How to Make the Most of Your Summer Vacation

Summer vacation is so short and there are so many cool things to do during the summer, that we tend to go non-stop around here. By the time it is all over I think I may need a vacation from my summer vacation, but in the meantime we have been having a lot of fun. Some of the fun things we have done in the last couple of weeks include:

• Trey, Kendal and I went and watched the Mitchell Musso concert at Alabama Adventures. With our season passes they have concerts throughout the summer that are free, so we are taking advantage of the "free-ness" and enjoying some good (and not so good) music. Tomorrow Kris Allen is playing, so we may head over because I actually like him and his music.






We celebrated Jeff's birthday. We are so lucky to have such a great husband and dad. My kids sure do love him and I do too!





July 4th weekend we headed back over to Wedowee to spend some quality time with family. Spencer and Leigh came with their family and we also got to enjoy the company of my Aunt Angelia, Aunt Aurelia, Uncle Dick, cousin Hannah and her kids Reid, Ava, and Porter and of course, Grandma and Grandpa "G". Once again it was a houseful, but definitely a fun houseful. We enjoyed beautiful weather and spent time at the lake and in the pool. We capped off our July 4th festivities on Saturday night by doing fireworks. It was a great weekend.



Trey showing his July 4th spirit even while sleeping



The boys shooting off Roman Candles



The lake wouldn't be the lake without smores

The babies enjoyed the evening as well















The next week the kids and I headed to Georgia for a couple of days while Jeff was out of town with work. While in Georgia, we got our teeth cleaned and checked by Spencer, went to the World of Coke museum, and spent quality time with Grandma and Grandpa G. It was a fun couple of days and my kiddos weren't ready to leave when it was time to go.





Last Friday was Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-a. Our faithful readers know just how much our family enjoys Chick-fil-a, so you know we did not let an opportunity for free food at Chick-fil-a pass us by. The deal was if you dressed up like a cow you received a free meal. So all of us sported our best cow spots and hit 3 different Chick-fil-a's in 2 different states for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Completely crazy, but totally up our thing.


Trey is our crazy cow...he insisted on a head piece and the pink ears just didn't work


This year I did a little square foot garden. In it I planted 3 different types of tomato plants, a zucchini plant, squash plant, two red pepper plants and a watermelon plant. So far it has been my most successful gardening year after many unsuccessful tries. We have gotten lots of cherry and Roma tomatoes and a few beefsteak tomatoes before the plant gave up, and it looks like we are going to get 3 red peppers. I am still crossing my fingers that we get some squash and zucchini. The plants are healthy and flowering, but no veggies to show for it. I think it is because I have only seen female flowers on the plants...how can I get some male flowers?? Nonetheless, I think this year may have inspired us to try again in the future and see if we can continue our successful streak.





Last week our Relief Society had a cake decorating class. I signed up not for myself, but in the hopes that they would let Bayley come and watch as she loves to decorate cakes. They let her not only watch but fully participate. She loved every minute of it and did a great job. She is looking forward to the next class when we return from our trip to Indiana.






On Wednesday the Relief Society did a lunch activity for moms and kids at a local state park that had a lake and a beach. We packed our lunch and headed off for an adventure. The kids had a great time but it was super hot. Adison and I were not in the water so we didn't stay too long. The park also had a little petting zoo, which we hit on the way out which the kids enjoyed. It is always fun to find something new and exciting to do close to home. We will definitely head back sometime when it is not so hot.





In between the big events we spend most other days either at the library, Alabama Adventures and occasionally we have a chill day at home....nothing like an air-conditioned house to escape the heat. Next week we headed off for another adventure, this time we are going to Indiana to spend time with Jeff's family. The kids are looking forward to another great trip.
Last but definitely not least, I am way over due on documenting what Adison is up to at 9 months. I took her to her well check up and she weighed 17 pounds 5 ounces (25th percentile) and was 29 inches long (90th percentile). She still has zero teeth, but that doesn't stop her from wanting to try everything that we are eating. She has just started moving in the last week or so...it's almost a crawl, but her own little version. She loves to dance and will start bopping her head whenever she hears music. She is quite the trooper as she braves the heat and long days while the rest of us play. We love our little Adison!