Near The End

We are nearly at the end of our summer vacation.  I will surely miss these lazy days.  We used this week as an opportunity to finish up our Summer Lists.  I've reserved next week for haircuts, back to school shoe shopping, the dentist, and meeting teachers.  I imagine the kids will hardly be able to handle their excitement with that "to do" list. {not}

So this week we hit up the despised White Water.  Let's be completely honest, this is my most dreaded local field trip.  Yet somehow it always ends up on Jack's list.  I did however play it very smart this summer.  I allowed Jack to bring a buddy.  Most definitely the best experience we've had there to date.

You basically could find me waiting at the bottom of every slide for the boys.  I was the chaperone and hardly got a splash of water of on me.  {perfectly ideal for me} However,  I will say the lines were absolutely atrocious this year.  I have no idea what was going on.  I've always waited until the end of summer for this.  Oh well, it's over and Jack can put a check mark on his list.

We followed that up with something all four of us could actually enjoy.  A trip to the Aquarium.  I was mighty nervous about it being crowded, but happily it wasn't too bad.  Guessing everyone was still in line at White Water.

We did our usual rounds down stairs.  We viewed all the exhibits, saw the Dolphin Show {for the umpteenth time}, and had lunch.  I was super excited to see they were running a special that included a kid's lunch voucher with the tickets.  That was a pleasant surprise.

Per usual the Sea Otters were our favorite.  I mean can they get any cuter?  I seriously could snuggle up with one of those sweet things.

I almost ashamed to admit this, but for the FIRST time we went upstairs to see what the Aquanauts Exhibit was all about.  It was way fun and I only wished I had saved more time for this.  It was super hands on and a lot of interactive learning.  Lucy perked right up when she realized she had permission to grapple everything in sight.

Before departing, I just had to know how long this section had been opened.  I was told since last Thanksgiving.  I was thrilled to know that I hadn't been depriving my kids from the upstairs for too long;)  Shew...not even a year.

So with that, we've got one real summer weekend left.  Assuming we will fill it in with some pool time.  Going out with a splash...

Grammy's Birthday

We just returned from, what will be, our last road trip of the summer.  It was a quick one, but fun none the less.  We literally scooted down to Florida on Friday and came back Sunday.  Our primary purpose was to celebrate Grammy's birthday.  You know how we love to celebrate a birthday.

Seeing as how we were on the beautiful Gulf Coast it would have been near impossible to pass up a beach day.  It was sweltering hot out there and the gulf literally felt like a glass of ice water.  Totally bizarre.

But, whatever churned up those arctic temps also churned up a plethora of seashells. My Maggie was in a shell search euphoria.

Add nearly the entire Cibula family and everyone was happy.  My kiddos will never turn down the opportunity to hang with their big cousins.

These three nearly dug their way to China.  They were disappointed when we called it a day...they were so close.

Come evening, it was time to celebrate our most favorite Grammy in the world.  This lovely lady is turning 72.  Incredibly fantastic!

We dined on some delish seafood and enjoyed the fabulous company.

Lucy, of course, entertained the whole lot of us.  If it wasn't a stage performance, it was one of her priceless shenanigans.  Like shooting straw wrappers across the table.  She even buddied up with a gentlemen at an adjacent table.  This child has never met a stranger.  {a little scary}

We topped it off with a round of Happy Birthday and some yummy desserts.

We loved celebrating you Grammy!  Happy last days of summer vacation...

Summer Party Planning

We are still around.   Just lapping up the last few weeks of summer vacation.  I haven't taken quite as many pictures as I would like to, but that doesn't mean we haven't been busy.

I took the kids to the Nature Center last week.  It was a boiler, but it still remains one of my favorite local visits.  Lucy and I went to the Children's Museum this week while the bigs were at art camp together.  {yes, together!}  I finally found something they could both do.  And although they were initially very dismayed about it, they will be the first to admit they have enjoyed every single bit.

It also gave me a taste of what next school year will be like.  Just me and little Lucy.  I can't deny I am absolutely giddy about it.  She is such a joyful child to be around.  That certainly doesn't take away the fact that I'm going to miss the other two like crazy.  

Other than all that, I've been busy as a bee party planning.  I can't believe how many events are in our near future.  I'm taking summer as an opportunity to get myself as prepared as possible.  Because, Lord knows once school starts things start getting totally CrAzY!

I'm super excited about my new volunteer position at the big's elementary school.  Myself, along with two other fabulous ladies are the Teacher Appreciation Committee.  Ya'll this is so up my alley...party planning, decorating, goodies!  I can't wait.

Our first event is the Teacher's Back To School luncheon.  And though, we could have just let this pass with a nice catered lunch, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to do a little decorating.

As much as the Target Back To School section puts knots in my stomach, it actually came in handy when I whipped up this little center piece.

I also found these adorable clothespin chalkboards at Michaels.  Perfect to jot some Back to School jargon on.  I clipped them to mason jars with some fun school ribbon.  I plan on filling them with sunflowers and placing them down the tables where the teachers will be dining.  I think the yellow will be a nice pop of color.

And what's a party without stripy straws?

However, my biggest project has been Lucy's upcoming 3rd birthday party.  What?!?!  How is baby girl already turning 3? That little one has brought so much joy to this family that I thought it only fitting to go super vibrant and playful for her party this year.

This is a little taste...don't want to give away too much.

Okay, I can hardly stand the excitement.  So here it is...we are going with a Lily inspired Flamingo party.  So fun!  And so Lucy!

And last, but certainly, not least, my Mom and I have been diligently working on Jon and Bailee's rehearsal dinner.  The wedding isn't until October, but there is so much to do!  I can hardly imagine being on the bride's side right now.

With their beach wedding it only seemed natural to go beachy for the rehearsal dinner.  We've conjured up some super sweet table decorations for a special night for the special couple.

And if you can believe this {which if you know me, you will}, I've decided to get going on Maggie's future birthday party.  I figured as much time as I've spent in the craft stores, might as well.  She already knows her theme.  Seeing as how it's going to be hard to pull off in the Fall, I had to grab goods while they were readily available on the shelves.  Now let's just hope she doesn't change her mind.

As you can imagine, my basement looks like a party planning explosion.  If you come over be careful not to trip on the tulle, pom poms and endless sea of flamingos;)

Off to enjoy more summer fun with my littles....

Legos & Some Not So Great Photos

Lucky you...you get a whole other post full of iPhone pictures.  Don't even ask me how I forgot my camera...ugh!

So I snuck Jack out of sports camp this week.  Okay, so it wasn't really sneaking, I had to fess up to Daddy.  I mean I had bought the tickets quite a while back.  And wouldn't you know, Daddy was A-Okay with it.  So much so, he even decided to join us!

Which might explain why I forgot the camera.  That and the power being out from a massive storm last night.  I had to manually open the garage door this morning so we could back the car out.  It wasn't pretty...I have a black eye to prove it.  Needless to say, I forgot the camera when my morning didn't go as planned.

With all that being said, let's just thank our lucky stars that I grabbed any shots of today.

This is the starts of the black eye.  I had ice on it the whole car ride down.  By the end of our Lego Land visit it was nice and purple.  Lucy's favorite color:)

The sisters hung out in the Lego Friends corner most of our visit.  I mean who can resist pink and purple lego girls?

While Jack was all over the place.

The best experience being the Master Builders Class.  He had to replicate this parrot by sight in 15 minutes.  It was pretty amazing to watch his mind at work.

Jack and I also built a white bunny with a carrot.  We were so impressed with our final product that we tried to take a selfie with it.  Major fail.  I never claimed to be good with the camera phone.

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE summer vacation? Please, please don't let August come...

Inside Out

I took the girls to see Inside Out at the theatre today.  We were all getting a little "pooled" out so it was nice to change it up a bit.  Jack was at a Multi Sports Camp {per Daddy's doings}.  I have to admit I am pleasantly shocked that Jack is enjoying it.  You won't hear me admitting saying this too often, but 'Clay, you were right.'

Jack had just had his run at the theatre this past weekend when he was invited by a buddy to see the new Minions movie.  I assumed he wouldn't mind missing out on this one and giving the girls their due turn.  I guess I was right because he didn't complain a bit.

The girls and I caught the earliest show we could find.  It wasn't at my fave theatre with the amazingly comfy seats, but we survived.  Popcorn is always the cure.  I'm sure I've mentioned it about a million times but, I am a sucker for movie theatre popcorn {with butter}...yum!

I thought the movie was absolutely precious.  However, and a big HOWEVER, it was way over the girl's heads.  I kind of knew that would be the case with Lucy, I mean she is only two.  {and by the way...I would have NEVER taken one of my other 2 year olds to the movies...oh, that third child}

As for Maggie, she thinks she liked it, but had absolutely no clue what the story line was.  Mindless entertainment...I'd like to think that's okay every once in a while especially during summer break.

As for Lucy, she will gladly tell you she did not like the movie.  So much so that she refused to have a picture taken in front of the characters.  Only when Maggie begged to take a picture {with my phone} and I offered to join her, did Lucy finally agree.

And how much do you love Maggie's thumb print in the bottom right hand corner of the picture?  Way adorable! She's about as good with the camera phone as I am.

Next up this week...a visit to one of Jack's favorite places in the world...Legoland Discovery Center!  See, he always gets his turn;)

Her Newest Endeavor

My Maggie can always manage to find the most inconvenient and expensive extra curricular activities.  First it was ice skating and now, her newest endeavor....horseback riding lessons.

When she first mentioned this, I honesty thought there was no way.  I assumed she would be done at the first sight of that giant animal not to mention climbing up on its back.  My Maggie is hardly a risk taker.  

So come her first lesson, Maggie proved me wrong.  And I mean very wrong.  This gal loved it!  Everything from the grooming to the riding to calling herself a real cowgirl.  And the fact that she could wear her pink boots certainly didn't hurt at all.

So Maggie starts each session with a lesson in horse etiquette and then follows it with grooming her ride.  She honestly loves this part every bit as the actual riding.  So much so that her trainer has called Maggie "a natural".  I never would have guessed.

And then she's off usually for about a 20-30 minute ride.  Meanwhile I am searching the grounds for  any source of shade.  Seriously she went from freezing me out at the ice skating rink to melting me on a farm.  I mean what is wrong with something easy like ballet or gymnastics?

But come on, how could I resist this smile?  Mmmm...that girl is as sweet as sugar!

Okay, so now that Maggie has officially claimed a passionate love for riding lessons I suppose it's time to invest in a real equestrian helmet.  I'll be sure to hang it up right next to the ice skates and leave a spare spot for her next endeavor.  

Maybe synchronized swimming?  Or better yet flying lessons?

The Fourth

As I was uploading the pictures from July 4th, 2015, I was thinking...did all his really happen in one day?  And yes, it did!  A seriously crazy, busy, fun {and even a touch of sweetness} kind of day.

Each year I like to treat my kids and the cousins to a festive goody basket.  Plus all the loot makes for a great photo op {shhh...no need for them to know my ulterior motive}.  Last year I scored some hilarious mustaches and sunglasses.  This year was a bit more tame.

No 4th basket is complete without a flag {that one is a given}.  I also threw in some red and blue glow sticks that were a huge hit come night fall, some sweet star wands for the girls, a pinwheel for Jack, and a couple star bubble necklaces.

The kids grabbed my camera and snapped a few of these.  It was so fun to see what they had captured of one another.  Total red, white, and blue silliness.

Post that amazingly festive photo session, we changed into our all American swimsuits and hit the lake.  We had a massive boat load with a real live American hero at the helm.  Such great fun!

We decided to stop at a local marina for lunch.  I have to admit I was in complete shock when they actually had available seating for all sixteen of us.

After a very traditional American lunch {we are talking burgers, hotdogs, chicken, and sweet tea} we headed back to the dock for some afternoon swimming.

While these shenanigans were going down, I had to get dolled up and clean for some serious sweetness.

And here's the sweetness...Baby Paul was baptized on America's birthday.   {I told you it was a packed day.}  And guess who has the most precious honor of being his God Parents?...Clay and I!  I was so elated when Joel and Catherine asked us.  Such a sweet baby boy and an absolute pleasure to guide him in our faith.

On another "not so sweet" note....my hair!  Ugh, my cabin did not come with a blow dryer.  And seeing as I had no intentions of needing one {until I fell off the tube}, I didn't pack one.  Thank your lucky stars right now that you can't see the back of my head.

We literally left the church on two wheels, changed clothes, and jumped on the boats for the fireworks show over the lake.  Somewhere in between all that we scarfed down a bite to eat.

We tied our boats up together so we could all enjoy the show side by side.  There was a lot of boat hopping going on {primarily among the children}.  Talk about about nerves...I was a ball of them.  Happily we all made it back to land safely {and dry}.

And the rest of the evening will pretty much go down in history.  Please take a look at this picture...yes, this really happened.  And yes, that is my 79 year old Grandma breaking it down with her grandsons.  I'm pretty sure she was dancing to Uptown Funk.

And mind you this was after all the driveway fireworks and sparklers had been lit and the littles were snug in their beds.  Laaaattteee night...

The rest of the evening {and sadly, into the morning} was spent with a series of dance lessons by a lake bonfire.  Everything from swing dancing to break dancing.  I mean, how much more all American can it get?

My fave is Catherine giving Jon lessons for his wedding reception...way adorable.

So I while I had an absolute blast with my family, I also learned a few things about some of them.

I never knew Aunt Catherine had been a professional dancer {what?!?!}.  And Uncle Joe has some serious moves.  So much so he was nicknamed Magic Mike by evening's end.  And Aunt Selena is a serious music connoisseur.  I have never heard such a music selection in all my life...it was nuts!  And finally, Aunt Scrub has no business sitting on coolers.

Quite possibly one of my favorite years celebrating America!  Love you crazy Dumbacher family!

Proud to be a Dumbacher and an American!  God Bless the USA