Summer 2019 (Week 5) - VBS, World of Coke, and Atlanta United Game

Happy Monday, y’all!  We had the most fun weekend this past weekend, so a recap is in order… here we go!

Monday, June 24

Monday was the first day of Vacation Bible School, so I dropped the kids off at 8:45 and headed straight to do all the things.  VBS ran from 9-12 every morning, so I only had a few hours each day, but I fully intended to use that time wisely.  First up was the gym, and it felt SO good to break a sweat and get my adrenaline going.  My treadmill workouts are always 30 minutes with a 5 minute cool-down and I always do a super fast walking pace on an incline.  I ended up cranking up the pace and the incline more than I ever have before and I ended up with a personal best number of calories burned in one 35 minute workout.  It felt awesome.

The rest of the morning was spent sorting through beach pictures and catching up on blogging.  I ended up blogging all five days last week to get caught up on the vacation recaps, so it kept me busy the remainder of the time that the kids were gone.

I picked them up at noon and we headed to Chick-Fil-A to grab a quick lunch.  I let them play on the playground for a bit and then we headed to Publix to do our grocery shopping for the next two weeks. 

Once we were home and had the groceries away, the kids pulled out Zingo, one of the games Olivia received for Christmas last year, and we played a couple of rounds of that.  By then, it was already after 2, so I set the kids up with their snacks and let them pick their afternoon movie, and then I got back to work blogging.

B had a tennis match Monday evening, so we had an early dinner and then the kids and I went outside to do sidewalk chalk.  Our driveway gets shady in the evening so that’s pretty much the only time of day we like to be out there during the summer, since it’s so hot otherwise.  We each made funny poses and traced each other’s shadows and then they started drawing their own things.  Check out that piece of construction equipment that Jacob drew… isn’t that amazing?!  This kid has a great imagination/memory.  

Tuesday, June 25

Tuesday was VBS for the kids and more blogging for me, and then we all came home and had lunch together.  Olivia was still on her antibiotic for her ear infection and that day she threw her biggest tantrum yet over taking the medicine.  It was long and exhausting for both of us, but she finally got it down, and then the kids and I made a Hershey Pie (recipe here) to surprise B with for dessert. 

Once the pie was done and in the freezer, Jacob and I sat down to study his x 3 multiplication facts for a bit, and then it was time for their afternoon movie. 

We had another early dinner that evening and then B and Jacob went out back to practice hitting with his new bat since he’s starting baseball in the fall.  After they were done hitting, the kids wanted to go out and do sidewalk chalk some more, so we did just that.

Wednesday, June 26

Wednesday was VBS bright and early and I used that time to go get my allergy shot kid free… they always hate going with me to do that, so it was nice to not have to hear them whine about it.  Haha.  I headed home after that was done and worked some more on blogging stuff, and before I knew it, it was time to grab them from VBS.

I bought the cutest 30A coloring book when we were on our beach trip and I’d been itching to color in it, so after lunch, the three of us all sat down to draw and color.  The kids were enamored with watching me color for some reason, so they ended up watching me for the entire hour like I was some kind of sideshow at the circus.  Lol. 

Once I finished my coloring page, it was time for the kids’ afternoon movie, and on that day they chose… Home Alone.  Two kids after my own heart.  <3

We have started watching America’s Got Talent with the kids again this season, but we don’t let them stay up late and watch it when it originally airs on Tuesdays, so we always just Tivo it and catch up on it during the week.  I decided that it might be fun to do a popcorn and candy evening that evening to watch the previous night’s episode, so the kids got their showers right after dinner, got in the PJs, and then we all snuggled up on the couch together to watch.  They adore that show and I love that we all have a show that we can watch together. 

Thursday, June 27

Thursday was more of the same – VBS for the kids, gym and blogging for me, and then lunch at home, followed by a couple of rounds of the Hedbanz game.  If you have small kids and you don’t have that game then you’re missing out.  It is so cute and it just cracks our kids up and I love to watch them be silly like that. 

We had another early dinner Thursday evening because we were meeting our friends to ride bikes afterward!  While I was cooking dinner, Olivia came downstairs and said, “Mommy, can I please go outside?  I need to get some energy out.”  Lol.  Not going to say no to that!

My friend, Jeannine, and her family often go ride bikes in a church parking lot about ten minutes from our house because the parking lot is huge and flat and the majority of it is in the shade in the evening, which is perfect since it’s so blazing hot here in the summatime. 

We met the four of them and the kids rode bikes around for a bit until they eventually traded their bikes in for rocks and dirt.  Haha.  They all played happily for a good hour while all of us adults chatted and when it was time to go we had two filthy kiddos to take home and stick straight in the shower.  They were covered in dirt from head to toe… the sign of a perfect summer evening.  ;o)  And yes, Olivia wore a dress to ride bikes and play in the dirt.  Sigh.

Friday, June 28

Friday was the kids’ last day at Vacation Bible School, and they ended VBS this year with a mass for all of the kids and their families.  After mass, we had lunch at home, played a couple more games of Hedbanz, and the kids watched their afternoon movie while I did some more work. 

Friday evening we met some friends (Fahed and Rebecca – who are also B’s coworkers) downtown at one of our new favorite restaurants for dinner.  We had a couple of rounds of drinks, a couple of apps, and a delicious dinner, and we ended up staying there for almost three hours chatting and hanging out.

While we were there, two of the local high schools were having a mixer for their class reunions for the class of 1999 (I was c/o 2000 so they were all close in age), and B and I ended up seeing so many people that we know even though the reunions weren’t even for my old school. 

I ended up recognizing a guy that I went to daycare (not school) with almost 30 years ago and I couldn’t even believe that I still recognized him after all of these years.  He looked exactly the same as he did in, like, second grade, and I remembered his name and everything.  I rarely forget a face, y’all.  I told B and our friends about him and they encouraged me to go say hi, but I told them he’d never remember me and probably think I was crazy for remembering him from all those years ago and I didn’t want to look like a crazy person.  Ha! 

They ended up convincing me to say hi and he ended up remembering exactly who I was, even remembering my dad’s name (because he’s a local artist and is pretty well-known around town) and a couple of other things from the past.  He snapped a selfie of us and found me on Facebook, and I asked him to send the picture to me so I could have it.  How wild is that?! 

Also, on the way in to the restaurant, Jacob had shown B and me how wiggly one of his bottom teeth was, and I’ll be danged if he didn’t lose it at the restaurant!  And by lose, I mean, he literally lost it and we couldn’t find it anywhere.  One of our old friends who is part owner of the restaurant was chatting with us when he discovered it was missing, so I told him if they find a tooth when they’re cleaning not to be alarmed.  Lol.  We looked all over the floor and the table and couldn’t find it anywhere, so I’m pretty sure he swallowed yet another one.  You may remember we think he also swallowed the very first one he ever lost, too.  :o(

The kids started getting antsy after three hours of sitting, so we drove to our favorite ice cream place which also happens to be below Fahed’s loft apartment.  He has the cutest puppy and he brought the puppy down to walk him while we had ice cream.  By the time we were done, it was way past the kids’ bedtime, so we headed home and got them in the bed so B and I could have a little bit of TV time before calling it a night ourselves. 

Saturday, June 29

Saturday we had tickets to the Atlanta United soccer game, so we left the house mid-morning to head that way.  We made a quick stop at Chick-Fil-A for lunch, another quick stop at IKEA for a couple of frames and fake plants, and then we made an impromptu stop at a shaded outdoor playground.  Can we please get some playgrounds with huge shades over them back home?!  I cannot even tell you how much cooler it was under those shades!

Once the kids had their fill of the slides and swings and monkey bars, we headed to The World of Coca Cola to burn the last couple of hours before the game.  I’ve lived here my whole life, and can you believe I’d never been to The World of Coke before?!  I have, however, been to the little house in Columbus, GA where the original formula of Coca Cola was actually invented.  We took a trip there way back when I was probably nine or ten years old.  Little known fact that most people don’t know… Coca Cola was not actually invented in Atlanta, GA… it was actually invented in The Pemberton House in Columbus, GA!  Look it up!  #TheMoreYouKnow

The World of Coca Cola had an insanely long line to get in, but we had already purchased our tickets, so we decided to wait it out and hope that we had enough time to get through it before we needed to leave for the game.

We ended up waiting about 30 minutes and then we were in!  We got to see lots of old Coca Cola artifacts, a short film, a bunch of pop culture stuff, tour the vault where the secret formula is stored, try a ton of different flavors from all around the world, and my personal favorite… we got to meet the Coca Cola polar bear.  He was the cutest!

By 4:45 we were rushing out of there to make the short drive to Mercedes Benz stadium for the game.  We arrived just after 5 and we had an hour to grab some hot dogs and beers, eat, and find our seats.  Our tickets were in the same VIP area of the stadium as they were when we saw Taylor Swift last year, and we were SO excited to have our very own personal bathroom and bar and restaurant.  It sure beats waiting in line!

We’d never been to a pro soccer game before, and I have to say it was pretty fun!  The crowds were lively and there was lots of chanting and singing and flag waving and such, and every time they score a goal, they have a big fire production and blow a train whistle.  The actual soccer part itself I could have done without, though.  Hahahaha.  I’m just not a fan of soccer unless my child is the one playing! 

Brian and Jacob, however, LOVED it.  Brian said that Jacob asked a million questions and was all into the game the entire 90 minutes.  Olivia, on the other hand, preferred to eat all the snacks and stick her water bottle label to her chin like a beard to entertain the people behind us.  Lol.  I can’t make this stuff up, y’all!

We ended up getting a win – 2-1! – and it was a super fun evening with my favorite people!  Our kids travel so well and they truly love immersing themselves in new adventures, so it’s always a good time getting out of the house and exploring!

Sunday, June 30

Sunday morning we hit up the movie theater for the 11 AM Toy Story 4 to try to beat the crowds and we had the theater almost to ourselves.  The movie was hilarious and so good, but y’all, it also completely ruined me.  I’m not going to spoil it for anyone, but bring lots and lots of tissues… more than you did for Toy Story 3!  :o(

We stopped by Five Guys for lunch afterward, and then the rest of the afternoon was spent cleaning house, hanging my new IKEA frames, and catching up on other life stuff since we were so busy on Saturday. 

Sunday evening we headed to my parents for Sunday dinner and my Momma had creamy rosemary pork chops, jasmine rice, sautéed broccoli and onions, and roasted brown sugar and honey carrots waiting for us.  It was soooo yummy!  The kids spent the evening regaling Pop and Cokie with their adventures from Saturday and it was the end to a great weekend!

Unfortunately my reflux and asthma have flared up terribly again, so I’m praying it’s not about to become a super miserable thing again like it was back in March.  Other than that, I’m hoping it’s going to be a great week!  Y’all have a great day!

Don't forget to link up with Heather, Johannah, Tanya, and myself... just grab our new graphic for 2019 and link up below!

*Linking up with B Loved Boston for Weekending and HoHo Runs for Weekly Wrap.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter