Fall Adventures

Well, I suppose it took me getting sick to finally slow down enough to sit and write a blog post. It's been on my mind for awhile, but we have been so busy this past month I just have not made time to do it. But as I am now sick and the thought of doing anything but sitting sounds less than attractive, here I am!

My-oh-my, have we had a lot going on this fall! My baby sister turned 21 on Halloween, and my mom, two sisters, aunt, cousin, grandma and grandma's man all came out for it. My mom, sisters and aunt all stayed for the whole week, aaaand we left for Florida on November 1st. Smartest idea? Probably not. Loads of fun? You betcha!

A little advice about driving to Florida. If at any point in your life you think driving to florida with two toddlers, a 5 year old and 30 week pregnant mama is a good idea, think again. If the thought of saving money on airfare in this situation sounds comforting, I urge you to imagine being up for 30 hours straight while attempting to wrestle a diaper onto a screaming, writhing and surprisingly strong toddler while balancing a bowl of fruit on your head and having to pee BADLY. You might reconsider.

So yes- the drive was a little hectic, but let me tell you- the stay in Florida was amazing and totally worth it. We drove with our friends Kyle and Erika Johnson and their sweet boy Kolt. One amazing thing I am taking away from this trip is that we went on this awesome adventure with our best friends and got to know them on a whole new level, and through that realized we are all a lot alike as there was no tension between us at any point on this trip! What a blessing.

Things are getting back to normal now. Thanksgiving is coming up in a couple weeks and I am looking forward to spending it with Dave's family. I love them so much. As we are headed into the colder season of fall, I m keeping my eyes open for new adventures to embark on with the boys. Last winter we were cooped up a lot because it was SO COLD and Juju was still a tiny baby. He's a little more robust now so I am looking forward to some outside exploring.

Which brings me to my last thought. I am absolutely loving the season of life I am in right now- my boys are still young and immensely enjoyable, I am not working and able to spend all my time on caring for my boys, husband and household. I am attending BSF each week and really diving into God's word and learning a lot, and many evenings are spent cuddled up on the couch with Dave watching our favorite shows or movies. I just want to pause and remember where I am now, because it is one of those life stages I will look back on and think "those were the days".

Here are some pictures of our fall adventures to help illustrate the past couple months and a lot of things I haven't mentioned in writing. Enjoy!

I just love watching him sleep, and that moment right after I set him in his crib and he sticks his butt in the air and tucks his arms and legs in. So sweet!

Our first wall measurement. :)

Zach and Aunt Kayleigh (Dave's sister) on his first day of school!

"Alright mom, enough with the pictures already..."

"Can I stay, too??"

Sumo baby.

Totally went into the store like this. Whatevs.

Funny how boys just instinctively know they are not supposed to wear girly headbands...

<3

This was our first day at BSF. We love it!

Went on a women's retreat with one of my best friends, Nichole. This pic was taken right before we went zip lining!

Juju watching Jason online.

Dave took me on a surprise date to see Rend Collective. This was a hard night for us. Dave was struggling with some things and as we ate beforehand there was some tension between us. We softened throughout the concert and ended up having a really good night. So, not the most perfect night but definitely a beautiful one.

Wagon ride!

This is my attempt at a faux-extension ponytail. Not bad for a first try!

Round brushing is an art.

Obligatory pumpkin patch pic with Zach's class. 20+kintergardeners at the pumpkin patch = CRAZINESS. Bless teacher's souls.

Mom was feeling spicy in Juju's elmo costume.

This is my cousin, Nic. His shirt says "Detroit: Where The Weak Are Killed and Eaten." We were heading to Zach's school Halloween party, luckily he brought an extra shirt to change into beforehand. 

My soldier boy.

My mom and aunt Rosemarie at Alannah's birthday dinner. 

Nic and I.

Nic and "Moe-Moe"

We walked out of the bedroom dressed like this, family took pictures like the paparazzi, then we walked back into the bedroom and changed. Whatevs!

This was on our Florida trip, driving through the Tennessee mountains. Just beautiful!

Dave attempting to sleep.

View from the rearview mirror. Dave hooked up a tv in the back and it was a LIFESAVER!

Good daddy comforting his crying/tired/sick of being in the car baby.

This was at Logan's in Macon, Georgia where we stopped at a hotel for the night on our way down. Dave was recovering from a bad cold and going on no sleep in 36 hours, so he immediately went to bed. That left me who pulled an all-nighter (but still had more sleep than Dave) to feed hungry children at the last minute. I walked all the way there with two boys, forgot my wallet, walked back to the hotel to retrieve it, than walked back to Logans. I am so lucky my boys are so well behaved because we actually had a really good time!

Instead of turning around constantly to check on him I just used the reverse camera on my phone. Little sweetie. :)

First day there this boy fell on the cement and got a fat lip. So sad!

My thirtieth birthday dinner at my favorite restaurant in Marco Island- Joey's!

Woke up to roses and cards, and my hubby made me a cake!

Kyle and Dave with the boys.

Z loves the pool. More than the beach.

Kyle and Kolt.

Juju loves the pool too!

Erika and I got away for coffee and pedis. So amazing!

Beach baby.

Kyle took Kolt and Zach way out there. Ocean water freaks Dave out so it was a good thing Kyle was there!

Kyle building sand castles with the boys.

Dave and I got away for a date night. We went to Snook's Inn, then got Coldstone and walked the marina. 

Back in MI- this was a rough day and I was SO tired. Got my first venti coffee. Afterward I could see sounds. 

First snowfall. (obviously it was light!)

He thought the hat and gloves were so fun! Can't wait for more snow!

Oh yeah... did my first true multiple process hairpainting on my mom. So fun!

So looking forward to the holidays and getting some normalcy back into our routines after all the craziness of the last couple months. Thanks for reading!