Connor's first beach trip

Wow, long time no write, huh?  I want to tell you guys about our lives, from goodies I bake to Connor’s latest achievements (counting to 10!) to the McHusband’s most recent new-to-him car. 

Another Magnum.  Anyone wanna buy an Acura?

But I find myself lacking the mental energy to be productive after 8:00 at night.  I just want to veg with a TV show and a little internet surfing before my 9:30 bedtime.  I wish I were more motivated to post something at least once a week, but I just can’t force myself to do that.

But let’s not focus on how much I’m NOT writing and instead be glad there’s this post to read.  With pictures and everything!

Connor and I went to the beach this past weekend.  We met up with my sisters, Bri and Shannon, and their kids (Lyla, Owen, Olivia, and Maxie).  Sorry, no hubbies/boyfriends allowed this time.  Bri’s husband’s family has a little house in Surfside Beach, near Myrtle, so we crammed ourselves and all our stuff in there and it worked out great.  Unless you were Owen and Olivia sleeping on the sunporch with only the fans cooling you off.  Then you might not agree that “great” is the right word to use…

I worked a half-day on Thursday, picked Connor up from school, loaded the last few things I needed into the car, and we hit the road.  Connor fell asleep pretty quickly, which I had counted on, and we had a very pleasant 3.5-hour drive.  He almost always does great on long car rides.  I give him snacks, talk to him, and also just let him look out the windows and take in the world around him and respond to his questions and comments.  At one point, he was telling me about Mickey Mouse driving a muddy car and how he, Connor, needed to clean it.  I love seeing him using his imagination.

We arrived before Shannon, and Lyla and Maxie were waiting for us.  They were more than happy to help unload Connor’s toys.

Oh, you thought I meant carry them in from the car?

That evening we had a pasta dinner and then went on a walk.  We had seen turtles in the pond behind the house earlier, then on the way back to the house we saw swans.

We were all up bright and early Friday morning so once everyone was fed, it was time to slap on the sunscreen and head to the beach.  The house is about a five-minute drive from the beach and with it being both early and a weekday, we didn’t have any problems finding parking.  We played in the surf and sand for about 3 hours before wrapping it up, mostly at my request so that Connor could go back for a nap.  But we crammed a lot of fun (and a few snacks, of course) into that timeframe.  Connor is a big fan of the beach!

 

Sister Selfie

Snacks on the Beach

After Connor’s nap, the kids played with Connor's school bus, the souvenir that the McHusband brought back after HIS beach trip the weekend before.  I love how well all the kids (usually) play together and how they include Connor.

Once the novelty of the bus wore out, it was time for a rousing game of Hide & Go Seek.  Bri, Shannon, and I had fun finding good hiding places for the kids so it was a game for all ages.  We had pizza for dinner and then the kids watched a movie.  Well, the kids and Bri and Shannon.  I may have dozed off for a few minutes…  Hey, it’s hard work playing in the surf with a toddler! #pluswine

Sleeping Beauty

Saturday was our long beach day.  We met up with my cousin Cody, who moved to Myrtle from PA in February, for an early lunch to beat the crowds and then spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach.  Connor did amazing out there considering the early start to the day (seriously, these kids don’t understand that vacations are for sleeping in) and the lack of a nap.  He only fussed at the very end when it was time to go and he didn’t want to leave, but I think he was tired enough that he didn’t really have the energy to fight me too hard about leaving.  I strapped him in his carseat and I think he was asleep before I’d even backed the car all the way out. 

Sleeping Cutie

He slept hard for about 30 minutes while we made pit stops at the grocery store and gas station, and then I drove around for another 10 minutes or so to allow him to get enough zzz’s to get him through, happily, til bedtime.  He woke up a tad grumpy but once he was bathed and with the other kids – or his friends, as he called them – he was good to go.  The kids chilled a little with electronics and TV, and then more Hide & Go Seek with Cody’s help was on the docket.  We ate Crockpot Salsa Chicken tacos and rice for dinner and just hung out at the house.

Once the kids were down, the big kids had more fun visiting and we stayed up much too late. 

I think I finally got into bed at 1:30 and Connor, who had slept just fine the past two nights, woke up at 4:00.  I did something I’ve never done before and do NOT plan to make a habit of: I pulled him onto the bed with me.  My reasoning was this: I was driving us home the next day and wanted to get as much sleep as I could to ensure safe travels. #momlogic

Speaking of the drive home…  Once again, Connor was a perfect passenger.  It helped that he actually slept for an hour and a half.  See?  I wasn’t the only one tired from vacation.  We left around 10:30 and he was asleep just before 11:00.  He normally won’t go down for his nap until between 12:30 and 1:30 so he was definitely needing to catch up a little.  Wish I could’ve joined him…

All in all, we had a fabulous time, and I’m so glad it worked out for us to spend that quality time together.  I’m especially happy that Connor got to be with his “friends,” a.k.a. cousins. He’s old enough now to really remember them so every visit matters for more than just the obvious reasons.

Our recent visitors

My sister Bri and nieces Lyla and Maxie visited us the last weekend in July, arriving on Friday afternoon.  They really came up to see Baby Connerd, as Maxie refers to her newest cousin.

Lucky for them, Connor was due for a bottle right after they got to the house so they got some up-close-and-personal time with him (whether he wanted it or not) right off the bat.

He was a little unsure of the new person feeding him while being surrounded by two other unknowns so I helped him finish his bottle while the girls continued to visit with him.

After Connor’s bath and bedtime, we grown-ups ate turkey burgers.  While the McHusband grilled those, Maxie and Lyla found a productive way to pass the time.

Were they hunting Easter eggs?

Searching for moles?

Looking for buried treasure?

They struck a deal with the McHusband where he’d pay them a penny for each gumball they picked up.  Somehow that expanded to include rocks so before too long, the bucket was too heavy for Lyla to move but it still wasn’t even a third full. 

We wondered if Lyla would remember that the McHusband owed her money and guess what?  Right before they left on Sunday, Lyla held out her hand and said, “Pay up!”  He did honor his end of the bargain with an approximation of what was owed.  I think the girls came out ahead in the end.

After their dessert, it was time for the girls to go to bed.  They slept on a mattress in the bonus room while the dogs were relocated to the laundry room.  The McHusband had to do some quality control.

On Saturday, Bri and I took the kids up to Charming Charlie’s, a store Bri had heard about but never been in.  We wandered through its color-coordinated sections then went to A Children’s Place before having lunch at Tijuana Flats.

Once home, I did some prep for that night’s girls’ night in, and Lyla helped me keep Connor entertained. 

And later, she lent a hand during Connor’s bathtime.  Such a good helper!

(I don’t have any food pictures, but you should definitely make this Artichoke Dip Bruschetta.  It was decadent!)

The McHusband organized a guys’ dinner and visit to a new brewery in town and then most of that group came back to our house afterward.  We were having such a great time that it was close to 3 in the morning before we called it quits.  Totally worth being exhausted all last week as I struggled to recover from getting less than 3 hours of sleep, but I won’t be doing that again anytime soon.

We had a little time for playing first thing Sunday morning.  Lyla showed Connor some of her best dance moves then it was time to get dressed and pack things up.

We thoroughly enjoyed having Bri, Lyla, and Maxie visit, and we really appreciated them making the drive to spend the weekend with us.  Love you guys!

{Recipe Recap} Homemade Vanilla Frosties

When Bri was here with Maxie and Lyla last weekend, I decided to make some Frosties for them.  They prefer vanilla to chocolate (I know, whose family did they come from?) but I guess they aren’t the only ones since the internet knows how to make vanilla Frosties.

Lyla helped me blend everything together.

The blender was really full and Lyla was a little worried that it wasn’t going to hold everything in.  Spoiler alert: No upcoming pictures of the sitcom-sized mess.

Once everything was blended, we put the mixture in the fridge to chill for later when I’d put it in my ice cream maker.

Verdict?  I think we had two happy campers.

Did you notice they’re eating their Frosties out of ACTUAL Frosty cups?  My coworker goes to Wendy’s pretty frequently so I asked her to get some Frosty cups for me, and the restaurant was kind enough to indulge her.

I think Maxie liked her cookie cake more than the Frosty, and I can’t blame her. 

I can’t say I’d make this plain Frosty again as it really didn’t taste like a whole lot more than sweetened heavy cream.

But you know what made it better?  A little Whipped Vodka, Bailey’s and Kahlua.  Yep, it made a great Mudslide!

It might not have been my favorite treat, but the girls seemed to like it so that’s all that mattered.  More on their visit soon, I promise.  Since I’m not spending this week recovering from getting less than 3 hours of sleep one of my weekend nights, hopefully I’ll have a bit more energy for exercise and blogging.

Hope your week’s off to a good start!  My Monday will wrap up nicely as we girls are celebrating two birthdays with dinner tonight.  Definitely a good way to kick off a new week.

{Recipe here}

Christmas: Part I

We spent Christmas Eve at Bri’s house.  We had a nice dinner, too much dessert, and then the highlight of the night: presents!

Shannon told everyone to sit down, “criss-cross-applesauce” and stay that way if they wanted presents.

Maxie got a mixer!

Owen was very excited by his “gun.”

My mom made all the kids a monogrammed picture. (Owen and Olivia opened theirs the next day at home.)

She also made Nate his own magazine cover.  See, Nate went to Pennsylvania after Thanksgiving to go hunting with my uncles and he actually got a buck.

The doctors are in!

Sisters (and a Maxie) by the tree.

Next up: Shannon, Owen, and Olivia.

The last to-do of the night was to sprinkle Reindeer Food (oatmeal and glitter) out on the lawn. (Owen’s coat was already in the car so he rocked Lyla’s pink fleece.)

Owen wasn’t the only one in a borrowed pink jacket.

And just before it was time to call it a night so Santa’s reindeer could actually partake of the sparkly snacks we threw out for them, we got a few group photos of the kids on the stairs.  I think they were saying “Merry Christmas” and “Ho ho ho!”

I just knew you all needed a break from the holidays before you had any interest in my recaps.  You’re welcome.  

Just one more Christmas wrap-up and the McHusband’s birthday to go.  Hopefully I get those on the blog before the baby comes…