 1st! Excuse me while I ponder on HOW it got to be August.  2017 is FLYING! I will admit, as much as I hate time to fly.....we ARE about to fly right into my very favorite portion of the year! Even though is still 182 degrees here for a while, school season brings FOOTBALL SEASON which means at least we have some good entertainment while we wait on the Fall season to eventually come around!  I can't wait for cooler temps and mums and jeans and boots Halloween and G's birthday, and then we find ourselves in THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR as they say. (Also a personal favorite!). 

Now that I've chased that rabbit trail, let's come back to reality and recap Week EIGHT of the Summer 'O Fun.  We got a HEAVY dose of swimming and ALL THE THINGS that come with prepping a toddler for swimming during our beach vacation.  (Seriously, applying sunscreen to a toddler is like baptizing a cat.) So we took a little break from the water activities and checked off some indoor fun since it is the dog days of summer here in the Lone Star State.  

Our first stop was Stonebriar Mall in Frisco, and BOY OH BOY do they offer a plethora of things to do besides shopping.  First, we hit the new and improved play area.  It's perfect for your little ones to climb, crawl and run! (Locals tip: You can park at the Sears entrance, which is never crowded and walk right through Sears into the play area!) 

Be ready to empty your change jars in the little rides outside of the play area.  I will say they had some really cute ones! 

After all my cash was completely depleted from my wallet, we headed to some "free stuff".....

The train table in Barnes and Noble was a big hit!  I also hear they have story time at 11 everyday! 

Then we browsed around Build-A-Bear; Greyson has never been and he was amazed at the machine that does the filling.  We didn't make anything, but I'm thinking about doing this for his birthday if he still seems interested.  I am a TOTAL SUCKER for stuffed animals. I had a HUGE collection as a kid and they all had names and personalities. 

Another fun fact:  When Jeremie and I were dating-he did an internship in New York for 6 months.  When I went to visit him, my friend and I went to the Build-A-Bear on 5th Avenue and I made a little bear named "Bearemie".....you know they have you make a wish on the little heart you put in the bear....well, I wished that me and Jeremie would get married! So Build-A-Bear is running on a good reputation for me....I hope Greyson doesn't wish for a pony or something crazy.....

We also hopped into the Disney store and G was ENAMORED by the castle. He's really into "building castles" by stacking up the pillows on my bed, so this was really probably his imagination coming to life. I mean, to scale, that is really like a real two story castle to him....

The Disney Store also has some free activities like movies, coloring, and a parade, but you'd have to check their schedule. 

We did NOT get out of Pottery Barn scotch-free because their backpacks were on sale and I got a great deal on a little rolling suitcase for G. But he was TOTALLY into their little boys play area. I did not expect the Pottery Barn store to be one the biggest hits, but he loved the toys and trying out all the "big boy beds". (Which I feel like we are around the corner from and that makes me very sad.) 

We of course had Chick-Fil-A in the Food Court and much to my disappointment, Greyson did not want to ride on the carousel. : (  Pretty sure Mommy wanted that more than him.  

On our way out, we stopped in See's Candies for some samples, and Greyson's face cracked me up. 

It was a specialty chocolate, filled with something different, and I think it surprised him.  Pretty sure he thinks all chocolate taste like M&M's. 

We had the best time, and this was randomly one of my favorite little summer dates that we've had. I definitely recommended adding Stonebriar to your list! (Thanks Holly, for the head's up on all the freebies!) We went by ourselves, and I will say it'd be a tough thing to do with other friends, as you are in and out of a lot of stores and going along with your kiddo's preferences.  So keep that in mind and maybe just meet up at The Cheesecake Factory that's in the mall! ; ) 

Also on the Bucket List was an indoor play facility called EQ Kids Club. If you're familiar with Playstreet Museum, it's very similar. SO ADORABLE and I loved the Safari theme. They had a great variety of little buildings and toys! There were playhouses and campers and produce stores and train tables...pretty much ALL THE THINGS! Greyson had a blast with his buddy Ford!

He definitely looked the part with his Safari vest and "noculars"...{binoculars}

PEEKABOO! 

Greyson and Ford would've bounced until the sun went down.

NOT SHOWN is the stuffed gorilla that was bigger than me that Greyson REALLY ATTACHED to.  I was like #NOPE. Talk about a monkey on your back. 

Afterwards we headed to Cheezie's, a gourmet grilled cheese cafe that I've been wanting to try. (Safe to say that this bucket list activity was more about ME than Greyson.) This place was HEAVEN between two slices of bread.  They have all types of grilled cheese...even one with brisket on it.  I got a chicken something or another and GOOD LAWD. Life is complete now. (And probably shorter from all the cholesterol I consumed.)

Greyson does appreciate a good grilled cheese, so it was a WIN for both of us. 

On Thursday, we headed to Prestonwood for a summer story time, and decided to go play at the Indoor KIDZ area beforehand. EVERY TIME we go I have these high hopes that Greyson will be big and brave enough to navigate the labyrinth of a jungle gym on his own. And EVERY TIME I find myself pirate climbing a rope or swinging from a wrecking ball or going down the slide with 12 toddlers. This place is exhausting for me. But goodness he has such a blast! 

Storytime was a much calmer environment which my child was clearly NOT ready to transition to.  Little Ford to him to "SHUUUUSH, IT'S STORYTIME!", and Greyson quickly rebutted: "I WANNA TALK, IT'S TALKIN' TIME!" Okay. So he's my child. We managed to make it through and there was a darlin' craft time afterwards. If you've read this blog at all, you know our history with crafting. This particular day, we made "Oceans", complete with hair gel that was dyed blue. Somehow I ended up with hair gel all over my hands and Greyson ended up with a stapler. So there's that. 

Since I had halfway lost my mind, I decided to just really dive off the deep end and take my wildcat to The Shops at Willowbend for lunch afterwards.  There was also this program called "Thursday Summer Series" going on, and this was the last day of it.  It was on the Bucket List, and I was bound and determined to mark it off.  The Summer Series had a different "act" every week from magicians to kid-comedians.  I'd also heard about their little $1 Lunch cards, so you can't beat that.  

The show seemed cute, but was really hard to hear and Greyson was about wiped out by this point. 

The Meal Cards WERE amazing...there were probably 6 places in the food court that offered a $1 Kid's Meal (Chick-Fil-A, Sonic, pizza place), and then also $1 offers for the ice cream shop, Wetzel's Pretzel's and, and Great American Cookie.  After lunch, I let G pick out a cookie (sugar cookie with sprinkles) and he was one happy AND exhausted kid.  That morning earned us a LONG nap time! 

We'll definitely be back next year for Thursday Summer Series.  

And that was Week 8! We had the best time checking out some new things and most importantly, not MELTING in the process. (Well, not physically melting, there was plenty of emotional melting.) Just THREE more weeks left in the official Summer 'O Fun and we're squeezing all we can out of it!

HAPPY SUMMER!