Just Another Week at the Beach

It's no secret that I LOVE the beach in the fall, and apparently, most people in Bowling Green feel the SAME way. In fact, I think we should petition to rename Destin, Florida, to Bowling Green SOUTH.

Destin was especially unique this year because so many of our friends vacationed there. We all stayed within walking distance of each other and were able to hang out on the beach everyday. WHAT FUN! I usually try to journal daily about our trip highlights:

Saturday~we left BG around 7 a.m. and arrived at the beach around 4 p.m. and us women headed to Walmart for our weekly groceries.

Sunday~hung out on the beach and at the pool ALL DAY and nightcapped at the Destin Commons.

Monday~a repeat of Sunday, add grilled hot dogs for lunch. Spent most of the day sunnin' it up.

~We headed to the Back Porch for dinner.~

~And then went to Baytown Wharf~

Me, Matt, Paul and Shannon went to a late movie and saw The Social Network.

Tuesday~us girlies went to the outlet mall that morning, the guys golfed that afternoon, hung at the beach and ate spaghetti, and played at an awesome church playground.

Wednesday~beached it up (great weather all week long)

~Took Karson to Build a Bear and Coldstone for some girl time and to celebrate her birthday (early), got completely LOST in the Life is Good store and scored lots of great teacher presents for Christmas.~

~family pic night~

~our glamorous gals~

The zoo crew!

Went to Pompano Joes for dinner...

with some of our besties! And finished out the day with a trip to The Track for some miniature golf.

Thursday~took the kids shopping at Destin Commons (we needed a beach break that morning)

~Guys went deep sea fishing~

~Went out with friends Louisianna Lagnappe and had some drunk lady take our picture. In fact, I believe this is the ONLY shot we got without a random guy sitting with us in a bright orange shirt.~

My stomach started cramping (too much seafood I guess) so I had to go back to the condo. However, I do believe I missed the most fun part of the evening with a trip to Hurricane Lanes and Krispy Kreme.

Friday~spent the day at the beach, caught up with a dear friend from the past Brian Caffey, did a little more outlet mall shopping, went to Outback for dinner and Coldstone for dessert for dinner.

Saturday-back to reality and life on the road. Karson wrote the sweetest little note in the condo guestbook. We love DESTIN and are looking forward to going back next fall!

#10 and a Weekend With Friends

FRIDAY

I mentioned in my last post that this one would be dedicated to my #10 fall favorite which was/is the Fall Festival at Plano. My kids managed to attend three different school festivals last year. I'm not sure how many we'll attend this year, but Plano's was LOADS of fun. You would think by now I would remember to bring loot bag because by end of the night, I am usually carrying an armful of goodies. Karson's friend Emma came with us. Her big sister had a volleyball game at South Warren the same time as the festival so we invited her to come along with us.

The fish pond, face paint, candy wheel, basketball toss, Hillbilly golf, the grand prize game, digging for pirate treasure, you name it, we did it.




The KIDS especially ENJOY getting their hair spray painted. My tub was a variety of shades that night.

SATURDAY

Anyone who has traveled on I-65 around the Cave City area knows all about the giant T-Rex that towers over that area of the interstate. My kids squeal with glee when they see it. Fortunately for us Warren Countians, Dinosaur World has $1 day weekends in September for us locals. Don't even be trying to sneak in because they CARD you.

Isaac has a kindergarten buddy named Tommy that he has grown quite fond of. We invited his family to come along with us on Saturday. His mom Shelly and I went to BGHS together. It was nice getting reacquainted with her.

Isaac and Tommy cheesing in the gift shop.

Tommy has an older sister named Jessica who is in 3rd grade. She and Karson hit it off pretty well and have had some math classes together (Karson is familiar with many of the 3rd graders being in a split class).

Aaawww, Miles and Karson were swallowed by a T-REX!



Digging for fossils is always one of the highlights of DinoWorld.

The playground and giant sandbox also DOES NOT disappoint. I think the kids spent more time here than in the actual park. Saturday was one of the loveliest days on the fall thus far. I'm looking forward to many more of these days (please fall, stick around for a bit).

After Dinosaur World, Matt and I hooked up with some couples that evening for a group date night at O'Charley's. It was a DINOmyte day all around!

SUNDAY

We spent today with Karson's oldest and dearest friend CHASE. He celebrated his 8th birthday. If my computer hadn't crashed on two different occasions, I could've posted some of the cutest baby pictures of these two. We're so thankful for the DeVries family!




Karson was outnumbered by the boys, but you certainly couldn't convince her of that. They played basketball, football, and built a tee pee. I didn't snag a picture of the tee pee but managed to get a couple of shots like the one below. Thankfully the DeVries have a big ol' backyard where all the hooligans can play and carry on.

Fall Favs #'s: 1-9

I can guarantee that I have been to the BIG ORANGE Halloween tent more than any mother in this county. Those of you that live in BG know the tent I'm talking about. I can tell you exactly where everything is in the tent and probably its' price if you'd like to know. Miles cannot get enough of that smoldering hot place, and we usually make a weekly trip there. I convinced him to try out another place yesterday called the Halloween Bootique in the old Goodie's building. He consented and was not disappointed (although I was). The high notes, it's air conditioned and the prices are cheaper (not that we've ever bought anything from either place--although I could definitely use a severed arm with blood gushing out, who couldn't?). The low notes, the building is only a quarter full and the decor is pretty lame compared to BIG ORANGE. This post is titled my Fall Favs because BIG ORANGE is definitely #1 highlight of the season.

#2 Fall candy. We have gone through at least three bags of miniature Reese's peanut butter cups. Tell me if I'm wrong, but aren't the minis WAY better than the big one's??? DeeeLish! It makes my mouth water from upcoming Halloween candy. And, yes, I do raid my children's stash!
#3 While we are on the subject of food, I am completely addicted to Stacy's pita chips and roasted red pepper hummus. I've eaten it everyday for almost two weeks. It's getting a bit ridiculous, but I love it! Plus, I feel like I can eat as much as I want because it's healthy and all natural.

#4 HAIKU'S: My daughter did one (5)

It was on pet spiders, ugh (7)

Not for your birthday (5)

Do you all remember doing these?

I have to showcase Isaac's work too. He is such a creative little guy. He's doing well in school much like his sister. He's a little more sensitive about the introduction of new centers (centers are where the kids are engaged in the learning process such as literacy, listening skills, phonics, letter and sentence formation, etc.) at school, but he is a sharp little guy and catches on quickly. His teacher is so patient with him and is always telling us how much she adores him. We're so glad that Ms. Rather is his teacher and that he is adjusting to the school routine so well.

#5 the fall book fair at school. The kids emptied their piggy banks, and I added a couple of bucks so they could make some FINE purchases at the ol' fair. Karson came home with a Klutz build-your-own book and a Bad Kitty Chapter book. Isaac used his money to purchases a rubber, bendable pencil and a LEGO sticker book.

#6 Fall weddings are so nice. I love looking at these snapshots from Matt's cousin's wedding. We've had two family weddings this fall, and both were such fun events. We're also looking forward to some spring/summer weddings with more of Matt's cousins. Congratulations to Katie and Cooper -and- Lauren and Joey!

#7 Labor Day cookout at the Maglinger's pad in Richardsville. Isaac is absolutely SMITTEN with Abby Kate Garcia. I've never seen him so engaged in a little one before her. He wants to hold her all the time. She is quite irresistible and the sweetest little thang. I'm so grateful having, yet, another family like the Maglinger's to love and who love my family and kids.

#8 Fall Super Saturdays at WKU are back in October. I registered Karson for Junior Crime Fighters. She loves the A-Z Mystery Novels by Ron Roy. I figured this type of "Who Dunnit" class would be appealing to her.

#9 The kids have a new clubhouse. Our neighbors the Chapman's lost a nice swingset when poor weather attacked our area. Their swingset was turned over and messed up. I asked our neighbor Dave if he'd care to remove the legs and put it in the pine trees that connect our yards so the kids could have a clubhouse. He loved the idea and got to work quickly.

The fab FIVE minus Karson, she'd gone to a Spartans volleyball game with a friend. I don't think I have a picture of ALL five kids yet. Maybe Jennie snagged one last night when they came over? Sorry for the rambling, I'm thinking to myself here...

The kids loved decorating the clubhouse and leave notes for each other. It's such a blessing having wonderful neighbors. I just love our 'HOOD.

The Chapman's also have a hamster ball that the kids spend loads of time in.

#10 is the Plano Fall Festival, but it will require a post by itself =).