Summer 2019 (Week 10) - Brian Travels, Kindness Day, and Girls Night

It’s our last week of summer, y’all, and it’s safe to say that we’ve been squeezing out every last drop of goodness from every single day that we have left.  This past week was a great one and I’m sure the upcoming week will be as well.

Monday, July 29

Monday, B had to fly out to LA for a work trip, so the kids and I drove him to the airport for his late morning flight.  It was a gorgeous day, so we decided to hit up one of our favorite playgrounds in midtown and the kids played to their heart’s content.  The humidity had dropped all the way down to practically nothing, so the 87 degrees and sunny weather felt positively magical in the shade.  Magical, y’all!!  If our summers were always humidity-free like this, then I think I would like summertime a whole lot more!  It’s nice when you can actually spend time outside without getting heatstroke. 

We ended up staying so long, that B texted me to let me know he was taxiing down the runway for takeoff and had to shut off his phone.  The playground we were on was fairly close to the airport and we had already seen two jets fly over our heads, so I told the kids that we might be able to see Daddy’s jet. 

Lo and behold, about ten minutes later, there he was, flying right over us!  The kids thought it was so cool to know that Daddy was on that jet so high in the sky!  They’ve never flown before so it’s still a pretty foreign concept to them.  They understand how it all works, but I don’t think it had really ever sunk in until they got to see the jet in the sky knowing that Brian was on it. 

I snapped a picture of the jet and sent it to B, and when he landed a while later, he sent me a picture of our neighborhood from the plane since they had flown right over it on the way out.

After we waved to B in the air, it was lunchtime, so the kids and I headed to Chick-Fil-A down the street.  One of the items on our summer bucket list was to get milkshakes since we don’t get them very often, and we decided CFA was the perfect place since theirs are the very best!

After our nuggets and shakes, we decided to hit up the library down the street to grab a couple of AR books for Jacob to finish his summer homework.  When we got there, there was a sign out front saying that the A/C wasn’t working and they would be closing early.  As expected, it was hot in there, so we grabbed books for all of us (plus a couple of DVDs for the kids) and we left quickly.  We weren’t about to stay in there any longer than we needed to. 

When we got home, I decided to let the kids make these Jello unicorn things that we had picked up from Walmart a few weeks ago.  Olivia had been begging to make them for a while, and we finally had a free afternoon.  They turned out SO CUTE, but when the kids dug into them, they both took bites and informed me that they don’t like Jello.  I mean, what?!  Who the heck doesn’t like Jello?!  And even more importantly, why did they ask me to buy those knowing they didn’t like Jello??  Lol.

While Jacob was chewing his one bite of Jello, another one of his teeth also happened to fall out, so he’s now lost seven baby teeth!  The tooth fairy has definitely been spending a lot of time at our house lately!

After our Jello-making, the kids settled in with one of their movies from the library and I got some work done, and by the time I knew it, their movie was over and it was time to start prepping for dinner.

When B is out of town, I don’t do any major cooking.  Let’s face it, the kids barely eat what I cook anyway, and I surely can’t eat it all, so I keep it nice and light when he’s gone.  On deck for Monday night was breakfast for dinner because that’s always a winner in our house!  Eggs, grits, and bacon (and sausage for the kids) for the win!

We all went out in the driveway for the remainder of the evening so the kids could do sidewalk chalk, and then it was in the house for showers, lots of reading, and bedtime!  I watched the hot mess train wreck that was The Bachelorette and the whole time I was downstairs, Maui perched herself on the back of the couch staring a hole through the door that leads to our garage just waiting for Brian to come home.  She normally curls up in my lap in the evening while we watch TV, but she obviously knew something wasn’t right since B wasn’t there, and she wouldn’t settle down.  Haha. 

Tuesday, July 30

Since Monday had been so busy, I made the executive decision to stay home on Tuesday.  And stay home all day we did!  We spent the day working on summer homework, preparing for our kindness day on Wednesday (more on that below), doing puzzles, watching a movie, eating an early dinner of grilled cheese sandwiches and green beans (gotta get those greens in!), and getting out for an evening stroll around the neighb. 

It was HOT for our walk, and poor Maui was so exhausted halfway through that I picked her up and carried her for a bit.  The neighbors probably thought she was a little sissy dog.  Haha.  It did feel great to get out of the house and get the blood pumping, though, after sitting around inside all day, even if it was a billion degrees.

We spent the rest of the evening reading and then I got the kids in the bed just in time to watch night two of the train wreck that was The Bachelorette.

Wednesday, July 31

On Wednesday, there was a movement on social media for one of the bloggers I’ve been following for a while.  Her daughter was diagnosed with Leukodystrophy one year ago and in honor of the one year anniversary of her diagnosis, her mom asked that everyone do something kind for someone.  Well, the kids and I decided to make an entire day out of it and we kicked it off by grabbing two dozen donuts for the staff at the kids’ doctor’s office.  Jacob had his eight year old well visit and we had to be there bright and early for his appointment, so it was the perfect way to start the day.  Jacob even made a little note to attach to the donut boxes.  So sweet. 

While we were there he had a great check-up.  He’s perfectly healthy, but still on the very small side:

Weight – 43 lbs. (3rd-5th percentile)

Height – 46.75 inches (5th percentile)

BMI – 6 (he now falls in the underweight category)

He recently had a major growth spurt, shooting up 1.5 inches since February, so his weight just hasn’t caught up with him yet.  Until this check-up his height and weight have always been proportionate, so this was the first time he wasn’t.  The doc told us it’s not anything to worry about and he told Jacob he just needs to eat more.  I wish somebody would tell me that.  Ha!

While we were there Olivia also gave the doctor a sweet little drawing/note that she had made for him the day before and he told her he’d hang it up in the office.  She was so pleased.

Next up, we headed to the playground nearest the doctor’s office to leave some Hotwheels for other kids to find.  We had gone to Target a couple of weeks prior, bought six Hotwheels for 99 cents each, and then the kids stuck notes to them that said, “If you find this, it’s yours!”  They left two of them in the tunnel on that playground, and then did some playing themselves. 

While we were there, I noticed that there was a decent amount of trash around the park, so I grabbed a Target bag from the car and we spent a little bit of time picking up trash.  I hadn’t necessarily intended to do that for our kindness day, but it ended up being a great way to teach the kids to be kind to the environment, too.  :o)

We headed to Target next because we had to grab some new ballet slippers and tap shoes for Olivia, and we decided to spread a little bit of kindness while we were there, too.  We left a note by the bathroom sink, left a note on one of the dressing room mirrors, and we left a note on one of the mirrors in the women’s clothing section… we’re hoping that all of them brightened at least one person’s day! 

Our next stop was to turn a bunch of library books that we’d had for a while, and during our prep day the previous day, we had all written little notes and stuck them on random pages for someone to find.

We headed to another park across from the library next, where the kids left two more Hotwheels on the playground for other kids to find.  I let them play for a bit, and then on the way back to the car, we left the last two Hotwheels on the picnic tables.  Hopefully there are a handful of kiddos around town who found our little gifts and enjoyed them. 

We treated my Daddy to Chick-Fil-A for lunch next, and the kids got to play on their third playground of the day while my Daddy and I chatted.  I called my mom while we were there to see if we could bring lunch to her, and then we headed to her office to deliver some grilled nuggets!

I had one last act of kindness up my sleeve to complete our day, but we literally couldn’t find a vending machine anywhere, y’all.  Do they not exist anymore outside of corporate businesses?!  We looked at both parks and some baseball fields and in front of several different strip malls, but sadly, we never saw one to put this on.  :o(

I’m going to keep it in my purse and just tape it to the next one we find.  If that ever happens…

By then it was pretty late in the afternoon and the kids and I were pretty tired, so we headed home.  The kids watched another one of their movies from the library while I did some work, and by the time it was over, it was time to get them ready and off to Grandpa’s (my FIL’s) for the evening.

Three of my old friends from grade school and high school and I had decided to go to dinner Wednesday evening, and my FIL was kind enough to take the kids for me since B was out of town. 

One of my friends ended up coming down with something and she couldn’t make it, but the other two and I met at my favorite local Italian place.  We spent the evening wining and dining and catching up and it just filled my well to the tippy top.  I rarely get to see my friend Jen these days (friends since 4th grade) and she’s not on Facebook anymore, so we had a lot of catching up to do.  My other friend, Becky, and I see each other all the time since our kids all go to our alma mater together, but it was nice to actually be able to sit down and have a real conversation with her other than discussing Home and School Association stuff.  Haha.

We ended up lingering at the restaurant for almost three hours, and by the time I got back to my FIL’s it was pretty late.  I got the babies home and they went straight to bed. 

Thursday, August 1

Thursday morning the kids watched a little bit of TV, we worked on more homework (SIGH), we had lunch, and then we headed to the airport to pick up B!  Woo hoo!

We had pizza and wine for dinner, and then we tried to take the kids out to ride their bikes, but it started pouring just as we got halfway down our street, and we also realized that we had managed to lock ourselves out of our house.  Bahahaha.  Fortunately, the garage was open so we were able to wait in there since it was raining, and my FIL (who lives five minutes down the road) was able to rescue us about 15 minutes later.

The rain settled in for the rest of the evening, so we all just piled on the couch and caught up on America’s Got Talent that we had missed while B was gone.

Friday, August 2

Friday we started the day with some errands – UPS to drop a couple of Amazon returns and my allergy shot.  Just as we were finishing up at the allergist, my friend Jeannine texted and asked if we wanted to meet her at Burger King for lunch.  We have a BK in town with a massive playground and the kids constantly beg to go there, so we accepted her invitation and headed straight over.

The weather was gorgeous yet again – sunny and warm, but with low humidity – so we all sat outside to eat and then Jeannine and I were able to chat for a good couple of hours while the kids played and played.  I was so caught up in the moment that I didn’t even think to snap any pictures, but that’s probably just as well since this post is already so picture heavy!

We made it home mid-afternoon and the kids were pooped from all of their playground time, so they settled themselves in with snacks and a movie while I got caught up on some house cleaning and work.

When B got home from work, we all loaded up and headed downtown for dinner at one of our new favorite restaurants in town.  I had my beloved hot dog with goat cheese, avocado, cilantro, and aioli along with sweet potato fries and an IPA and it was pure heaven.  That is quickly becoming one of my favorite meals!

The restaurant we went to has a ping pong table for people to use while they’re hanging out and they recently added a mural behind the table that just so happens to be the design for our favorite beer!!  B and I have yet to find a beer as good as Tropicalia and it’s our absolute favorite.  And when there’s a mural of your favorite beer on the wall at one of your favorite restaurants, you take a picture!!  Tropicalia also happens to be brewed in Athens, GA, which is obviously one of our favorite places.  Go Dawgs.  ;o)

After dinner, we headed a few streets over to go check out the newest mural that’s going up in town!  It’s massive – probably our tallest mural in town yet – and it’s gonna be awesome when it’s done!  Unfortunately they had the cherry picker parked in front of it for the evening, so we weren’t able to get a good picture head on.  We’ll definitely be going back to check it out when it’s completed, though.

We also have a new little park that just popped up a few weeks ago near our river walk, and we finally had the chance to check that out on Friday, too.  There’s a nice big green for the kids to play on, strings of twinkle lights all around (y’all know I’m a sucker for those!) a few colorful sculptures to add interest, and the focal point – the fountain.  Oh my goodness, how the kids loved this fountain!  The water is constantly on the move, dancing in different rhythms, and the best part is that you can walk/run/dance/jump/play underneath them.  Needless to say, we had two wet kids when they were done! 

The evening was unseasonably cool, AKA heaven, so we decided to take a stroll on the river walk so the kids could dry out.  We walked all the way down to the white water rapids and watched a few boats go down, and then we walked back for one more round of fountain playing. 

It wouldn’t be an evening downtown without making a stop for frozen yogurt or ice cream, and on Friday night, the kids were feeling the froyo because they wanted some toppings.

The rest of the evening was spent catching up on shows we had missed since B had been out of town, and OMG HANDMAID’S TALE!!!!  It’s heating up!!  But also, WHERE’S NICK?!?!

Saturday, August 3

Saturday we stayed home most of the day.  B had to catch up on the lawn mowing and I caught up on some housework and lay out in the sun reading my newest book.  We finally left home later in the day to attend 5:30 mass and then we tried a new pizza place near church for dinner. 

We loved the pizza place and I’m so excited that we have a new place to throw into the rotation after church.  The vibe was great (exposed brick and twinkle lights… what more could you want?!) and the food was even better.  Definitely a win!

Sunday, August 4

Sunday we had lunch at my MIL and step-FIL’s and after lunch we all headed out to the garden to look at the chrysalis that had formed last Sunday.  Last week it was bright green just like the stems of the plant it was on, but this week it was brown and patterned like a butterfly’s wings.  We think it’s super close to opening and flying away!  I wish we could be there for that!

Sunday evening we had dinner with my parents and that wrapped up our second to last week of sweet summertime.  One week to go!  Here’s to making it count!

Finally, before I go, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the two tragedies that happened over the weekend.  This world we live in today is a scary, scary place and it is honestly terrifying to be raising kids in it.  The victims and all of their families have been in my prayers all weekend and it’s just tragic that we have to continue praying for these kinds of things. Something has to be done. 

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