Hoffman's

A trip to Hoffman's was one of the fun things on our summer bucket list this year. Joe and I took the girls for the first time as a family a couple of weeks ago. Nothing like waking up from your afternoon nap to have your parents ask you if you want to go to Hoffman's and play before dinner.

After our first ride, it was confirmed once again that Ella is NOT a fan of anything that moves quickly or even threatens to make her belly flop. Her favorite ride was the jeeps that creep around the track nice and slowly.  She also rode the train, boats and merry go round.

Abby on the other hand was up for anything. She loves rides and going fast.

Her favorite was the tilt-a-whirl, which is no joke. We rode it together and even I got dizzy. Abby was squealing with excitement the entire time. As soon as we got off, she was ready to go again. Not me. Though I had fun, I was all set for the day. Daddy was up next!

We unexpectedly bumped into our friends, the Ritters. The kids were so excited to do rides together.

Micah and Abby had fun on the airplanes together.

I love Abby's face in this one....like Micah is riding her around in the back of his jeep and the wind is whipping through her hair.

4th of July

This year, we celebrated the 4th of July with a bunch of our good friends and had such a great time together. Even though it was an unseasonably chilly day, our kids swam together for hours. We BBQ'd and finished the night around the fire making s'mores. It was the perfect independence day celebration.

enjoying her first s'more

Ms. Heather and our littlest friend who we are excited to meet so soon

our red, white and blue family

Snapshots

Ollie missed his mom and dad while we were away!

love that this is one of our little guy's favorite nap spots

Ella sits for hours playing with little people. This was Belle's birthday party.

One of the girls favorite games to play together since our trip Disney is Princess Meet and Greet. In this picture, Abby was Cinderella. Ella would run over to her and say, "Hi Cinderella! Take picture?"  I take their picture together. Then, Ella would wave and say, "Nice to meet you!"

Then, they took a selfie.

watching the rain like his daddy

goofy girl likes to create fun new hairstyles

rough life

Some days just call us to be flexible and go with the flow (instead of pull my hair out). After an unexpected trip to motor vehicle with two little ones, I was thankful for the treat of giftcards that we used for a rewarding (and refreshing) afternoon date together.

bathtime buddies

Ella had a fever and was fast asleep on the couch. Abby was putting on her cooking show for a captive audience while I cooked dinner.

sweetness

Some mornings just come too quickly. This was what our vacation recovery looked like the first day back.  Joe woke up early with Abby and Ollie then "rested" on the couch for a bit. I woke up to see the three of them all nestled in!

Sunshine and Family 2014 (pt. 4)

Uncle Cory stayed for a week and then had to get home for a job interview. It was sad to see him go, but we were so so thankful for all that time together.

Totally cracked us up at the size of Cory's cereal bowl

bumper pool

 

One of my happy places, one of my very favorite things to do, is read books in the pool or poolside. I read three books on our trip and loved every minute of it. 

  

 

 

I just adore these girlies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf0gWFlF44I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky6UZ7Sc69o

It's a bit of a tradition to make a trip to the Shell Factory while we are at Mama's house. There are lots of seashells and things made of seashells, cheesy souvenirs and hilarious photo ops next to stuffed dead animals. It's always an entertaining little outing. Ashley got to experience it for the first time!  

Ashley challenged me to run after dinner two of the nights. It was fun to have an exercise buddy/coach/motivator!

I loved this afternoon when my girl came and joined me in this quiet moment by the pool. Ella was napping and everyone else was resting. We sat with our feet in the pool while we talked about our favorites.

Abby's excited face

Ella's excited face

Draw 12...Boom! :)

Our last day looked a lot like this...I'm not sure we got out of the pool at all.

One of the best parts of summer in Florida are the crazy thunderstorms and watching them come across the water. On one of our last nights, God gave Joe the gift of a BIG one and he enjoyed every minute of it! I love to see the excitement on his face as he watches storms approach on the radar and they develop right in front of him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8UnV7SRMuw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwsIL7Xyn9E

We were thankful for every minute of our time in Florida. We knew it was going to come to an end eventually, but it doesn't mean we were ready for it. I might sound like a broken record, but we loved every minute of our trip. 

While I packed up before the airport, the girls went on their last morning walk with Mama and Buffy. Then, Joe took them on a goodbye walk around the pool and Ella jumped fell in.  Ten minutes before we were supposed to leave for the airport, Ella and Joe were soaked. It was a memorable end to the perfect vacation!

Can't wait for next year! Thanks for everything, Mama! We love you!