Summer 2019 (Week 6) - July 4th Happenings

A great week is in the books – we spent loads of time with family, lots of time relaxing, and a good chunk of time working on cleaning out Brian’s office, so I’d say this past week was a complete success!  Ready for the recap?

Monday, July 1

Monday I woke up with a busted blood vessel in my eye and I have no clue how it happened.  My eye looked awful, but after a quick Google search, apparently it's super common to have them burst in your sleep like that without actually injuring yourself.  So weird.

I had my bi-annual allergist appointment that morning so my allergist could check and see how things are going with my allergy shots and symptoms.  After a lot of discussion, it sounds like I’m having more reflux issues than allergy issues at the moment (we know this because my reflux and other symptoms are still occurring even though there are no allergens in the air at this time), so my allergist wants me to follow up with my GI doc, and he also wants me to do another skin test to see if my allergies have improved since starting immunotherapy two years ago.  If my allergies have improved, we may discontinue shots, and then we’ll know that I need to start focusing on more of the reflux aspect rather than the allergies and asthma.  I’m just over here ready for some dang answers!!

After my appointment, the kids and I made a quick trip to Sam’s to stock up on all of our paper products as well as some other stuff we buy in bulk – sports drinks, breakfast items, and snacks, and then we headed home for lunch.

The kids have been on another Hedbanz kick, so we played a few rounds of that after lunch, and then we turned on their afternoon movie while I got some work done.  The rest of the evening was uneventful with dinner and hanging out at home.

Tuesday, July 2

Tuesday we took Olivia back to the doctor bright and early for her appointment to check her ears after her ear infection.  Thankfully, her ear is 100% clear and looking great, so another round of antibiotics won’t be necessary.  Praise the Lord!  I thought I was going to lose it if we’d had to start medicine all over again.  It was an hour long daily struggle for ten days in a row to get Olivia to take her medicine and she and I were both over it.

We headed straight to the playground after our good news, and the kids spent the better part of an hour running around, building sand castles (I think they miss the beach!), and playing.  It’s been brutally hot here lately, so it was nice to beat the heat (and the humidity) and get in some good outdoor time!

We had to make a quick stop at Walmart after that for some necessities, and then it was back home for lunch.  We had bought all of the ingredients from Walmart to make homemade popsicles, so we did just that when lunch was over.  The flavor for this week was S’mores Fudgesicles!! 

My friend Adrienne stopped by shortly after to grab something and hang out for a bit, and then the kids watched their afternoon movie while I caught up on some house cleaning.

As soon as B got home I tagged out and headed straight to the gym for a quick workout before dinner.  I’m so glad I’ve kept up my workouts this summer… they’ve kept me feeling great all summer.  Last summer I didn’t work out much for the entire ten weeks the kids were out and by the time summer was over I felt sluggish, lazy, and yucky.  It’s amazing what a little bit of cardio can do for you!

Wednesday, July 3

Wednesday was gloomy and we had no place to be in the morning, so after breakfast I picked up my book and snuggled on the couch with the kids and read for a long time.  They eventually got up and went to draw.  Last weekend when we were in Atlanta, we bought two massive rolls of paper at IKEA for just $4.99 each and the kids were so excited to roll out it out and get to coloring.  I rolled out both of their rolls in the foyer, put the crayons in the middle, and they colored for a couple of hours. 

Around 11 it was time to get ready for the day, and then just before lunch, my cousin, Shelby (who our kids are obsessed with!) stopped by to give Olivia some nail polishes she was getting rid of.  She brought over an entire gallon Ziploc bag full of tons of crazy colors and Olivia was basically in heaven.

After Shelby left we made a quick lunch at home, enjoyed some of our s’mores popsicles we had made the day before (SO GOOD), and then we headed to Publix to pick up a few things for 4th of July.

When we got home, nail painting was in order (obviously) and Olivia picked out red, white, and blue for her fingers and toes.  I just love how festive she is!  Just like her mommy.

The rest of the day was spent hanging out at home, eating bomb pops, taking festive pics for The 4th, having dinner, and catching up on America’s Got Talent.

Thursday, July 4

Thursday after breakfast, I grabbed my book and headed straight outside to my chaise lounge to lay in the sun and read while B took the kids to grab some fireworks for the evening’s festivities.  When they got home, the kids promptly put on their swim suits and played outside and in the pool for the next little bit, but then some rain and thunder settled in and we were all forced to go inside. 

I sent the rest of the afternoon curled up on the couch reading my book (seriously so good I didn’t want to put it down!) and before I knew it, it was time to prep for dinner. 

We hosted a 4th of July get together so we grilled hamburgers and hot dogs along with baked beans and fresh fruit and then my mom and Mama Cass brought potato salad, margs, pasta salad, and an ice cream sandwich dessert. 

My Mama Cass, parents, littlest brother, aunt, uncle, and cousin all came over and we spent the rest of the evening playing baseball and cornhole, doing festive Snapchat filters, and shooting fireworks.  Fortunately the rain had cleared out by late afternoon so we were blessed with a perfect evening… super humid, but not terribly hot, which was nice.

Our neighborhood goes BEYOND for 4th of July fireworks every year, and this year was the biggest year yet.  Our house is near the center of the neighb so we had the best view while the fireworks went off all around us.  They lasted for a couple of hours and we even did our own that B and the kids had picked up.  We had one go rogue and fall over after it was lit and it started shooting all around on the ground which was a briefly scary moment, but thankfully everyone was okay. 

The kids did sparklers and we even let Jacob shoot a few roman candles by himself for the first time ever.  Olivia is terrified of the fireworks every year and she usually retreats to the living room with my dad, but this year she stayed outside the entire time… we were so proud of her!  She and Jacob had picked out all of the fireworks so I was glad that she was able to enjoy them this year.  Their favorite one that they picked out was called “Bite Your Tushy” and, of course, they cracked up every time anyone mentioned it.  Lol.  We ended up using that one for our grand finale and it was a good one!

We ended up staying out waaaay past everyone’s bedtimes and the kids finally passed out around 10:30.  Most of our neighbors ended their fireworks around the same time that we did, but some people were still shooting them after midnight so I didn’t get much sleep. 

Friday, July 5

Friday was another lazy day.  B had to go in to work for a half day, so the kids and I slept in and then laid around on the couch all morning while I read some more of my book.  I got ready for the day and the kids and I had lunch, and then B got home shortly after.

Another thunderstorm rolled through Friday afternoon so I curled up on the couch and finished my book.  SO GOOD.  I finished it in three days.  THREE DAYS, Y’ALL!  I couldn’t put it down… I was literally reading it while I was getting ready and drying my hair because I just had to know what happened.  Haha.

Late Friday afternoon we finally emerged from the house and headed to the library to return some books and grab a couple of new ones and then we had dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant near church.  The kids had requested to go to the playground after dinner, so we headed to one of our local parks to let them play for a while.  It was nice to get some fresh air after being cooped up all day and it wasn’t too hot since the storms had burned off some of the heat.

B and I spent the evening finishing Better Call Saul (we’re caught up through season 3 now) and starting Stranger Things season 3.  Not my favorite, but B loves it.

Saturday, July 6

Saturday I had wanted to spend the day in the back yard, but the whole morning was rainy again.  I had been feeling a little sluggish from being lazy all week, so I was itching to do something productive.  I made it a goal this summer to get B’s office in order, so he and I decided to work on it, and we ended up working in there for about five hours cleaning things out and getting furniture moved around.  

We made SO MUCH PROGRESS in there and it’s looking a thousand times better already.  We cleaned out all of his drawers and a ton of boxes and we had a good time seeing some old cards and things that I had made for him when we first started dating 16 years ago.  I also made fun of him for owning, like, a billion blank CD-Rs and DVD-Rs... which are now pretty much obsolete!  We still have a long way to go in there, but I’m so excited that we can actually walk through there now.  I’ll eventually share befores and afters, but I’ll probably wait until it’s done.

Saturday evening we went to mass and the majority of my extended family was there.  It’s rare to have everyone together at the same mass.  Often, people are traveling or attend mass on Sunday since they have something going on Saturday evening, but on this Saturday, we filled up almost two whole pews!

After mass we all decided it would be nice to go to dinner together, so we all headed back to our fave Mexican restaurant that B and the kids and I had eaten at the night before.  We had 14 people and it’s hard to find a table for that many people without a reservation at 7 PM on a Saturday evening, but the Mexican restaurant can typically accommodate us.

We spent the rest of the evening drinking margs and eating and telling funny old drinking stories from when we were younger.  My cousin, Shelby, just graduated from UGA this past May and she was regaling us from tales of college life… and terrifying me to ever send Olivia away to college.  Hahahaha.  I don’t worry about Jacob too much, but Olivia?  She’s our wild child so there’s no telling how she’s going to behave.  EEKS!

After Mex, we took the kids to get Sour Patch Kids Blizzards from DQ because Sour Patch Kids and DQ Blizzards are pretty much their two favorite things ever and the fact that they have them combined now?  It about blew their little minds. 

B and I spent the rest of the evening watching Stranger Things and then it was time to hit the hay.

Sunday, July 7

Sunday, B and I spent a couple more hours working in his office and then it was time to head to my MIL and step-FIL’s for lunch.  They made my favorite spread – cheesy chicken, lawnmower potatoes, scalloped corn, fried okra from the garden, jalapeno cheesy bites, and other fresh veggies for my brother-in-law’s birthday.  We followed up lunch with cookie cake and gifts, and then we all went outside for a bit to watch the kids play baseball.  Side note, look how incredible my mother-in-law's basil is!!  It's HUGE!  And so healthy!  #HerbGardenGoals

My parents didn’t cook Sunday evening, so B and the kids and I all hung out at home... we made a charcuterie board for dinner (perfect after having a huge lunch) and played baseball in the back yard.

Happy Monday, y’all!

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