Florida - Summer 2015

It seems like it has been forever since we went on our summer vacation to Florida. I guess because it was at the beginning of summer break and now we are at almost the end of it. This was probably our first vacation where the main focus was relaxing and not making big plans for every single minute. We love to be on the go a lot, but this was actually a nice change of pace.

 

We drove for 12 hours (which wasn't that bad) and we were blown away when we arrived to the most beautiful soft sand and crystal blue/green water. It was far better than I had ever imagined. We knew it was going to be nice, but not THIS nice. We have been to other beaches but this was the most beautiful. We stayed in Santa Rosa Beach, FL (off of 30A) which isn't too far from Destin (but far enough from the crowds). We vacationed with Bob's brother (Bill), wife (Linda) and their 2 girls.

 

 

Here is a picture of the kids on our first day.

 

 

We loved the beach at night.



 

The guys chartered a boat one day and went fishing. You can tell from this picture that it was a very successful trip. We got to enjoy a lot of fish eating during our trip and we still have some in our freezer.

 

 

We went into a nearby area called Seaside. It was so cute. We loved the food trucks. 

A few shots from one of our last nights.

 



 

A pic of our condo building. We couldn't get any closer to the beach. It was great. 

 

We spent most of our time just hanging out on the beach and playing in the water. We went into Destin one day and went snorkeling (we weren't totally impressed with the fish we saw) and shopping a little. We went to Red Bar one day (one of the few restaurants we went to) and it was amazing. I am pretty certain that we will be going back to Santa Rosa Beach!!! Highly recommend it!!!!!

The end of the school year.

A lot has been going on the past few weeks to wrap up the school year and more. A few weeks before school ended the kids and I took a weekend to get up to Chicago to visit friends. It was very bitter sweet because it was the last time we were visiting my best friend Marina in Chicago and seeing her adorable new baby Amelie. Marina and her family are moving far away to Boston. We are excited to have a new city to visit but sad that she will be so much farther away.

 

 

I couldn't get enough of Amelie. She is perfect.

 

 

 

We celebrated Mother's Day the same way we have the past 3 years...we went biking on the Katy Trail and it was another perfect day.

The last week or two of school was jam packed with field day, field trips, school picnic and more. One of my favorite events was the school's 3rd grade track meet. I was happy to help out and so happy to cheer on my girl! She got first in the 800M.

 

 

Lucas went golfing recently with Bob and some of the guys in the family.

His first big golf outing was a great experience and he can't wait to tag along again. 

 

 

And before we knew it...the school year ended. Here is a pic of the kids on their last day of school. The school year really couldn't have gone much better than it did. We just got their report cards and they did so good. Lucas had great scores (no letter grades yet) and Addison got straight A's and we could not be more proud. On to 3rd and 4th grade...

 

 

Bob and I skipped out of town right after the last day of school. We competed in our first triathlon together with some friends (Bridget and Tom). It was my first one...and it was really hard. The other 3 would probably say it wasn't bad at all but it was tough for me with my lack of swimming and biking on big hills experience but I did it and survived. 

 

We have kicked off the summer with a few trips to the pool, baseball practice/games and the other day we headed to Six Flags and spent a really great day together.

We have a lot of fun ahead of us this summer (vacation, camps, sports, lake, Taylor Swift concert, friends visiting, etc.) and we can't wait!!!!!

Kids bathroom remodel

We put up with this bathroom for 7 years. Not my taste at all but it's the kids bathroom and other projects needed to be done first.

 

 

Here are the before pics.....

 

 

Bob put in a couple weekends of hard work and here is the finished product.....

 



 

Everything is new except for the shower which is in good condition. I love the ceramic floors and we got a great deal on the vanity and the granite top. The beadboard was a great way to cover up the damaged wall after taking down the tiles. We are very happy with the remodeled bathroom and we kept to a really modest budget while still using some great finishes. So glad Bob is so handy and I served as a decent assistant. ;)

 

Now we have 3 nice bathrooms and a master bathroom that we don't love but it will have to wait for now (the budget will be much higher). 

Wow...Lucas is 8!!!

 

Time is passing by way too fast....my baby is 8 years old. Is he told old to even call him my "baby?" We celebrated Lucas' birthday at the same place as last year...Vetta (indoor soccer facility where we spend a lot of our weekends already). He invited his soccer/baseball buddies and his school friends. They played soccer, kickball and dodge ball and had a lot of fun.

 

 

 

Our 8 year old.

I think he grew so much this past year....he is about 51 inches and 54 lbs. 

 

Baseball season started a few weeks before his birthday. The Raiders started with a tournament, which started out pretty well with 2 wins, but then we had a tough loss after that. Lucas had a rough start at the plate in the first few game but was happy with some hits in his last game! We will be at the baseball fields a lot this spring and summer!

 



 

Of course Easter just passed.

It was a beautiful day and we had a great time celebrating with family. 

 

A few weeks ago the kids ran the Go! Marathon Read, Right, Run race in Forest Park. It was only a mile race but it was so cool how the course is full of kids (no adults) and each school gets to start together (about a minute apart). They didn't get an official time but they both ran it really hard and did so well.

 



 

 

We recently started to remodel the kids bathroom...so that is taking up a lot of our time right now (well more of Bob's time). I am excited to share some before and after pics when we are done!

Goodbye winter and hello spring!!!!

Winter is finally gone. I shouldn't complain too much because we didn't get much snow this winter. I think the kids only had 2 snow days unlike the 10 snow days from last year. I am just glad to be getting back outside!

 

 

Before spring arrived we went to Hidden Valley and did some night skiing with the kids. We were anxious to wear our new ski coats and get out skiing one more time. We are very anxious though to take the kids skiing in Colorado next winter...yes, we already have the trip booked!

 

 

 

The kids had spring break last week. We didn't have an opportunity to go on a trip and I had to work 2 days, but I made sure to pack in some fun for them around St. Louis.

 

On Monday we spent a great day at the zoo with my sister-in-law and Molly and Katy.

We had to break out the shorts since it was in the 80s!

My pictures got a little out of order....but a few weeks ago Addison finally scored her first basket in basketball and the girls team finished 1st place in their division. Addison LOVED playing and especially enjoyed playing on a team with her friends. She is going to take a basketball clinic this summer and is already talking about playing next year.

 

Back to spring break...

We spent one day at one of my FAVORITE places in St. Louis...the City Museum.

We had such a good time.

 

Another day we went to the movies and went to a local park. 

 

The last day of spring break was probably Lucas' favorite day. Bob took him to Lego Kidsfest. He was right in his element and had such a great time building. My mom, Addison and I went shopping and to see the new Cinderella movie (which was so good).

Next up....Lucas' baseball season is about to start (the kids are both in the middle of soccer season) and Lucas is about to turn 8. We are also hoping to remodel the kids bathroom in April and I will be sure to share some before and after pics as this remodel is REALLY needed. 

Shout out to Chicago friends!

(I am attempting to update my blog a bit more than I did last year. I am fully aware I may not have many readers and that's ok. I do this mostly because I suck at printing pictures and writing down memories...so this is all I have really so the blog MUST continue.)

 

 

 

This past weekend my Mom and I drove up to Chicago. It was a BIG deal....we met my best friend's beautiful baby girl (Amelie Coraline). Amelie is Marina's 3rd baby (big brothers are Hendrix and Maddox). I couldn't get enough of this sweet baby girl but I had to share her and let momma feed her...but when I wasn't holding her, I was staring at her. I can't wait to spoil this little girl!!!!

 

 

 

 

I also got to catch up with other friends while I was in town and I REALLY loved the time I got with this little guy. This is Parker...my friend Pam's little boy. Isn't he just the cutest baby ever!!!!



 

 

 

The weekend wasn't only about babies (it mostly was) but I got some great quality time with my friend Kris (she was in town from Ohio) and also Jenny (in town from Japan) and Pam.

 



Before we headed back on Sunday we got together with Pam (again) and Becky too. Venessa wasn't able to join us because she was running her first half marathon in Disney World! Yay Venessa!!!!

 

 

I miss my friends when I don't see them for awhile and I miss their babies too!!! I am thankful for every chance I get to spend with them....and their babies. ;)

A lot of winter updates!

Looks like I let time slip away from me again..... I haven't posted and shared pictures in a few months. Whoops!

 

Of course there was Christmas.

We were all healthy for the holidays and had wonderful Christmas parties with our families.

 

 

Christmas Eve family picture

 

 

Christmas Day

 

We celebrated New Years Eve with family as well.

We went to Bill and Linda's for our usual low key family card game. 

 

The biggest highlight of our winter so far was our ski trip to Galena, IL. A few parents from Lucas' soccer/baseball team came up with the idea and 7 families decided to make the trip! I can't describe enough just how much fun we had. Galena is a really cute town about 5.5-6 hours away in the NW corner of IL...very close to both Iowa and Wisconsin. One of the major attractions in Galena is Chestnut Mountain Resort and we stayed at a nearby hotel with a great pool/water slide.

 

We got a great group rate at Chestnut Mountain for 2 days of skiing (it included a lesson too)...and for reference, this resort is much larger than Hidden Valley in St. Louis but obviously doesn't compare to the resorts out in Colorado. We all skied for hours and hours both days and took full advantage of our time there. By the end of our trip just about everyone from our group went down the big green trail and loved it.

 

We are all hooked and I think this trip is going to turn into an annual event.



 

Some of the girls.

 

The boys!

 

Our big group!

 

Just 4 days after getting back from skiing, Bob and I went to Vegas for the weekend. It was a very quick trip for a work event for Bob. We stayed at Vdara (very nice/no casino).

 I think we would have left Vegas on a better note if we didn't leave our money at the tables!!!! It was nice to get away though without the kids and the weather was amazing. 

 

Last weekend was a fun for Bob and Addison. Addison was looking forward to the school sweetheart dance for weeks. It was such a fun theme....a 50s sock hop. 

 

So, it has been a fun winter so far...and we even finally got some snow and a snow day today! Looking forward to spring though!!!