My Once Upon a Time...

A few moments from our very busy June that didn't make it on the blog yet! I watched my friend's kids a few times this summer while she was working. They always think I do them a favor, when in reality they do me a favor by giving me extra kids, because that way my kids are entertained too and I can get some work done!  As I was driving home after I took the picture, I hear from the backseat: “It’s like sunscreen, I rubbed it all over me”. And sure enough he did…arms, legs, face, he did a great job protecting himself from the sun. This summed up my week with this little master of disaster as we like to call him. Someone send help please! I had the boys every weekend since April, so this was a much needed and amazing night out with my friends!  Our friend Trinidy is moving to North Carolina to be closer to family, and we are all sad having to say goodbye. We were all drinking "Beckys" with our friend Becky (in the middle). After dinner we went to a bar for a couple of ...

My sweet friend Tilly invited us to go boating with her, and while Fox and I were excited, Finn was adamant that he wasn't going on any boat...until he saw his bestie Charlie! Fox had never been tubing (I think I only went once or twice before) and he was a HUGE fan, he couldn't get enough.  The little boys had more fun swimming in the lake and playing on the boat, but took a couple of slow rides on the tube. Fox kept asking me to go on the tube with them, and how can I say no? While I lost my only pair of sunglasses in the process, I had such a great time. Tilly even commented that it had been a very long time that she had seen me this happy.  Finn even fell asleep while the boat was driving at full speed...look at that sweet face! It was seriously one of the best days of the entire year and I'm so grateful for friends who always include us and make life so fun!

Our original plan was to drive to Long Beach after we visited our half siblings in Utah. We love Grandma's beach house and had been waiting and talking about it since fall break last year. Unfortunately we received some very sad news only a week before our departure. Grandma had decided to sell her beach house, so we weren't able to come. I probably changed our plans on what to do five times, before ultimately settling on what made the most sense, logistically and financially.  I decided to divide the trip home into several segments so the boys didn't have to be in the car for such a long time. Our first stop was Las Vegas where we stayed two nights, neither of the boys had ever been. We didn't have any big plans, so we just walked the strip a little, played at an arcade and spent some time at the hotel pool. Funny enough, when I ask both kids what their favorite part about our ENTIRE trip was, they will both say Las Vegas. Don't ask me why. We continued on our way ...

The boys and I conquered our first big road trip this summer! The longest I ever drove with them was six hours, so when we decided to visit our half siblings in Salt Lake City, I was really nervous about going on this 9.5hr car ride with them by myself. Bribery was the key...I bought lots and lots of snacks and candy! All loaded up and ready to go! We were driving for about an hour, when Finn had already asked me seven times how much longer. He had read all of his new books I got him, ate snacks, and watched a show on his iPad. Oh boy! We quickly made it to the border. I tried to snap a picture, but it was ridiculously bright and hot, so this is the best I got. I planned to stop for lunch to get out of the car for a bit, but neither of the boys wanted to stop, so besides a few bathroom breaks, we drove straight through and made it to Salt Lake City in about ten hours. We were so excited to see our half siblings and their sweet Mama again after three years. Fox and Tucker immediately st...