A Vacation and Some Birthday Fun

Mickey and I have back to back birthdays...mine is September 12 and his is September 13.  Lucky us, huh??  We get two days in a row each year to celebrate each other.  It definitely makes for a fun time each year.  This year we started the celebration a bit early with a trip to Key West.  It was my first time leaving the boys behind and after a bit of an unsettled start on my part, we ended up having a great time.  It was great to get away from reality a bit and just spend time together one-on-one...something that doesn't happen nearly enough these days.  Thank goodness for sisters who double as best friends and are willing to come babysit...and on top of that thank goodness for soon to be brother-in-laws who come down to help out as well.  We're a blessed family!

The highlights of our trip for me were getting my husband all to myself, LOTS of bike riding, plenty of sunshine, probably too many adult beverages, some incredible food (ask me about the Cuban place...haha, and Amigos - YUM!), some gorgeous sunsets, and time to just breathe for once.  Good stuff!

We were bummed that we didn't even get to see Scott but we did get to hang out with Abigail for a little bit before she had to head home and we made sure to take her to the Food Trucks...

...and took full advantage of the wide open spaces to play while we were there.  I got in a good arm workout too...

LOVE them!! Abigail made sure to get in on the action too...

She and Colton worked on some dance moves for her upcoming wedding as well...

The boys ADORE her!!  We wish she lived closer. 

The next couple of days were a blur with story time, music class, a trip to the airport, produce, fixing the A/C, etc...the usual.  Before we knew it, it was officially my birthday.  I couldn't have asked for a better day.  We kicked it off with a bike, ride, followed by some play time outside which included our first experience with baseball...

It was a hit...

...literally!  They're officially in love with the challenge.

We also squeezed in a quick trip to the beach and some down time at home before heading out for a sushi dinner at Benihana...

The boys are getting pretty darn good at using chopsticks... 

...the cheater kind of course.  Love it!

The fun continued today with Mickey's birthday.  We kicked off our morning bright and early with a family photo shoot courtesy of the AMAZINGLY TALENTED Lindsey Potter.  She already shared two photos so far...

How awesome is she?! To get both boys looking at the camera and smiling is a huge accomplishment.  She is amazing!  If you're local, you MUST get her to take some family photos for you.  She is the BEST!

We followed it up with bagel sandwiches and an impromptu trip down to Jupiter to hit up some of the boys favorite spots...like the Loggerhead Marinelife Center where we made sure to kiss the turtles...haha... 

 ...and played in the play area too...

...we love these big guys...

Our next stop was the River Center...

Their aquariums are FANTASTIC!  Our final stop was the Hobe Sound Nature Center where we had the place to ourselves and the most wonderful staff person to help us check everything out...

We got to see a feeding of a skunk and got to pet each alligator and the crocodile.  The boys were in HEAVEN!  Of course you have to check out the lighthouse and the drawbridges as well when you have toddlers in tow...

Mickey had a quick doctor's appointment once we were back in town so while he did his thing, we did our thing with my running shoes and the stroller....until we started getting rained on.  Oh well.

The birthday fun continued with a trip to Hurricane Wings to indulge in some of Mickey's favorites...wings, fries, and beer.   Its good to let loose once in a while, right?? :-)  I enjoyed every bite.

We finished up our evening with some TV with the boys and some homemade fro-yo prepared in my new ice cream maker compliments of my mom.  It is AWESOME!  I see lots of healthy ice cream alternatives in our future..pumpkin, coconut milk, etc...YUM!  

Life is good...I love how my birthday always helps me to realize how blessed I truly am.  I hope my man felt the same way.  Happy Birthday, Mickey!