A Summer Update

Hi there from the sunny south!  It's still summer break around here and we are still enjoying it!

The girls spent two weeks at camp waiting for their brother to return home.  It's the only two weeks all summer that all three kids are busy.  And wouldn't you know, I got hardly a thing knocked off my to do list!  Did someone say....puppy?  

Lucy attended cheerleading camp while Maggie was at AG doll camp.  Lucy cheering in a giant bow... just absolutely adorbs!

Both girls followed that week with a take on sleep away camp, only they didn't sleep away.  Lots of good times outdoors and practice for next summer...maybe?

All the while, we have been loving all over this guy!  He couldn't be more perfect {minus the running around the house with  stolen American Girl dolls and snatching an entire loaf of bread off the kitchen counter}.

Before you knew it, we were welcoming Jack home!  So THRILLED to have him back!  We kicked it off with a day of game playing at PBS.  I was trying to knock out two things...entertain my children and research for the school Parent Party.  I think we scored!

We made a trip to Walmart and the kiddos filled up their "dream cart".  Entertainment for all! And I'll have you know my eldest child was the mastermind behind this one.

And then I just had to get this guy all to myself after two weeks of missing him!  Mommy Son date at iFLY Indoor Sky Diving.  So cool.  A little overpriced, but completely worth it.

I still need to download the actual flying pictures.  I'll be back with those!

Happy Father's Day

 Happy Father's Day to this amazing man {and all you other ones out there}!  Sounds like a good excuse for a little MLB.

So where are the littles?, you may be wondering.  Jack is still at camp and the girls spent the night at the lake with Grandma.  Kind of odd to celebrate Father's Day without the ones who made you a father.  But, I can't lie, it was quite a treat to have him all to myself.

The girls made it back home just in time to shower their Daddy with gifts and lots of love.  And Jack will be home in just a few days...the countdown is on!

Happiest day to the best Daddy in the World!

Summer Fun

I'm going to spare myself the time, and include our first week of knocking activities off of our Summer List in one... big... fat... post.  This can easily be attributed to the fact that we have a puppy {note the last post} and therefore, time is very precious.

So here we go, the cliff note version...

We rode Go Karts at a Speedway.  I was on the little track with Maggie.  Jack and Daddy were on the big track, hence the reason I have no pictures of them.  Long story short, Maggie was terrified, tried it, and probably will never do it again.

But, she did look pretty cute in her helmet.

The kids and I attended Lego Land Discovery Center.  Yes, Jack is still Lego obsessed.  The girls tag along for the rides and the 4D movie.

I have to say this was one of our best visits yet.  The place was very quiet {score} and all three kiddos were willing to try and do everything.  Plus we ate lunch at Johnny Rockets and devoured delish milkshakes.

We made our annual visit to the World Of Coke {with a bestie neighbor friend}.  The is crazily a fan favorite around my house.  I mean who doesn't love soda slurping all afternoon?

We found a jewel of a summer venue to visit.  I think this may be my new favorite and I can't figure out why this summer was our first visit!  The local History Museum is completely fascinating.  I'm a total history nerd {and it seems Jack is following in my foot steps} because neither of us could get enough of the exhibits.

But the best part were the interactive antique homes on property with actors from history.  This kept the 8 and under crowd happily entertained.

Not to mention, the grounds were gorgeous for exploring and climbing.

And our most recent adventure was a weekend drive to drop Jack off at summer camp for two weeks!  Shelton even came with us!  His made his first road trip and did great.  We spent lots of time at the hotel pool with its beautiful scenery and made a few exploratory trips downtown.  Shelton was welcome everywhere in town....love that!

Btw...that is Lucy going down that slide...fearless

So that's the short and sweet version of our summer so far.  We are now, just waiting for Jack to get home while the girls dabble in a few camps of their own and I'm a stay at home dog mom.

Summer is good!

Summer Of The Puppy

If there is such thing as the "Year of the Dog", let's call this "the Summer of the Puppy".

Ya'll I adore this little guy, but I am slap worn out.  Newborn days all over again, anyone?

If Shelton isn't rolling in the mud and needing his 3rd bath of the day, then....

he is throwing up all night and headed to the emergency vet.  In his defense, he has been an incredible sleeper. He goes in his crate at night and we don't hear from him until morning.  I really couldn't ask for more than that.

But, when he yelped and barked the other night for the first time, I just knew something had to be wrong.  My motherly intuition was right.  Our little dude was up vomiting.  Like from 2:00 am, every ten minutes until the vet opened at 8:00 am.

After an X-ray, it was suspected he had a foreign object in his tummy.  Basically, I pictured one of Lucy's shoes, or possibly one of Jack's Legos, or even part of Maggie's bathing suit which she threw all over her room in a diva moment of "hating all her suits".  Ugh...what could it be?

We were sent to the emergency vet to await an ultrasound.  Little Shelton was beyond lethargic and would hardly lift his head.  It was pathetic.  This is the exact moment, I realized just how much I loved him already!

Good news, pup did not swallow a foreign object, but instead had a swollen tummy filled with ulcers.  Miserable!  But, no surgery thankfully.  Ulcers are generally caused by ingesting a toxin, apparently.  So here I went again, wracking my brain...what could he have gotten in to?

The only conclusion we could come up with was wasp spray from the lake.  Still no affirmation, but the boat was sprayed pretty good and he was all over it.  Like, eating up spilled tortilla chips off the floor board, etc.

Regardless, after a full 36 hour sleep over at the hospital, Shelton is back home and feeling like the young pup he is.

We are all so happy to have him home!  We are back to our pee, play, sleep routine and all then all over again about 100x a day.

Can't wait to see what adventure our Summer Puppy takes us on next!  Good thing he is beyond lovable.