August

I know it is not August yet, but it might as well be.  Where did the summer go?!  I can't believe school starts back up in a month.  Four weeks.  EEEK.  It feels like we only just started our lazy (ha) days at home, and now they are already running out.

The boys are napping right now.  Both of them.  Are asleep.  This feat was not achieved lightly.  It took almost 20 solid minutes of screams of rage.  Parker did not think he needed to take a nap, so he voiced his opinion quite loudly.  In fact, don't tell him that I was actually about to wave the white flag and go get him out of his bed, giving up on the afternoon nap.  But when I creaked the door open, he was sprawled out asleep.  Whew.

So now I sit with a dishwasher that needs unloading, laundry that has been in the dryer for days, and a list of things I need to start working on for school in the fall.  But instead, I'm watching a Nicholas Sparks movie I've been saving in the DVR {The Vow} and dusting off the ol' blog.

Our summer has been going really well.  I thought we would be going stir crazy and looking for things to occupy our days, but we are actually so busy that I don't even think we have had a full week at home with just me and the boys, all day everyday.  Family visiting and friends staying over and summer vacations and long weekends with the grandparents have stacked up and made the weeks fly by.  I think it is all winding down now though, which is great.  I look at the days left at home this summer and feel a pull on my heart for when Henry and Parker will go back to their school in August.  Even though the days are long and often hard and I am constantly saying prayers for patience under my breath, I really do treasure this time with my boys.

{Sidenote: I have already rewinded The Vow three times because I am not even paying attention to it.  Gah! Must use this quiet time to watch depressing chick-flicks where either Rachel McAdams or Channing Tatum is GUARANTEED to die.  Thanks a lot, Nick.}

For a few weeks, Parker's hair made the best ever faux hawk. 

Henry and Grandma

These photos are getting tougher and tougher to take, since Parker is MOBILE now!

Hankie!

Henry and Dad on the ferry to Galveston

Seeing the ocean {okay it's really the gulf} for the first time!

At our beach house, "Purple Haze"

Travels

Today is my last Monday of summer break.  Oh my.  I have mixed emotions about going back to work.  I am excited to see all my work friends on the regular again, and super pumped to see my kiddos from last year, who I really have missed!  I have even been dreaming about seeing them again, which is kind of odd. I am also anxious to meet this year's new class of kids, but I kind of feel like I won't like them as much as I liked last year's class.  I know I'm going to see all the second graders and be like, "No!  Come back to first grade!  I neeeeeeed youuuuu!"

Now don't get me wrong.  I am also super bummed that summer is over.  Like everything fun and carefree, it flew by.  We have been out of town SO MUCH over the past three weeks.  It was fun to travel and get away from the Texas heat, but I am also kind of bummed that I spent so many of my last lazy days packing, unpacking, packing again, driving, flying, and just generally not at home.  It's always fun to get away, but being back at home is pretty awesome too.  My plan for this last week of break: NOTHING.  Just me, sleeping in, floating at the pool and generally not doing anything.

Here's a quick rewind of where we have been over the past several weeks.  Just looking back through it all wears me out!

At the end of July, we jetted up to Pittsburg for Mark's college roommate's wedding.  It was fun and the weather was awesome, and got to see several of Mark's OSU friends, which is always a good time.  It was the babies' first official wedding and they seemed to enjoy the festivities.  I know I enjoyed the half glass of champagne I allowed myself for the toasts.

After Pittsburg, we came home and repacked our bags for a getaway to Colorado Springs.  We met my sister and brother-in-law up in CO and spent five days in the mountains, where it rained every afternoon and the highs were in the 80's.  It was heavenly.

Here we are at the top of Pike's Peak, 14,000+ feet up in the air.  We drove up the mountain in our little rental car, which was fun and also incredibly freaky.  I felt like we were going to fall of the edge of the road several times!

We took some pit stops on the way up the mountain and walked around.  I was super out of breath and had to take breaks as we climbed up some rocks on one of the stops, but the views up top were worth the panting and chilly temps.

Bros up top.  They dressed opposite that day, can you tell?

Here's my sister and I one evening after we walked around the lake at the Broadmoor, where we stayed.  Holy cow, I cannot recommend this place enough.  It was beautiful and the staff were so friendly and nice.  Behind us is the building we stayed in.

Here's the view we woke up to each morning at the Broadmoor.  I miss those mountains and that crystal blue lake.  Sigh.

We also ate awesome the entire time we were in Colorado Springs, and even hit up one breakfast diner twice while we were there, we loved it so much.  One day we hit up the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, which is a zoo on the mountain.  I don't know why my pictures didn't upload on my computer, but we got the FEED and PET giraffes!!!  It was the neatest thing ever, and I would totally recommend this zoo to everyone who travels to CO Springs.  We'll have to come back in a few (several) years with the kiddos.

Three days after getting back home from Colorado, we hit the road again, this time road-tripping it to Small Town, Kansas for a Mark's cousin's wedding.  The 17 hours in the car, there and back, were brutal on six-month pregnant me, but let it be known there were plenty of bathroom breaks and stops to get out and stretch.  The wedding was charming and sweet, the perfect little farm town shindig.  I haven't uploaded any pictures of the weekend yet, since we just got back last night, but picture sitting on hay bales while the bride and groom said their vows under a huge oak tree, and plenty of country music and cowboy boots at the reception.  I think it's safe to say that was our last big weekend out of town before the babies arrive, which is okay by me!

Back!

We’re back from the beach!  And rocking our tans.

Mark is working late tonight, so I may or may not be planning an evening with me, the cat and some Gilmore Girls.  We shall see....

Our trip was quick and fun.  I’m wrapping up my last few days at work and then I’ll be on my first real summer vacation (as an adult).. until school training starts on August 7.  Whoa!  Where did the summer go?!

Beach Days

We are packing our bags and heading to the beach this weekend, for a short trip with my family.  I grew up going to Galveston each summer, spending a week in a rented beach house on the gulf coast with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins galore.

We stay out on a part of the island that doesn’t have a road or bridge going to it, so we get to take the ferry out across.  I’ve rode this ferry dozens of times.  It’s always fun to guess what color we’ll end up on, as they have many boats and all are painted different colors.  When I was younger, it was major bragging points if you guessed the color right.

{that’s me in the pink, with the wind blown hair}

In honor of our last summer trip, Mark and I went to Old Navy last night and bought some new beach duds for our trip.  You bet I’ll be rocking American flag PJ pants all weekend.

See you soon, beach.  See you soon.

Is today Saturday?

This week has been a whirlwind of days, mostly meaning that I can never remember what day of the week it actually is at any given time.  I only worked Monday and Tuesday, so the string of holidays and days off is really confusing me and my calendar.  For example, my cat's birthday is today, July 7, but all day yesterday I thought it was the seventh, so I texted/called/Instagramed all day that it was his birthday yesterday.  But now it's today.  So he's been celebrating/being confused for two days straight.  And let's not even acknowledge that it's a little bit strange that I even know when my cat's birthday is, much less that I tell my entire extended family about the occasion.  In case you were wondering, he turned five :)

Now let's just move past all the cat birthday shenanigans and look at some Vegas pics, shall we?

Here are two of my friends, who I have known since elementary school, Stephanie and Mary Beth.

Here's the Hubs and I, in the Balligio.  The cool part about Vegas is that you can carry your drinks with you everywhere, from casino to casino, in the cabs, on the streets, etc.  You can even lay your glass down anywhere you want!  It's a magical place.

Some of the girls, conveniently arranged in a height line.

When you're Catholic and you see nuns in a Vegas casino, you have to stop and take some photos.

A nice shot of my new Vegas dress, with a bit of our view in the background.

MB and Steph again.

And, Mary Beth and her boy du jour, Norman.

So when we were in Vegas, I had this awesome idea to make a music video with everyone while we were there.  I wasn't sure how the others would feel about this idea, but on the first night I mentioned it to some of the girls and they were just as excited as I was.  So we, of course, decided to make our video to Call Me Maybe, because hello, it never gets old.

So all weekend I filmed clips of us on my phone singing various lines of the song.  Which means while we were out at the hip clubs, we were trying to listen to the song on my phone, learn the lyrics, and then sing them.  I haven't put together the video yet, but I did make this little trailer to get the hype out about it.

Coming soon to a computer near you: Call Me Maybe.

Turns out you can stay out until 4:00 AM when you are 29.

Back from Vegas!  Taking one day off for recovery.  It's back to work tomorrow.  Yikes.

Instagram photos below.  Now Emily Maynard is calling my name.

VACATION!

As of 5:15 on Monday evening, I am on vacation from work.  Whew.  When school got out a few weeks ago, I went to talk to our HR Director to see how many vacation days I had used/had left this year.  Her reply: umm... did you take any days off at all this year?  Apparently, not really.  Which also could explain why this was the longest. school. year. ever.

So I have tons of vacation to use up between now and when school starts back up in August.  This week, I am using up a chunk of those days for some time off before we head to VEGAS this weekend! The lovely Mary Beth turned 30 a few weeks ago and she is celebrating with a mix of friends in Sin City.  I was actually with her over Christmas, shopping in the Galleria, when she mentioned that she wanted to go to Vegas.  I was 100% on board and convinced her that the big 3-0 was reason enough to pack our bags and go.  A few phone calls later, the trip planning was in motion.  It's been a long six months counting down and I still can't really believe that it's now only a few days away!

Yesterday, to kick-off my vacay and start prepping for our trip, I went shopping.  I didn't really want to spend much, but was told I needed a "club dress" for Vegas.  So I ended up finding a little black dress covered in sequins.  I was afraid sequins were too cliche for Vegas, but some fitting room text messages to a friend confirmed that it was just the dress I needed for the Vegas clubs.  I also cashed in a Groupon bikini wax (OUCH) and got a haircut.  Not too shabby for day one of the vacation.  I wrapped up the day with some wine and friends and even scored a grilled fish dinner and drinks on the patio afterwards.  Dallas is all confused this summer and is having fabulous weather where it's not insanely hot and you can actually enjoy sitting outside.  Score.

Today's agenda is not nearly as exciting.  Laundry. Dishes. Ironing. Homework.  At least I'll have Emily Maynard in the DVD to help keep my company.