Category: Xander

Bonfire…

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Today, even though it was the beginning of August, felt like the most beautiful fall day. It had me picking up my step on my morning run at the park, thinking of football afternoons, and not wanting the cool night to end. In the spirit of the day and the quickly approaching fall (one of my favorite times of the year), we had a bonfire tonight (courtesy of Tom…he read my mind)!!! Complete with s’mores, it was such a fun night with the boys…kind of a farewell to summer and a hello to fall. I am looking forward to many more family fall night bonfires to come.

Tampa…

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We were BEYOND BLESSED to get to spend a week in Tampa on the bay at the house of a dear friend’s parents. We had so much fun swimming in the pool, going for rides on the boat (looking for dolphins, eating at a bayside restaurant, and riding on Big Mabel), and visiting Winter at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. It really was one of our best family trips yet.

For more pictures, click on the “Tampa 2017” page to the right…

Happy 7th Birthday, Xander…

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Xander celebrated his birthday with his friends a little early this year at an indoor trampoline park. He had a total blast…I think his favorite things were dropping from the rope swing into the foam pit and climbing up to the highest obstacle (in a harness) and jumping off to fly down from the top. Happy birthday to one of the sweetest and most compassionate hearts I know. We love you, Xander!!!

Wave Runners…

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Tom always brings such joy and adventure to our lives. He scored us some wave runners through his auto brokering business this week that he’ll sell back at the end of the summer. So, we took them out on the lake this afternoon with the boys and had a blast!!! Here’s how Xander felt about it…

Goofballs…

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I took the boys to Goofballs this morning. They LOVE that place…ski ball, bowling, video games, inflatable, and jungle blaster room. Their favorite part, I think, is earning tickets to redeem for fun little prizes at the end.

Fun with MeMe…

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The boys and I drove up to spend some time with MeMe today. She has a HUGE garden that she’s planting and tending to…and I loved that the boys were able to get in there with her. She paid them $6 each to fill up paint buckets with rocks from the garden and let them pick vegetables (onions, squash, and zucchini) to take home. We ate lunch at Sonic (with a little Subway thrown in) and hung out at the playground for quite a while. It was such a sweet time.

Lemonade Stand…

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Xander is our resident dolphin-lover, so he was SUPER excited when he found out about the fundraiser kit that we could order through the Clearwater Marine Aquarium to raise money for Winter the Dolphin (and other rescued sea creatures like her)!!! The boys and I had so much fun setting up the table with flowers from our garden, pink and yellow lemonade, fruit ice cubes, homemade cookies (oatmeal raisin and snickerdoodle), and all of Xander’s stuffed dolphins. With the help of our friends and neighbors, we were able to raise $60 for Winter!!!

The Lake…

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The boys and I went to the lake this morning!!! We met several moms and kids from our moms’ group and really enjoyed just hanging out…playing on the playground, swimming in the water (even though it was a little bit cold), digging in the sand, and having a picnic. The boys didn’t love the mommy enforced, wear-your-puddle-jumper-in-the-lake-even-though-you’re-pretty-good-at-swimming rule…but oh well, that’s what happens when it’s one mommy and three little strong-willed and not always listening boys, a lot of people, and water you can’t see to the bottom of…they still had fun, though.

Strawberry Picking…

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The boys and I went strawberry picking this morning at Valley Home Farms…our very favorite place to go pick berries. We’ve gone every spring/summer since Roman was 2 months old, and he’s 5 years old now!!! We picked strawberries, sampled homemade treats (blueberry and strawberry ice cream for the boys and a blackberry/blueberry ice pop for me), and picnicked in the sun.

Splash Pad…

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Jonas and Xander’s last day of school was today!!! We celebrated with ice cream from the ice cream truck in our neighborhood and a visit to the splash pad. It was a wee bit cold but still a fun way to kick off the summer.