Hey there! Time for some real talk. I’ve sort of been missing around here for a week or so. Bloggers are like any other writers – we get writers block sometimes. There are times when I either can’t think of anything I want to write about and there are other times when I have so many other things going on that I push blogging to the side. The last week/week and half have been a bit of both for me. I’ve got so many holiday related things on my calendar to share with you in the next few weeks, but getting through these few weeks in between have been difficult for me.
We go to Disney in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS and I’m starting to get into that final planning mode. I’ve planned for a while now to make some shirts for me and the girls to wear. I ordered the shirts and the heat transfer vinyl a while back and they’ve all just been sitting up in my closet for months. I’m not sure why I kept putting it off. Sometimes creating things in Silhouette Studio is more difficult than I originally thought it would be, so I guess I was afraid that it would take a long time to make them. I finally sat down yesterday in Silhouette Studio and made all of the designs. It took me less than an hour…why haven’t I done this already?!
It will all get done though! Now all I need to do is cut them out and iron them on. I think they will end up looking adorable.
We really haven’t been up to much since Halloween, with the exception of going to Atlanta this past weekend to visit with family for my niece’s birthday.
Last Tuesday, Raley had her 5 year check up at the pediatrician so she got to stay out of school with me. She looked like such a big girl that day! And she didn’t cry when she got her flu shot. She was so excited and wanted to tell everyone how big and tough she was. (Audrey didn’t cry with hers either – the nurses there do a great job of distracting and getting it in fast.)
This little stinker found some of my lipstick one morning last week. She had it all over her face and in her hair! I had to quickly throw her in the bath tub and wash it off. It was pretty adorable though.
Like I said, this past weekend we were in Atlanta for my niece Payton’s birthday party. She had her party at a place called Champion Kids, which I believe is a gymnastics center that also has an open play area for kids. It was a neat set up that we all really enjoyed. There were two different arenas to play in and separate party rooms. There were 3 different parties going on at the same time, but we never saw any of the other parties because they rotated which area we were in. So it wasn’t crazy overcrowded at any particular time.
All the kids had a blast! There were trampolines, bounce houses, swings, foam pits, slides, and more. I was surprised they didn’t all pass out when we got home.
That afternoon after the party, all the ladies (my mom, Granny, sister, sister-in-law, and myself) left the kiddos with the guys at home and went shopping at the outlet mall. It’s an outdoor mall and was a bit chilly, so we all grabbed some Ghirardelli hot chocolate, which was delicious!!
It is always such a treat to visit with family from out of town. I wish so badly we all lived in the same city. Little Addy now has both cochlear implants and is hearing at a normal level out of both ears, which is absolutely incredible! You can see her little mind working all the time. She is so observant. She is starting to learn some signs and say a few more words. It amazes me how smart she is at just 18 months, especially with only being able to hear for such a short amount of time.
On Sunday we all went to the Atlanta Zoo. The kids had their moments (like when Raley bit Audrey in the face when Audrey tried to push her out of a picture), but overall they were actually pretty good. Audrey is for sure my animal lover. She enjoys watching the animals and interacting more than Raley does. Raley can see it for a second and then want to move on to the next thing. Or eat a snack. I don’t know how many times she asked me for a snack while we were there.
There was a family of gorillas and a little baby gorilla that we all wanted to just sit and watch, but the kids were all wanting to move on. You’d think that would be something they’d think was really cool! I think zoos are actually more fun for adults than kids. I could sit and watch animals interact all day. They’re fascinating to me.
There is a petting zoo where you could pet and brush goats, and Audrey was all about it. She was so sweet and gentle with those big goats. She liked this big black one. She sat there beside it and pet it for a while, then tried to feed it a leaf (ha!)
The pandas were so stinkin cute! I wanted to climb in there and snuggle with it and take a nap.
Audrey’s favorite is still the flamingos, and my favorite is still how she says it – “Hi fwinginos! I love you fwinginos!” “Haha he so funny, he splash in the water!” “He doos his head like dis.” I’m pretty sure I’ll cry when she learns how to properly pronounce “flamingo.”
My parents attempted to get a picture with all four granddaughters at the end of our zoo trip, and this is how it ended up –
Note to self, take family pictures at the beginning of the visit!
We were all exhausted by the time we left. The girls and I all passed out on the car ride home. Poor David was stuck driving. He’s so good to me when it comes to that. Unless it’s a very long trip and he needs a break, he always offers to drive.
I’m so thankful David had Monday off of work, so that we could lounge around and be lazy. I did get out and go to the store without kids, which was nice, but other than that, we took it easy most of the day. It’s nice to have days like that to decompress and relax before getting back into the swing of things.
Last night I hosted our Ladies’ Bible Study group, which I always enjoy so much. We get together every month, bring a bunch of food, chat for a while, then discuss whatever we’re reading at the time. Right now we’re reading by Angie Smith, which we are very much enjoying. It is a study of the Bible as a whole and how it all comes together as one big story. It’s really neat to see God’s plan from the beginning of time and how it all comes together throughout the Bible and how He continues to carry out His plan now. I’d definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a Bible Study book.
I’m excited for Raley’s Thanksgiving program at school tomorrow. This is something only the 4 year old class does, so I think she’s excited about it too. We get to watch the kids perform some songs, take home some of their crafts, and eat a delicious Thanksgiving meal.
Tomorrow I’ll be back with another Small Business Small Talk feature, talking with Piper and Leaf! Most people from this area know about Piper and Leaf, but I am excited to share their story of how they got started and how they create their teas. It’s a fun story, so stay tuned.
Let’s chat –
Do your kids enjoy looking at animals at the zoo, or would they rather play and eat snacks?
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