Week with Boca and Gramcy

Nola got to spend a week with my parents in Wichita.  She had a blast and did so many fun things!  Luckily, she tweeted about it so I could follow along:

She swam a lot, went to a movie, a trampoline park, played in my mom's classroom, went to a science museum, played dress up, went to the park and lots of other fun stuff.

While she was having fun, Rob and I were enjoying some kid-free time.  We went to dinner and a movie.  I had softball camp and Rob went to work so it wasn't a lot of downtime, but it was nice not to have to fight the bedtime battle every night.  I got some painting done- one project for a friend and started painting the nursery!

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It was a nice break, but I was excited to get her back.  This is my last full week of summer, I go back to school next Thursday!  It's crazy how fast time is flying!  

Minnesota Vacay

My parents rented a house in Minneapolis for a week.  Our whole family was able to make it up there to spend time together, celebrate the 4th, and laugh a lot. 

Day 1- Food truck fair, splash pad.  We weren't super prepared for the splash pad so Nola was the only kid there without a swim suit.  Most of us were wet by the time we left. 

Day 2- Mall of America, swimming, movie.  Dad and Nola went to the Aquarium while the girls shopped.  Somebody had a meltdown when she found out Build-a-Bear was closed that day- they were moving locations.  So, we took her to the Disney Store.  She tried on a dress, but we didn't buy it.  It wasn't her favorite day. 

Day 3- Build-a-Bear with FA, Buca, swimming.  FA took Nola to BAB as a special treat since it was closed the day before.  Nola was so excited and apparently knew exactly what to do.  If you ask her what her favorite day was, she always says Build-a-Bear. 

Nola helping Gramcy make Moscow Mules.

Day 4- Children's Museum, Casino, Airport.  Nola loved the Children's Museum.  We were told it was really good, and it was, but I think the one in Lincoln is better.  The rest of the family was flying in late that night so Rob, Sara, and I decided to waste some time at the casino near the airport.  Sadly, they didn't have craps, my new favorite game.  So, we played some slots and I ended up winning my money back on the way out of the casino.  If you're down,  just ask the machine nicely for your $80 back.  It worked for me! 

Day 5- BOAT!  I forgot how much fun a boat is.  It was a nice relaxing day. 

Day 6- Boys went to a stadium tour, girls went shopping! We shopped some local boutiques, they were cute.  My siblings ran in a 5k that night and they all survived!  Good job guys. 

Pretending to be a mannequin.

Day 7- Indeed brew tour, horse races.  The brew tour was long and I'm not really into beer.  There were 6 of us.  I couldn't drink because I'm pregnant, Robert doesn't drink and Jessica doesn't like beer.  So, the other three had a lot of free samples.  After the tour we sat around and laughed a lot and played with the selfie stick.  The horse races were fun.  The space was awesome, there were free hotdogs because it was the 4th, and we learned how to bet!

Day 8- Headed home.

We made a lot of great memories.  We took turns cooking dinner and played different games every night.  Nola was obsessed with John, as usual, so with him and my parents around I got a little bit of a break. 

 It was a fun time!  Can't wait til the next family vacay!  

Life of a chair

I painted a few things for an auction benefiting a family going through a medical situation.  This one was painted in a CHS Discoverers theme.  Each picture was taken 2 hours apart.

I also painted a cute Time Out chair and a chair that I turned into a planter.

If you are interested in getting something custom painted, visit www.swirlsandstripes.com for details and pricing. 

31

I turned 31, and it wasn't quite as exciting as 30.  This was the first birthday that just felt like a normal day- the only difference was the crazy amount of Facebook notifications.  Maybe because it was a Monday?  Maybe because I spent most of it at home with Nola?  I don't know, but it wasn't a bad day.

I had a doctor's appointment in the morning and took Nola with me.  She was excited to hear the heartbeat and it was the first time I've seen her excited about the baby being a boy.  Then we met some friends for lunch and Nola was awful.  She was dumping grapes into her water, sugar all over the table, and running around the restaurant.  It was frustrating but I know she was just bored and tired.  We got home and she was just about asleep when the doorbell rang.  It was a lady with a bouquet of balloons.  Nola went nuts and played with them for a while which gave me some time to relax.  We hit the pool in the afternoon and came back to a fun surprise- Robert had asked the neighbor to babysit so we could go out to dinner without Nola.  We drove to a favorite restaurant in a nearby town only to find out it was closed on Mondays, so we headed to a pizza place.  It was a good evening, it's always nice to have some time alone with my hubby- who gave me some very pretty earrings :)

We're not sure how to take selfies.

I think 31 will be a good year!

Summer To Do List

My Summer To Do Lists are never that successful.  In fact, you might notice that finishing the bathroom was on the list last year AND the year before :(

Let's take a look at what will probably (not) get accomplished in the next 9 weeks. 

1. START MY MASTERS

Why this might happen:  I'm starting my Master's in Curriculum & Instruction.  My co-worker and I are doing a co-hort program that will get us done in a year and a half.  I started classes at the beginning of June and I must say.... I forgot how to be a student.  Blah.

Why this might not happen:  It will.  I paid for it!

2. SWIM AND PLAY OUTSIDE

Why this might happen:  We have a new swing set and I got a pass for Nola and I to go to the pool.  We need to go 14 times to make the pass worth it and we've already been quite a few times.  We spend a lot of time on the swing set- I've already got a little bit of a tan :)

Why this might not happen:  Rain!  It's been raining a lot.  It needs to stop, and I think it should soon.

3.  PAINT
Why this might happen:  I've got a chest, table and rocking chair to paint.  I'm hoping to send Nola to Wichita for a week and use that time to paint.

Why this might not happen:  I'm just not in the mood.  I'm sure I'll get the itch to start painting again soon.


4.  BATHROOM
Why this might happen: It needs to get done.  We are approaching the 2 year anniversary of tearing it out.  That's just too much time.

Why this might not happen:  Robert had surgery on his leg and will be in a wheelchair all summer.  That's what stalled our progress last year and I'm sure it's not going to help this year.

5.  BLURB BOOK
Why this might happen: I've been working on our digital scrapbook for a while now.  I keep adding things so it's taking me a while to do it.  Maybe this will be the year we get to order it!

Why this might not happen: I think with all of the work I have to do for my classes, I'll be spending all of my computer time on that.

And that's it.  It's short this year, but that's ok.  I'm looking forward to a slow summer of hanging out with Nola and growing this baby boy!