Counting Down To Summer...

Let the countdown begin.

Only 3 more days of school.

Only 3 more days of waking up to my wretched alarm clock at 6 a.m.

Only 3 more days of sleepily making breakfast and praying that the coffeemaker brews faster.

Only 3 more days of cleaning out backpacks, making lunches, and signing agendas (thank God they're already done with homework).

Yes, this Mama is ready for the slower pace of summer.

Of course 3 weeks from now I'll be pining for the structure of school and wishing the kids weren't bickering every morning over what cartoon to watch... but for now, I'm going to pretend that stuff doesn't happen and just focus on the happy summer-y things.

And speaking of fun Summer-y things, we're working on our "Summer Bucket List" today. Ya know, all the things we want to do this summer as the nights grow longer, the bedtimes grow later, and there are far more "Sure, why not?" responses than "No's."

I found a great list that the moms over at www.thepinningmama.com created. You can download their entire list, or just use it for reference, as we did, to help jog your brain for fun activities. Click here to view the list.








The boys really love coming up with all of these crazy ideas. I can't say that we always complete 100% of them, but just compiling the list is loads of fun.

I also framed a new Summer Subway Art piece. I just adore this one that I found over at www.queenofthecreek.com. Click here for the free download.

Whatever your plans are for the last few days of school, I hope you are safe and make lots of fun memories. Here's to summer, Cheers (clink!)!!

Dog Days

It's officially "that" time of year.

It's too hot to play outside (unless you're in a pool); and the kids are tired of playing inside.

It's definitely the "dog days of summer."

Good thing school starts next week (can you hear me smiling?!?).

But, I've been doing my best to get creative and keep the kiddos busy with all sorts of things. We've had lots of fun with friends and even managed to fit in a little science experiment for Payton and some scissor practice for Parker. I love sneaking in learning when they don't realize it.

We've got a few more exciting things planned this week including some pool playdates and an ice cream party at the neighbor's house. I think these kids should be nice and worn out come Sunday. Which will give them exactly one day to rest before starting school on Tuesday.

Until then, here are some recent pics of our everyday lives...

We celebrated the boys' half birthdays last week. They each got half a cupcake with a candle in it. Parker thought the candle was the most exciting thing in the world. Payton was just excited to get a cupcake with an enormous amount of icing on it.

I snuck in a little secretive learning on the kids. I practiced scissor cutting with Parker. We made a cute "back to school apple" picture using the cut up pieces of construction paper.

Just look at the concentration on their faces! Too cute!

And then we did a little science experiment combining corn starch and water. We researched why it turns from a liquid into a solid depending on how you hold it. Very neat for kids! Very messy for adults.

 

Our sweet neighbors had us over for swimming and dinner last week. Parker now loves to jump off of anyone's shoulders into the pool. He's a fish.

And I got to babysit for my good friend's 4-week old. He's just the most precious thing ever! I loved snuggling with him all evening... and then handing him right back to his parents knowing that I would get a full 8 hours of sleep that night (unlike them).

Parker wasn't too sure of baby Nicholas at first, but then he was quite intrigued.

Who wouldn't want to cuddle this bug all night?!?

We went to our dear friend's house for dinner on Saturday night. Parker was having such a great time playing with their two kittens...

And I may have had a bit of fun with them too. They're so playful, I love it!

So far, this week has been busy with a trip to the beach, Payton's last kickball game (which he did so well in; he caught two balls and made it on base several times, scoring twice), and today we went bowling.

I love the kids' expressions in this picture. Oh, the anticipation!!

They're so cute!

Best buddies.

And if that's not enough to wear you out, this is what my kitchen table currently looks like:

 It has 550 pieces to it. FIVE HUNDRED AND FIFTY pieces. Please God, let him finish it soon.

That's it from our neck of the woods. Hope you all are enjoying these final days of summer break as well. Or maybe you've already started back at school. If so, I pray that everyone's first days went smoothly and that very few tears were shed. As for me... I'll have the tissues in hand, thank you very much.

Okay, off to work on a puzzle...

Family Vacation at the Beach

We just got back from spending a week at the beach with my parents and my brother and his wife and three kiddos. There's so much too say about the week I wouldn't have room to write it all. So, instead, I'm just going to say thank you to my parents for hosting us all week and thank you to my brother & his wife for making the trek to FL from Kansas with three kids in tow. We love you all so much and this trip will live forever in our memories...
Beach Movie 2 from Stacy Heckman on Vimeo.

Lately...

I'm caught in this weird cycle right now where it feels like we're either moving at warp speed, or totally, and completely relaxed. There's just not a whole lot of "in between" going on right now.

In the past 3 weeks, we've been to North Florida, Long Boat Key and Orlando. Oh, and we have a family reunion quickly approaching. Just putting all of that down in words makes my head spin! No wonder my suitcase has found a nice cozy spot in the corner of my bedroom!

But during the travel, we've had so many incredibly relaxing days and nights. I've read more magazines and books and eaten more delicious meals in the past 4 weeks than I have in the past 4 months! So, despite the miles being put on the car, it's been a really fun month.

As I mentioned, I popped over to Orlando this week for a quick 24-hour trip to see my best friend Ashley and her kids who were in town from Texas. We had a great visit (sorry, no pics right now, Ash is going to email them to me when she gets home). And of course, the boys loved staying the night at Nana & Paca's... where the answer to any question is almost always "Sure!"

So to summarize the past week or so, here's what we've been doing lately...

Payton is doing a summer kickball league that started last week.

(That's him on the far left playing with his shirt)

 Finally...a sport he loves!

I guess it helps that all of his buddies are on his team.

 I've been shoving encouraging the kids to "get outside and play" (e.g. away from electronics) as much as possible. It's amazing what they come up with when forced to use their imaginations. Like this ramp made out of a boogie board and a shoe box.

 Finished up my school supply shopping this week. You can go ahead and hate me now.

 During the daily afternoon thunderstorms, we've been doing a LOT of Play-Doh.

Good thing we both enjoy it.

If you're ever looking for Parker and can't find him...check the stuffed animal basket. It's his favorite place to sit these days.

 The boys spent a lot of time in my parents hot tub while we were visiting.

(Yes, that's a lollipop in Parker's hand... safe, I know)

 And someone decided he wanted to try skinny dipping...

 I think he may grow up to be a firefighter. He LOVES the hose.

 My Dad took us all to see the new "Turbo" movie. It was Parker's first time in a movie theater, and he loved it.

These boys sure do love their Paca.

 Cuddled on the couch for bedtime stories. Melt my heart.

And this guy... well, we can't WAIT to welcome him home on Monday.

If Parker says "Mama, I wanna see Daddy" one more time, my heart just might break.

That's all for now. 

I'm planning to do at least one more post this week to share some reviews of my first Birchbox contents. It was like a little receiving a little Christmas present in July! So stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, please pray for Brian and his team returning from Haiti. For safe flights, for sound minds and for full hearts. We know they've made a huge impact while they were there, and we can't wait to put our arms around him again.

Long Boat Key

Ever been to Long Boat Key? It's a tiny little key just past Amelia Island (near Bradenton) on the West coast of Florida. There is only one two-lane road that leads in and out of Long Boat Key (LBK) and it is mostly lined with condos, houses and an occasional waterfront restaurant. At the end of the Key is a round-about circle called "St. Armand's Circle." It's one of my happy places. Probably because the few times I've been to St. Armand's Circle has been to eat great food, shop at my favorite stores, and relax with amazing people. LBK is one of my favorite places to vacation.

Lucky for me, one of my best friends has a condo there and her daughter, Lilly, and Payton have been friends since they were babies. Literally...

And through the years as they've grown up, attended different schools, changed interests, and realized that they are different genders... yet nothing has changed. They are still thick as thieves and get along so incredibly well.

Spending a few days at their condo in LBK is so relaxing and so much fun. The kids play all day long alternating between the white sandy beaches and the two pools at the condo. They search for coquinas, play in the waves, make up extensive pool games and basically wear themselves out.

Of course Parker tags right along...until he crashes for his naps.

During this visit, my friend Rachel built them a huge fort across the dining room area. They played inside of it the entire visit pretending to be otters.

Notice Payton's "Otter stance".

They begged to sleep under this fort. But we thought it probably wouldn't be a good idea.

One evening we drove down to The Circle and did a little shopping at one of my favorite stores, Lilly Pulitzer. Even the dressing rooms in this store are fabulous! Brightly decorated with maps of Florida, floral pillows and a great bench, which Parker quickly rearranged so that all of the pillows were on the floor. I'm sure the employees would have loved it.

to

Hey...they were having a GREAT sale!

 Even the kiddos love Lilly Pulitzer. :)

 Then we grabbed a quick bite to eat, followed by a stop at Kilwin's ice cream and fudge shop. Guess who got a huge slab of homemade chocolate fudge...

Our final stop was at my favorite little dessert shop, Le Macaron. The most beautiful French macarons you've ever seen... or tasted!

The next day was filled with more beach fun, seashell hunts and swimming before we headed home.

It was the perfect summer getaway and we are so grateful to our sweet friends for inviting us to stay with them. Thanks Lilly & Rachel - we love you gals!

...................................................................................................................

That's probably it for blog posts this week. Brian leaves on his mission trip to Haiti and I will be spending lots of time with family while he's gone. I'll be back next week with a couple more posts but until then, enjoy your summer!!

A Day Off

Brian had a local work conference this week. Typically this would garner lots of groans and whiny questions like, "How long will you be gone?" and "It's how many days?"

But this time, he planned ahead and asked his parents to come stay with the kids for a night so I could go have one whole day all to myself at a beautiful waterfront resort!

As I've said here many, many times, I adore my kids. I love being a stay-at-home mom. I can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing during their formative years. But on the same note, sometimes doing the same things day in and day out can feel a bit like running on a hamster wheel.

What I'm saying is, I love being with my kids every day. But it's really, really important for me to also have a little "me time" every once in a while.

The way I planned for this 24-hour "mini-vacation" one would have thought I was headed out for a week!

I went shopping and got a new magazine, my favorite snacks, a nice bottle of wine, and a great book that I've been wanting to read. I was all set!

When Brian's parents arrived, I quickly went over some kid instructions and then once Parker was happily distracted with Grandpa throwing stuffed animals at him... I was gone in a flash!

When I arrived at the resort, the woman at the front desk handed me a bag and said, "Your husband is so sweet. He dropped this off for you." I was surprised to find out that he had delivered a bag full of my favorite chocolates and other goodies that he knows I rarely indulge in. What a great guy I married!

Then, it was off to check out my room!

This is the view that greeted me when I walked into my room at Beso Del Sol:

The room was beautifully decorated with a tropical feel to it.

Great kitchen (even had a wine opener - love that)

Comfy king-sized bed

Very nice bathroom, although no tub. Boo.

Bath & Body Works travel essentials. It's the small things that get me! :)

After I checked in, I immediately threw on my bathing suit and headed to the pool for some lunch and reading by the water.

The view went on forever!

After some time in the sun, I headed back up to the room and took a nap. I never get to nap! This was such a luxury for me.

Then I took my sweet time getting showered and ready for the evening. I even had the chance to sit down and call my grandmother and have a 40 minute phone call with her. It was so nice to actually talk to her without being interrupted by little people, or feeling like I was under a time crunch.

Then Brian called and said he was coming to meet me at the resort's poolside bar for a drink before we headed to their company dinner that night. We had such a nice time enjoying the view and catching up.

Another guest saw us trying to take a self-portrait with our camera and graciously came over and said, "I'm a photographer, why don't you let me do that for you?"

We had a very nice dinner that evening with Brian's business partners and then headed back to the hotel. There was a huge storm that rolled in and we sat on the balcony and watched the lightning and rain off in the distance. It was quite a show!

The next morning, Brian left to go back to his conference long before I even got out of bed. I enjoyed lingering under the covers while the sun did its best to peek through the thick velvet-backed curtains. Of course, my mommy-trained body couldn't sleep past 7:30, so I got up and made some coffee and enjoyed the beautiful calm waters outside on our balcony.

Upon checking out, I almost felt sad closing the door behind me. Wishing I had another day of calm relaxation. I am hoping next time, we can get away for at least two nights. Although I was so very grateful for the 24 hours of pure "me time" that this mini vacation afforded me.

So, to all of you moms out there. I highly recommend scheduling a little quiet time for yourselves this summer. With all of the hustle and bustle that comes along with having the kids out of school, it's so important to recharge our own batteries. Even if it's just for a couple hours to go sit in a dark movie theater, or enjoying a massage at a local spa. I promise, you'll be happy you did!