Share A Coke With Jack

Welcome to the birthday party of my tween son who...."did not want a theme, but wanted me too decorate and make it match".  Needless to say, they were several exhausting conversations leading up to this celebration.  After much debate, a lot of turn downs, and a few "I'm too cool for that" faces, Jack happily settled on a Coke party.

I was given strict instructions to "decorate, but not too much" and "don't act stupid".  I'd like to think I held up my end of the deal.

With that being said, Come Share A Coke With Jack at the lake house.

I can't deny I was about over the moon impressed with his cake when I picked it up from the bakery.  I asked for a Coke bottle, but never expected this artistry.  Impressive.

I went up to the lake a day early to get things set up.  I knew once I arrived with 7 boys there would be all hands on deck.

I had lots of red snacks available for the boys and went ahead and set up for our grill out at night.

We had a Coke float station with legitimate glass bottles.

A red candy bar that was a constant snack source...

I made the little cans so the boys at least had some candy to walk away with.

At the main table each guest had a place setting with their own personalized Coke bottle and socks.

As soon as we arrived, the boys wasted not time grabbing a bunk bed, changing into swim suits and heading for the dock.

While they tubed with Daddy on the boat, I stayed behind and set up dinner.  Per Jack's request, the dinner menu consisted of grilled hot dogs, Doritos, and watermelon.  I'm sure I threw a few other red options in there as well.

Happy Birthday Jack!

After a sleep over with lots of running around and giggles, the boys woke the next morning ready for more.

A foam party...

A fire {and what an entertainment this was}....

And of course, more boating....

Happy Birthday to my favorite tween on the whole lake! There is no one I'd rather Share A coke With.  xoxo mommy {yes, even with all that, I'm still Mommy, shhh...don't tell him any different}

Easter HOPpenings

A lot has been "Hop"pening around here with Easter celebrating!  

We attended the neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt.  And even though Jack has out grown the tradition, I've still got these sweet girls to enjoy it with.

Now, that is one cute bunny.

And this one...what can I say?  Who finds a way to get soaked at an egg hunt?

We spent Easter Saturday dyeing eggs.  Somehow I can still manage to get all three involved in this.  I love seeing their individual creativity.

And then of course, we celebrated the real reason for the holiday on Sunday.  But not before all three dug into their Easter baskets and collected eggs from the front yard left by E. Bunny himself!

{oh and did I mention, this big boy got braces this week?}

Happy Easter to all!  Hope it was HOPPY!

Jack Is TWELVE

My baby boy is 12!  The one who named me Mommy, my only boy, my creative, smart, thoughtful, deep thinking,  adventurous son is 12!  I'm telling you it goes way too fast.

We celebrated this April 13, 2019 with a birthday breakfast complete with cake and sibling gifts.  Jack was perfectly content with a day of putting together new Lego sets.

We topped off his big day with dinner at his favorite seafood restaurant.  And since Daddy was out of town, we will be celebrating with a real party in a few weekends.  Stay tuned!

The Lone Star State: Waco

On the road again...and this time to Waco, Texas for a day trip.  One might ask, why Waco?  Well in case you didn't know its the home to Chip & Joanna Gaines' Magnolia Market and the one and only Dr Pepper museum.

And even better than all that...the sun was shining and it was gloriously warm Texas weather....just how I like it!

The drive from Austin took us about an hour, but I'm sure it can be done in less time.  Our first stop was Magnolia.  I fell in love at first sight.  It had a homey Southern Texas feel with a lot of class.  You can't miss it when you arrive in Waco, just head straight towards the large water towers.

As soon as we arrived, I had to get one of those giant mason jars filled with good ol' sweet tea.  Yum! It did not disappoint.

Lucy even indulged until the kiddos spotted the snow cone truck.

 
The grounds were full of delish food trucks, gardens, a turf field for play,  two shops, and a yummy bakery.

We strolled around, soaked in the sunshine, ate lunch under the pavilion and then scooted out.  The kids were antsy to get to the Dr Pepper museum.  An ice cold Dr Pepper has always been my cola of choice, so I obliged.

We easily could have walked to the museum, but we took a detour through town to see what Waco was all about.  Not a whole lot to it, but there were a few cute shops.

Once we arrived at the Dr Pepper museum the kids raced up to the historic building to start the adventure.

The museum had two sides.  The first was more memorabilia and the history of the product, while the other side had more interactive opportunities.  The kids participated in a science presentation and got to taste of a few of the ingredients.  Yuck!

We left our visit with icy cold Dr Peppers in hand and made our way out of Waco.

We caught our flight back home late that evening and said our final goodbyes to Texas.  It was a great trip {minus the frigid temps} and I'm sure one we will never forget.  Yee Haw!

Now to plan our next adventure...