{mommy//daughter evening}

Last week, Harper and I had a fun mommy/daughter evening while Will and his daddy went to a monster truck show with Aunt Kathy (one of our babysitters) and our neighbor’s son. I rarely go out and do something specifically with just one kiddo.  I should, though, because we had a blast! The only main activity I do with each kid separately is music class, which starts back up next month after a break for summer, so it’s been a while.

Our first stop was Target (mommy’s favorite store!!), where we looked at the new fall clothing that’s starting to come out and all the back to school deals. I’m addicted to the dollar tins and use them for a variety of things around the house. I picked up a few more to use as storage for our craft supplies.

I decided to check out a {new to us} frozen yogurt place in the area. Harper loves getting her mini frozen yogurt! I will definitely be back-they are very kid friendly (they have a kids’ area with toys and coloring sheets) and have lots of seating. The employees were really friendly as well. After froyo, we stopped by a local park (one of my favorite parks in the area). It was so nice to just focus on one kiddo and give her all my attention. Usually, I’m back and forth between the little play area and the bigger play area where Will climbs around. Harper enjoyed the extra attention as well. We even went down by the river and threw rocks!

Harper and I had a super time! I plan on doing more of these individual kiddo excursions in the future! Will had a good time at the monster truck show and didn’t get home until almost midnight! He was exhausted and ready to see mommy (he’s such a mommy’s boy, ha!).

I’m linking up with Jess and Ashley for “It’s the Little Things.”

{oh hey Friday!}

Happy Friday:) I’m linking up with Karli and Amy for oh hey Friday! I love having a place for a random brain dump each week, ha!

{one} Are my kids the only ones who act up and goof off at story time? All the other kids sit quietly and listen to the story.  My kids, on the other hand, are rolling around the floor, taking their shoes off, and not paying a bit of attention to the librarian read a story about sharks. See Harper there in the pink on the floor? She decided to roll around on the floor and refused to wear her shoes. Will attempted to do the same thing but he looked back at me and I gave him the look.  Otherwise, he would have been right there with her, ha! Anyway, I love taking them to story time and other events. It’s just amusing to see how they behave versus other children. 

{two} On Tuesday, we had a movie and park/picnic day! Our movie theater shows $1 movies during the summer, so we went with our neighbors to see The Croods. Harper and Will did a pretty good job during the movie, though they got a little restless towards the end. Both were definitely ready for some fun park time afterwards! We checked out a (new to us) park that had a really fun wooden castle.

{three} Zucchini bread! We picked a huge zucchini from our garden the other day, so I whipped up a new chocolate chip zucchini bread recipe. It was good, but not as delicious as the chocolate zucchini bread recipe from This Week for Dinner. Do you have a go-to zucchini recipe?

{four} From our garden, we have also picked several green peppers. I made some yummy chicken cheesesteaks with peppers and onions this week. They were so good and easy to make…they will be part of my go-to meals from now on:) 

{five} Ten years…my hubby and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary yesterday. We got married what seems like so long ago, on July 24, 2004. Here we are, ten years, two houses, and two kiddos later:) Love ya, babe! I recently saw this idea on Young House Love and started digging back through our old pictures trying to find one of us each year on/around our anniversary. I wish we would have started this from the beginning-taking a picture of us on 7/24 each year. I plan on starting now and finding pics from previous years to frame. However, it’s been tough to find many pictures of us pre-kiddos. My siblings and husband call me “Mamarazzi” since I constantly have my camera with me and take tons of pictures, ha! So we’re good on pics of us as a family since 2010. Anything before that…not so much. I couldn’t find a single picture of the two of us in 2007:(Happy Friday!

{summer bucket list // picnic and park fun}

Happy Fourth of July!

I’m linking up with Jenny from The Chronicles of We, Courtney of Sweet Turtle Soup, and several other bloggers for a summer bucket list link-up! This week, I took Will and Harper on an adventure to a new park.  Every week this summer, my plan is to take them on a fun trip someplace new and exciting, beyond the regular trips to the park and the story times at the library that we do throughout the week.  So far, we’ve been to a local lake, a peach orchard for their fun kids’ program, and to a creamery. I found a wonderful place approximately an hour from home-it’s a fun nature center/garden where children are able to explore in the coolest play trail ever.  It’s like being in your own little forest/playworld made especially for kids to explore nature.  So fun! And the best part was that it was free! Donations are accepted to help them maintain the grounds. I love their trail rules! Climbing on the logs. Running through the willow tunnel.   This was Will and Harper’s favorite play area-the Dirty Bistro and Mud Kitchen.  They had bunches of old pots and pans set up for kids to play and cook in the kitchen.  In the kitchen was a sink and nearby was a bathtub full of mud and a bucket of water where the kids could make mud pies. How cool is that?! The Dirty Bistro consisted of tree stump chairs and a table where the mud pies could be served. Harper climbing up to Will in the Dirty Bistro. The kitchen area. Dale’s Creek, where the kids could splash around. Going through Tiny House Mountain. Exploring the tunnel. Entering the woods to head to the Haiku House. Will especially loved opening and closing these doors (he’s obsessed with doors and door handles and has to figure out how different doors work). The Haiku House. Playing with the doors more. Digging in the rock pit. Looking for fish in the creek. Making mud pies! Eating a picnic lunch. We enjoyed a wonderful picnic lunch in the shade and were planning on staying for a while longer.  However, after Will finished eating lunch, he headed back to the kitchen and got stung by some yellow jackets.  He got stung several times on both ankles and screamed and cried for a while. Some nice people who were at the play trail helped me carry my cooler and blanket back to the car. I carried a screaming Will on one side and an extremely tired Harper on the other side. It was so kind of them to help me out! I found a nearby store and bought some itch cream for Will.  By that point, he had calmed down and we were able to enjoy some frozen yogurt before heading back home.  I plan on taking the kiddos back to this fun place! It was a blast and so fun for the kids to explore nature and to get dirty and messy! It was such a magical place!

{park discovery // summer bucket list}

Hello! I’m linking up with Jenny from The Chronicles of We, Courtney from Sweet Turtle Soup and several other bloggers for their fun summer bucket list link-up!

Since it’s summer, we’ve been spending lots of time at our local parks.  There are several parks within 20 minutes of our home and we like to explore all of them.  This particular park is lots of fun and the way it is set up, it makes it easy for me to watch Will when he explores on the bigger park set while Harper runs around the smaller play set.

This girl is very cautious about going down slides.  She refuses to go down any slide at the park but will go down the slide on our neighbor’s play set. Harper just likes to climb up and down the steps and swing.  She would swing all day if I let her, ha!

Mr. Adventurer!

 

For comparison (since I love taking pictures of Will and Harper doing similar activities each year to see how much they’ve grown and changed!):

Summer 2014

 

 

Summer 2013-look how much smaller they both look!

Swinging! I think Will’s a little too big for this swing!

“Come on, Harper, let’s go see the ducks”

At the park, there’s a fun bridge that we like to go on. There’s a great view of the river and of the ducks.  Harper was actually very resistant about going across the bridge. She kept looking down and was scared that you could see straight down to the water.

“Up, Mommy”

The view from the bridge…

 

Will pretending to feed the ducks.

”

“Look at the ducks, Mommy!”

 

Now it’s time to explore more parks this summer!

5 on Friday!

Happy Friday! I’m linking up with Darci and friends for 5 on Friday! Since school is almost out and it’s practically summer (yay!), I thought I would share some of my favorite summer activities from last year.  I also created a summer bucket list full of fun activities we hope to accomplish this summer:)

{one} We started taking the kiddos on hikes last summer, which was so much fun! Will’s a pretty good trooper and Miss Harper enjoys her ride in style! We plan on doing more hikes this summer and getting outside more.

{two} Growing up, my husband and I went to our local state fair.  We took Will and Harper last year (Harper for the first time; Will had been once before when he was one) and they loved it! Will is a ride junkie…he wanted to go on all of the rides!

{three} Catching fireflies at Grammy’s house last year.  Will’s cool aunt was helping the kiddos catch fireflies (or lightning bugs-what do you call them?) last summer.

{four} Playing in the water! We bought a small inflatable pool last summer and the kiddos loved splashing around in it.  They also enjoy the water table.

{five} Exploring our local parks…we have numerous parks in our area and I’m sure we will visit them all of them this summer.  Here’s Miss Harper trying to catch up with her big brother.  I can’t get over how small she was last summer! While she’s still petite, she has definitely grown a lot since last year.

What’s on your summer bucket list?!

5 on Friday!

Happy Friday! I’m linking up with Christina and several others for 5 on Friday! We’re off enjoying our two days of spring break.  Since we had so many snow days this year, three of our spring break days were taken away. Despite that, I’m enjoying every moment with my kiddos and husband.

{one} Will had spring preschool pictures a few weeks ago.  He was so excited since it was a duck photo session and he was able to choose a duckling to hold.  He chose a little black duckling…so adorable! Even though I prefer to get digital copies of prints (the particular photographer they used only offered prints), I ordered a small package of prints to give to our family.

{two} Spring clothes!  Pretty soon, Miss Harper will be too big to wear the adorable Carter’s baby/toddler clothing.  Carter’s makes some of my favorite baby outfits, so when I found these spring sets at Kohl’s, I just had to get them! I had a coupon, plus all Carter’s clothes were on sale.  Yay! (And yes, my 2 year old still fits into 24 month clothes…she’s very petite!)

{three} Ramps! Any time I mention ramps, people give me a confused look.  Do you know what ramps are?  I grew up in Appalachia and my dad would go out in the woods in search of ramps each spring.  They are also called spring onions or wild leeks and are very strong tasting-kind of like a mixture between onions and garlic.  My mom sautés them up with a little olive oil.  Some people eat them raw, but they are way too strong that way.  Will and Harper took a bite but didn’t like them at all.

{four} We took the kiddos to a new playground last week.  It’s just several minutes from our house and has two play areas for the kiddos.  Will and Harper loved it!

{five} This picture is blurry, but I captured it the other evening in the car driving home. Harper was asleep and Will reached out to hold her hand.  Of course, he only held it for a minute and I had to rush to get this picture.  So sweet!  I love seeing how much they care for each other and love playing with each other.

I hope you have a wonderful Friday:)

Outdoor Fun! // It’s the Little Things

Hi! I’m linking up with Jess from Sadie Sky Boutique and Ashley from Words About Waverly for their fun link-up:)

As spring SLOWLY approaches (boy, it’s been a long winter), we’re soaking up every possible nice minute outdoors.  It’s spring this week, the same day that my baby, Harper, turns two!

The other evening, we took a stroll down our road to visit the neighbor’s cows.  Some of the cows are so friendly and will let you pet them and feed them grass.

We joined our neighbors (not the farmer neighbors) and took a walk to see “Sha-sha” and “Dondee,” as Will used to call them. It’s actually Shadow, a horse, and Isaac, a donkey who live right up the road from us.  Their owners leave horse treats in their nearby horse trailer and every time we visit Shadow and Isaac, Will and Harper feed them.

Blowing bubbles outside! Just look at that blond hair! Harper’s hair is getting darker, but Will’s has stayed very blond. He was born with brown hair that turned red, then around one it turned blond.  Harper had brown hair when she was born, but it has turned lighter over the past two years.

Playing at a local park! We spent Saturday morning at a park, swinging, zooming down slides, and feeding the ducks.

I hope you are able to enjoy some nice weather! Spring is almost here!

 

 

Rocks and Mud Puddles-Spring is Coming! // It’s the Little Things

Hello:) I’m linking up with Jess from Sadie Sky Boutique and Ashley from Words About Waverly for their link-up, “It’s the Little Things.”

What an amazing weekend! The temps were in the 60s and we soaked up lots of time in the sun! Now it’s back down to colder temps (boo), but spring is around the corner. Some of our flowers have started to pop up through the ground, yay!  We spent time outside in our yard and at the park.  We are SO READY for spring! Less than a month now! I should know exactly how many days because Harper turns 2 on the first day of spring!

Will and Harper played well together in the rocks for about half an hour.  They loved scooping up the rocks for the dump truck, then dumping them back into the driveway.  Not pictured, but we spent some time splashing around in mud puddles and making grass food for the cows!  Sidenote-any recommendations on where I can buy rain boots for my kiddos? I looked at Target over the weekend and they were all sold out. I knew I should have bought an adorable pair of floral boots I saw at Target a few weeks ago:(

Sandbox fun! My kiddos love digging around in the sandbox and swinging on the gym set.

I got my shovels and I’m ready to dig! Miss Ballerina was twirling around all day and pointing to her shirt, ha!

I’m hoping we get more nice weather in the next few weeks! I’m so over the snow and cold:)

Summer Fun List-What We Accomplished!

Now that it’s time to create a fall fun list, here’s a recap of our summer fun! I created a summer fun list back in June of activities I wanted to do this summer with Will and Harper. Below is a photographic recap of some of the tons of fun we had this summer:)

P.S. In going over my summer fun list, we accomplished everything (plus more!) except for bowling. Our local bowling alley participates in the kids bowl free program and I had wanted to take Will. Maybe next summer.

Strawberry picking

Water table fun!

Bike riding

Story time/play time at the library

Playing at the park

More fun at the park! We went to the park at least once a week (rotated through three local parks).

Craft projects: pudding fingerpaint

Eating fro yo

Walking to visit Shadow and Isaac, our neighbor’s horse and donkey.

Buying fresh vegetables at the farmer’s market

Popsicles!

Pool/water fun!

Visiting Auntie M. and Uncle E. in North Carolina

Fireworks and swimming with the Aunt and Uncle

More storytime/library time (we went to story time 1-2 a week)

Trip to the safari park with our neigbors

Berry picking

Free evening at a local museum:

Bubbles!

Feeding the ducks at the park

Playing outside TONS!

Splash park!

Homemade frosty nights with the neighbors

Homemade jello play-dough (orange of course)-it smelled so yummy!

Walks down the road

Catching lightning bugs with Aunt M.

Playing with the cousins

State Fair of WV

Labor Day Weekend Fun!

 

hew, we had a fun-filled, busy weekend! Here’s a quick recap.

 

On Saturday, we went to our local farmer’s market and walked around downtown. We also went to our favorite toy store, Pufferbellies. Later that day, it was pretty dreary and rained, so we hung out at home. The weather cleared up later that evening, so we headed outside to play with some new toys.

On Sunday, we went on the Skyline Drive and hiked up Bear Den Mountain Trail. We were so proud of Will-he walked up and back! Miss H. was in the backpack and fell asleep on the way back down the mountain. Round trip it was over two miles. The Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway are so close to our house, but we haven’t gone up there since before kiddos (and we’ve never been on the BRP near our house). We bought a year pass to the Skyline Drive and want to go on more trails. It will be especially pretty once fall is here:) I’d love to go to Humpback Rocks and Crabtree Falls (never been to either).

On Monday, we went to a local park with our neighbors. We ate a picnic lunch and played, fed the ducks in the pond, and rode a free mini train ride. Afterwards, we went downtown for some ice cream.

It was a super fun and busy weekend! So glad to have this time off with my family:)