what my iphone said

Every summer we max out vacation days and funds to go and visit family.  I'll spend a good part of May getting us ready to go.   We drive for days and days to get there.  It takes so much planning and by the end of it all we are toast!  (A nice welcomed-and-happy-to-see-you toast, but crusty toast none the less.)

So last year we decided to take the summer off.  We explored our city.  We fully participated in the reading program at the library.  Queenie started a book club that lasted all summer.  We ate lots of BBQ, made new life long friends, and focus on house projects that I was itching to finish.   My very favorite part of the summer was our trip to the beach.  I'm slightly embarrassed to say that it was our first "real" vacation with just us.  I loved that week so much.  

We stayed in a condo with a kitchen and one bedroom.  We woke up as the sun was rising, threw on our bathing suits, grabbed buckets and headed out to greet the day.  I'd put something in the crock pot on the way out and dinner would be waiting when we came back.  The weather was perfect and my girls were in heaven. 

Here's what my iphone had to say:

That, is exactly what it looks like. Bird poop.

where we've gone and how big they have grown

Hello out there.

I have missed this.  I tried to turn around a walk away but there is something about sharing a life that helps you realize just how happy and blessed it is. 

Last year at this time we were frantically trying to decide what to do with the girls for school.  I'll have to write a post on just that because, let me tell you it was a wing dinger.  It kept me away from the computer and closer to vomitting and breathing into a paper bags.  (Have I said that I am horrible about making decisions?)

For now I'll try to catch up a little, share some highlights of what we have done and what we are doing.  Biggest of all would be our Disney vacation we took in February. 

I mean, are you kidding me? I still can't believe we did this.

 

We caught a plane to Florida (along with 30 other people from Brian's family) and played at Disney World for 3 days.  
 

Apparently Queenie was the only one who heard "Ten Hut!"

 

 

But to be honest, the parks didn't hold a candle to the cruise.  If you ask the girls they will tell you hands down it was their favorite part. 

 

Pirate night!  Fireworks were lit off of the boat, the food was pirate themed, there were gold coins in our stateroom, and we started an Arrrghhh! wave in the restaurant. Palo night (very posh restaurant) with some of my favorite people.

It was so magical that we can't wait to go again. Although we must. Unless we find a wagon load of treasure somewhere.