Hayden's 1st Day of School

Last night Kevin and I prepped Hayden for school the best we knew how.  We talked to him about why we were sending him to school, what to expect, and how proud of him we were.  We let him know his #1 job was not to get the best grades, but learn how to be the best he could be.  We talked with him about being nice to all the kids in his class, and made sure he knew we thought the world of him.   We said special bedtime prayers, sang his favorite song, and tucked him in for the night.

We all slept well and at 6:50 I woke him up to get in the shower.  He popped right out of bed.   I didn't have to get him out of the shower (that was the first time ever) because he was ready to get dressed and go!  I made him "1" pancakes since he's in the 1st grade.  He went on and on about how much he loved his breakfast!

I did his hair, got his shoes on, and we went outside to take pictures.

We were ready early for school, and I can tell you it's been a long time that I've been ready early for anything.  We left home about 7:40 because I heard the parking was nuts the first day of school.  Traffic was a little heavier than usual, but I got right in the parking lot and found an open spot.  We walked up to the school holding hands.  When we got to the back doors, I held the door open for us, and he quickly grabbed my hand once it was free.

We found our way to Mrs. Boris's classroom.  We introduced ourselves and she encouraged me to help him get settled in at his desk and get things put away in his locker.  His smile wasn't as big and I could tell he was nervous.   I took a few last pictures, quickly talked to his teacher again (letting her know that she knows several people in my family), and gave him a wave as I walked out the door.

As I was walking back down the long main hallway, I could feel my eyes filling up, but I was not going to let myself cry!  I want to be 100% excited for him and supportive of him and me crying (whether he sees me or not) wasn't going to help.  The parking lot had turned pretty chaotic but I got out pretty easily.  As I got to the stop light to head back home, my eyes filled up again and I did my best not to blink because I refused to cry.  I kept telling myself good things:  all the friends he's going to make, all the fun he's going to have, but I kept picturing his nervous little face as I left.

I made it back home and entered back into our noisy home.  Allie was asking about Hayden and was sad she didn't get to hug him bye.  I promised her tomorrow I'd wake her up so she could walk him to the bus with us.  She's already asked twice if it was time for Hayden to come home, and he's only been at school for two hours.  This may be a long school year for her too!





I made Hayden his favorite cookies to go into his lunchbox today.   We also gave Mrs. Boris some.  I figured it wouldn't hurt to start making some brownie points on the first day! :)

We've been trying to keep our minds busy since I've been home and we've done a pretty good job.  Less than 5 hours till he's home!  I can't wait to hear all about it!  I hope all your kiddos had a great first day back!

Allie's Orange Kitty Witty Party

Allie turns 4 years old tomorrow but we had her birthday party this past Saturday.  It took her a while to decide on what theme she wanted.  She was torn between Frozen, barbie, and kitty witty.  (Kitty Witty is just an endearing term she uses for her stuffed kitty cat.)  I showed her some cake options I could make and she decided she wanted an orange kitty birthday party. 

There are zero birthday decorations for a kitty birthday party (locally - I didn't check online because I didn't have time to wait for it to ship).  We found puppy birthday supplies, and tons of Hello Kitty, but no cats.  I had to improvise.  I found some wall decal kitty stickers in a Walmart clearance isle.  I decided to use those to decorate.  I also made a photo garland of Allie and everything kitty!  I had party guests sign the book "If You Give a Cat a Cupcake".  And no kitty party would be complete without Allie Cat (my sister's beloved stuffed animal that she passed down to Allie).

While I was looking for Allie/kitty pics to decorate with, I just kept passing over adorable pictures of her I've taken the past 4 years.  I decided to print them all and decorate with them (about 200).  I had a total of three photo garlands, and a big #4 made up of pictures.  The party guests all enjoyed looking at my favorite pictures of her. 

 

 I served sandwiches, homemade mac n cheese [provided by my mom], broccoli cheese casserole [mom helped me get this together too], fruit salad, grape salad, and a veggie tray. 

The kids loved playing outside, so we let them eat out there too!

We had funfetti cake and ice cream for dessert.  Guests were sent home with a bag full of orange colored candies and chocolate drizzled rice krispie treats!

Allie with her kitty cake.  Kevin also bought her the #4 necklace she is wearing!

A few last party pictures...

Allie got her first jewlery box that was filled with accessories, including a new Hello Kitty necklace from her Mamaw and Papaw!

Allie got a "cozy wozy ni-night" from her Mimi & Papaw.

Austin enjoyed the party too!

Allie's favorite friend and neighbor, Jagger.

We had thrown around the idea of getting Allie an orange kitten for her birthday, but we decided to wait.  We figured ALL the kids would end up wanting puppy and kitten parties if they thought they'd get a pet out of the deal!  But in the future, we may add an orange kitty to our family!

My Fall/Winter Vow

Yes, I know it's still summer, but our entire house has been dealing with a horrendous bug (strep, bronchiolitis, ear infections, pink eye, and cold symptoms) the entire month of July. No one has escaped it.  With Hayden going to school in just a few short weeks, I've already been thinking about how I can become more proactive and keep these germs out of my house!

Here's my game plan:

1.  Instead of wiping my counter and table off with a wash cloth, I'm going to use disinfecting wipes EVERY day!  I'm hoping Sams has a big value pack!

2.  Wipe down couch and door handles every day or two with disinfecting wipes.

3.  Give the kids vitamins every day!  I'd like to find one for me and Kevin to take too!

4.  Wash couch pillows weekly.  

5.  Have everyone get the flu shot.

6.  Baths every night for every kiddo, no exceptions.  (In the past, since the kids aren't outside sweating every day in the cooler months, I would do baths every other night.)

7.  Wash bedding more frequently.

8.  This makes sense, but I didn't ever realized that eating sugar weakens your immune system, so I'm really going to try and monitor our families sugar intake!

Anything else I should include?!  How do you all stay healthy year-round?  I'd love more tips!

MAC Cosmetics

While we were on vacation, I looked to see if there were any MAC Cosmetic counters in Destin.  Just so happens there was one in a department store called Belk.  The few girls I follow on YouTube that are makeup gurus rave over their MAC products, but are very upfront about it being pricy and high end.  Maybe that's why there are no places around here that sell it?  Kevin and I enjoyed a date night last Wednesday evening and I asked him if I could go buy some make up when we were done eating.  He didn't mind going with me, and luckily the men's department was next to the makeup counter so he was able to browse while I talked makeup!

The girl at the counter quickly greeted me and said to let her know if I had any questions.  I just said 'ok' because I had so many questions I didn't know where to start.  After a couple minutes of aimlessly browsing, I just started asking her gobs of questions.  We started with concealer.  I knew I needed something better than what I've tried (my go-to is Mary Kay, but I don't love its yellow-ness, or thickness for under my eyes... it is great for blemishes though!)  She recommended one and offered to put it on me to see how I liked it.  I loved it.  It doesn't crease, highlights the right areas, and is light but covers perfectly.  It sells for around $20 a bottle.

The sweet girl then went through my makeup routine with me and we looked for areas I needed help/improvement.  I told her about my mixed feelings on foundation, and she suggested a mineral powder foundation.  Once I put it on, I loved it.  I didn't know powder could give such a covered/smooth/light/finished look.  She recommended a bronzer that I've really liked too.

The next area we talked about was eyes.  I needed a few neutral, everyday colors to wear on my eyes.  Anyone who knows anything about makeup uses several shadows, not just one.  So I had her point me in the right direction of shadows that are good for everyday wear.  I loved the matte finishes... everything from the drug store is so darn glittery!  The eye shadows sell for $15 a pod.

(This was not the set I bought but I really liked it!)

She sent me home with mascara samples that I fell in love with and it will be my go to.  So after dropping about $200 on a pile of makeup and brushes, I went back to the condo to show my mom to see what she thought of it all.  She really liked it too, especially my concealer, so we went back a day later.  A new group of ladies were working.  A very pretty lady with her makeup done beautifully started helping my mom.  She ended up getting a new face of makeup too, and loved it all as well.  These ladies that work at the makeup counters are packed full of knowledge.  I went home that day with a primer, and my mom left with a pile of make up and brushes too!  

Here's a picture of me Saturday at 9am.   I had just finished my makeup.  I spent the day running around, in and out of the heat, and even blowing my nose (and changing clothes!).  I took the second one right before I went to bed at 11pm.  My makeup looks as fresh at 9am as it did at 11pm!  Everything I was wearing was MAC except for my eyeliner (which is Revlon liquid Color stay).

If you ever get the chance to visit a MAC counter, I'd highly recommend their products!  I am in love with every product of theirs that I own (from brushes, to shadows, to powder)!  

Food In Destin

We didn't eat out a ton while we were on vacation.  When you have to pack up 4 kids, (usually) wait for a table and then food, it can take the fun out of dining out!  Not to mention, it's expensive!  So, when we did eat out it was quite a treat!  (We did carry out options any chance we got!)

Our big dining out adventure took us to The Back Porch, located on scenic HWY 98.  The restaurant is located ON the beach.  We arrived right around 5pm and got seated right before there was a wait.  Our table was positioned with a perfect beach view.  We all enjoyed all the food we had ordered.  We'd definitely go back!  The restaurant houses several cats (we only saw one that crossed the road) and has a gift shop too.  I kind of wanted to go on a cat hunt but we didn't get a chance, and we had our sights set on the Candy Factory next to the restaurant, so we passed on the gift shop!

We also frequented The Donut Hole 3 times during our week stay.  You can dine in or carry out, and we did both.  The wait for dine in is pretty crazy and chaotic, with no where to wait but outside on the sidewalks.  We definitely preferred the carry out option, but I'd suggests dining in if it's your first time eating there.  The donuts are nothing like our beloved Donut Bank, but are equally as delicious in their own way!  My favorite was the Dutch Crumb Cake.  Kevin loved the chocolate glazed yeast donut.  We also tried their pancakes/bacon/sausage/hasbrowns/etc which were good too, but we are just partial to donuts!

Kevin and I had a date night at The Melting Pot.  He says it was delicious, but I couldn't taste it.  My parents had a lunch date at P.F. Changs.  Mom liked it, dad didn't.  We got Jordanos Pizza twice, and everyone really enjoyed it.  I also had a muffin from Dunkin' Donuts, soup from Panera, and several hot chocolates from Starbucks (when you are sick, nothing is better than warm soup and warm hot chocolate!).  We went to Kilwins a couple times for ice cream, but the majority of our meals were enjoyed in our condo.  Kevin & Mom did most of the cooking because I was feeling so icky. 

I'm already looking forward to our next trip there and crossing my fingers that I'll be able to taste the food then! :)

More Beach Picture

 Here are some random pictures from our time at the beach!

Our view on the beach

Sleepy baby napping on the beach

 Krissy wasn't feeling great, but the sun gave her a little energy!

I thought Allie needed a floppy hat

Krissy liked her floaties!

Hayden kept finding little crabs.  I love his little freckles!

She loved the water later in the week!

Anytime the waves came up, she'd hold her breath

Pretty sunset and Kevin showing off his beach body! ;)

Our last night on the beach.  I had no plans of getting in the water, but I still ended up getting wet!  Photo by my mom.

I think these pictures are sweet.

Fishing at the Pier

Our family enjoys fishing!  We knew a deep sea fishing trip was out of the question this year, so we decided we'd fish off the pier!  It's $2 just to walk the pier and $7.50 to walk/fish/rent a pole at the pier.  Kids under 6 are free.

The boys went Tuesday to scope things out, while the girls stayed back and rested!  We all went Wednesday and Kevin & I went Friday.  We were catching a few things and had a lot of fun watching what other people were catching.

Hayden caught two fish at one time!  He was so proud!

On Wednesday the girls left to shop and the boys kept fishing.  I got back to the condo, realizing I didn't have a key and called Kevin.  The conversation went something like this: 

Me: "Hey, I just wanted to know the combination to get the key out of the lock box."

Kevin: "it's ****.  I'll stay on the phone to make sure you get in ok"

Me: "Ok I'll run to the condo"

(Huff and puff up a flight of stairs)

"Ok I got it, than.. *Loud intertuption*

Kevin: "OH, AHhhh, I GOT one...." 

*click*

I sat thinking, 'I wonder if he really hooked a big fish?  I wonder if he got it in.'  I didn't want to call back and bother him.  Ten minutes pass and my phone and my moms phone alert us we have a text message and I hear my mom shout,a "OH My Gosh!"  This was the pic we were sent.

Then this one.  It was a 40lb red fish.  Definitely his best catch to date!

A few others caught some right after Kevin did.  Most were smaller than Kevin's, but this guys was about the same size!

The views at the pier are spectacular, and the wildlife is so fun to see (we saw several huge sea turtles and about a dozen dolphin!).  

The pier is a "must do" if you are ever in the Destin area!!