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Monday, September 30, 2013

Scenes From The Week

Our last full week of family time happened last week...thus, the lack of blog posts.  I was trying to be totally committed to doing the family thing.  Here's some of what we were up to...I give you, the scenes from the week...

...our week isn't complete without music class with Miss Rabe...


Love when I catch the boys in the same position. :-)  Especially after a run to the gym and some workout time with my man...



I've been working on getting in a few more runs lately...definitely something to smile about...can't believe I forgot my sunglasses...won't happen again :-)  Looking forward to some half marathon training soon! 
 


Three cheers for Benihana sushi TWICE in one month compliments of their birthday gift certificates :-)  YUM!!!
 


This fantastic dad who just happens to be my awesome husband lets his boy feed him HOT soup :-)  What a trooper!!
 


Not sure what this was, some sort of fish egg sushi...it was YUMMY!!  :-)




The boys' imaginations are taking off and it is INCREDIBLY fun to witness...they even let me in on the action sometimes :-)  
 


We've taken to braving the sidewalks on our tricycles...I remembered the helmets, don't worry!  We were just getting ready :-)
 


Here they are sporting their cool monster helmets...

Colton!

Mason!

Bring on the fall weather...we CANNOT WAIT for some cooler weather to get outside and enjoy the outdoors.  Before it cools off too much, we made sure to get in some cannonballs...


....and a great picnic...

YUM!!!!!

We also made sure to check out TreasureFest at the Children's Museum last Saturday.  Since we are currently in a pirate phase, it was a HUGE hit thanks to the giant pirate ship they have in there...

...the bounce houses and trains were a HUGE hit too!!  

You better believe the week included a couple of trips to the park...


...these little monkeys were made to run around and climb.  Colton finally found a slide he likes too :-)


I'm not gonna lie, I'm kind of bummed Mickey has to go back to work tomorrow but incredibly grateful we got a month to spend with him after he was gone for 11 months.  It was a tremendous gift to our family.  Life is good!!!

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Tuesday Fun!

This morning I got started on the right foot with a quick cup of coffee before tackling one of my favorite quickie workouts these days...


I've been a Shaun T fan since the Insanity days and these workouts are like a condensed version of them.  Simple, effective, hard-core workouts---PERFECT if you ask me.  And you've always got 25 minutes, right??

I've only just played around with it, haven't really followed the plan yet, and today I chose...


It was a great way to start my day!

After scarfing down my breakfast (leftovers from yesterday's breakfast date) we hit the road for story time.  Today's featured stories were...


My boys LOVE rhyming books like Stretch.  They are starting to be able to guess the rhyming words that are coming to complete the sentences in the books.  Fun stuff!!  Doreen Cronin never disappoints!  They also like the repetition and silliness of What Did You Put in Your Pocket...great stuff for toddlers. 

Oh, and my new bubble blower was a hit...hooray!!  I keep the bubble industry in business.  They never get old.  Ah, to be a kid again!!

After story time, we headed off for a fantastic music class.  While waiting for class, the boys had fun playing with the phone...


How cute are they???

I'm really starting to see the musical lessons clicking for my boys and it's so cool to be a part of their learning experience.  I love that Miss Rabe has started teaching them musical terms and concepts like recognizing treble clef and where it belongs on the music paper as well as quarter note and eighth note rhythms, etc.  It's amazing what she can do while tolerating and so positively redirecting their typical 2 1/2 year shenanigans at class.  We LOVE Miss Rabe!!


I'm taking full advantage of having my man home full time one more week and we ran some errands that are easier done with the buddy system before stopping into the gym quickly before lunch.  

I had a great second workout of the day rotating 5 minutes on the elliptical at a moderately challenging pace and resistance with rounds of 50 kettlebell swings with a 20 lb kettlebell.  Good stuff!!

With lunch behind us, Mickey at a meeting, the boys tucked in for nap time and some ridiculous rain going on outside, I'm savoring some downtime and planning to get some book club reading done.  So far this is a light-hearted, entertaining read...


...curious to see where it's headed.  I'll keep you posted.  



Monday, September 23, 2013

Camping, Trains, and Family

The last 4 days of our lives were completely dedicated to family and it was GLORIOUS!!  We kicked off our long weekend by checking out Santos, the new pizza place in Stuart.  YUM!  The chicken wings were a huge hit with the boys...


Seeing my little cave men enjoy themselves never ceases to make me smile. :-)

Friday, we headed up to the middle of the state for a weekend family retreat, compliments of the Florida National Guard.  The classes gave us some training and insight based on the following book...


It was a good reset for us and definitely gave us some more tools for our toolbox.  We love opportunities for self- improvement, especially ones that incorporate our unique situation as a military family.  GOOD STUFF!!!!!  

We got to squeeze in a quick family dinner before joining the festivities...


...then it was time to check into our cabins...


...how cute are they all packed up with their toys for a weekend of camping?!

This was our pet for the weekend...


...it was seriously the biggest spider I've ever seen.  We got to watch it recreate it web while we were there too.  Lucky us!!

Each family got a cabin, like the kind you stay in when you go to summer camp, which meant we got to sleep in bunk beds.  The boys thought this was the best thing EVER...


...they finally figured out how to make it all the way to the top by Saturday night...


No wonder I have anxiety!!!  Haha  They also thought it was awesome to refuse to sleep by themselves and join us in our teeny tiny beds instead...


...complete with feet in the face and all.  Poor daddy!

Part of the retreat included free time and we were able to sneak away to scope out the town of Taveres for the afternoon.  The town boasts has a fantastic historic train ride, which we missed but the conductor let us check out anyways....


...they seriously had some of the friendliest employees.  

The town is also home to an awesome wooden playground...



We were able to return Sunday after the retreat to go for a ride on the train...




Needless to say...it was a HUGE hit for our train-loving boys!  We're looking forward to going back to check out their Christmas train this winter.

While we were in the area, we were able to swing by and see Oma, which was a treat for all fo us.  It's always good to see family, even if it's only for a couple of hours.  We need to make that happen more often.

Today was spent mostly catching up from the weekend but Mickey and I did get time to sneak away for a litte breakfast date while the boys were at their play group.  We also ran some errands and before we knew it, it was time to go get our little guys.  We finished out the day with a trip to the gym, some tutoring, and lots of indoor family time thanks to quite the dreary day.  

Here's to hoping for less rain tomorrow so I can squeeze in a run in the morning...and see all of my story time friends too!!






















Thursday, September 19, 2013

Thankful Thursday

Something about today has me counting my blessings.  I love when that happens.  Here's a glimpse into  just some of what's been valuable to me over the last 24 hours...

Forgotten toys we rediscovered that entertained up for HOURS...


...and giggles compliments of my favorite guys who never cease to surprise me with their creativity...


 They crack me up!

I'm also thankful for early morning wake-up calls that help me to have a productive morning that includes a long run...


...with a bonus construction site sighting for the boys...


Gotta love excavators :-)  Also gotta love new music that gave you just the message I needed to hear this morning...


...you've got to check out their song "Be Still"...such a good reminder for my anxious self.  Thank God, literally, that he's got things under control even when I feel somewhat out of control.  My kids are becoming big fans of the music as well.  Love when that happens.  


You know what else is great?!  Starbucks gift cards from friends that allowed me to indulge in one of my favorite treats this morning...


...that's right folks, I got the biggest dark roast I could!  YUM!!!

I'm also thankful for the fantastic photos Lindsey Potter sent our way today.  She is an amazingly talented, generous photographer!!!  Check out another one of my favorites...


We are in love with the way she captured our family!!!!

I'm also thankful that my husband continues to be able to be home so we can enjoy family time to the fullest.  On that note, I'm off to indulge myself in some more one-on-one time with my husband while my kiddos nap.  Have a lovely, thankful day!!!