Travel & Vacation: SeaWorld (Orlando, FL)
We made it to SeaWorld! 🙂
A few months ago our family was able to go to Florida and visit some great friends that lived there. One of the days we were in Florida we spent at SeaWorld. The girls LOVED it! It was so much fun exploring SeaWorld with friends.
Got their maps out and a mission to have fun!
Our troop at Sea World, we had a great time!
Girlies trying to see who can lean up against the ice cap the longest!
The polar bear was swimming
Fun at Sea World with friends
Birthday Celebration (part 2)
Happy Birthday Brina & Karlie
We were actually traveling on the girls actual birthday (they had a great time visiting their grandparents in Vermont). After we got back from our trip we scheduled a birthday party for the friends and family in our area. It was held at the Upstate Children’s Museum. The girls had a blast playing at the Children’s Museum with their family and friends. It was a great place to have a birthday celebration!
Karlie having fun at the Children’s Museum
Brina shopping at the Children’s Museum
Karlie having fun at the Children’s Museum
Daddy and Brina building a structure
Karlie having a blast
Daddy and Brina playing the Turn the Lights Off game
Karlie made a giant “K” out of the light brights
Birthday Celebration
Our Sweet Brina
The weekend after we got back in town we took the girls to Outback for their birthday lunch. It was nice to have a quiet lunch with them, talk, and celebrate their birthday. I still cannot believe my girls are growing up so quickly. There is so much to be thankful for in our lives.
Our Karlie girl
Brina giggling…always love hearing my girls laugh!
Sweet Karlie with a big smile
Sirloin tips and fries, can’t ask for a better birthday dinner at Outback! 🙂 The girls both wanted steak for their birthday lunch.
Brina’s little gift to Karlie. Love that she wrote a cute message to Karlie – “I love you!” I took each of them out at different times to pick out a gift for their sister. Brina used her money to go to Goodwill and pick out a bunch of used “chapter” books for Karlie to read. It was so cute helping her look through the books and pick out ones Karlie would like. Karlie was very surprised Brina found so many books and been enjoying reading them.
Karlie’s “secret” birthday message to Brina. It says “K(arlie) L(oves) Y(ou) Brina!” Karlie picked up some really cute crafts for Brina. Brina has been found painting and doing a variety of crafts over the past few weeks!
Aw…Karlie got a gift from Brina
My Handsome Man! Enjoying some time with his girls!
What’s for Dinner: Our Weekly Menu Plan
Last week was pretty full, but thankful for some time spent with family and friends. Having the menu ready in the evenings has been a big benefit for our family and makes the evenings go much smoother. Here is our menu plan for the upcoming week:
Our Weekly Menu Plan
- Monday (Beef or Seafood Entree): Cheeseburger & Macaroni, Asparagus
- Tuesday (Kid’s Night to Cook): Tacos, Corn
- Wednesday (Chicken or Vegetarian Entree): Chicken Noodle Soup, Homemade Bread
- Thursday (Pasta or Pork Entree): Blueberry Pancakes, Fresh Fruit
- Friday, Saturday, & Sunday: Leftovers, Family Preference, and Hosting
I have a general pattern I try to follow for my weekly Menu Plan (for example Monday we have a beef or seafood entree and so forth). It is my goal, at least in the beginning, to have at least the main dish and one side planned. I will put together the remaining side dishes (veggies / fruits) based on the food items that need to be used up first and compliment the main entree.
Setting a weekly menu plan helps me utilize my time better, thus freeing up extra time to spend with my family. On the days that I am working longer hours I can prep the meal in advance so it will be easier to pull together once I am home. As I go through the menu planning process I will try to share some of our favorite family recipes. If there is a specific recipe you would like please let me know and I will do my best to accommodate (some recipes are a toss together meal and I do not use any set measurements).
As a family of four our life can get busy. What’s for Dinner is our weekly menu planning series and one of the ways to help keep us organized, on schedule, and within budget. Our family typically eats 6 to 7 dinner meals at home a week. We do try to go out to eat at least once a month as a special treat. Breakfasts are eaten at home before work and school, lunches are eaten at work, school, or home, so dinner is our main meal together as a family. Dinner is our time to reconnect, share, and enjoy being together after a busy day. Our weekly menu plan covers Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday only because the weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) is our time to spend with family and friends. The weekends tend to be more spontaneous and my husband (who is the better cook) likes pitching in therefore we keep the menu open for variety. We use up the leftovers throughout the week for our lunches and on the nights that we are busy or can’t cook.
Photo by Liz
The Ladybug Game by Zobmondo
Our family has been trying to play at least a couple games together every week. Sometimes we do it on a week day and other times we play over the weekend. The Ladybug Game by Zobmondo is one that the girls have had for a long time. We have played this game many times over the past few years. It is a cute, colorful, and fun game that we have enjoyed. The best part is you can play it with young children.
- Colorful graphics
- Easy to play (recommended for ages 3 to 8)
- Simple directions (reading is not required to play)
- For 2 to 4 players
- Object of the game – the first ladybug to reach home wins!
- Learning Benefits – math, colors, information about Ladybugs, Praying Mantis, Aphids, and more
I thought it was really neat that this game was actually invented by a kid! Each player gets a ladybug “Ella Yellow, Rickie Red, Tommy Teal, or Olivia Orange” and moves his / her piece based on the card that is drawn. You may go forward or backward or skip ahead. You may have to get a Praying Mantis pass to go on and you want to make sure your collecting some Aphids along the way so you can get past the ants. The game is pretty short (approximately 20 minutes) so there is no need to block off a large part of your day to play.
We love games! We have found that playing games is beneficial for many reasons. It gives us quality time together as a family. The kids learn that they will not always win (which is not always an easy lesson to learn), but the game can still be fun even if you are not the victor in every game. It provides opportunities for us to talk and create memories together. Games teach and help our kids practice a variety of useful skills like following directions, reading, writing, counting, taking turns, and more.
Travel & Vacation: Cold Hollow Cider Mill Tour (Waterbury, VT)
Apple Cider Mill
On the way back to the airport we made a stop at the Cold Hollow Cider Mill in Waterbury, Vermont. We were hoping to do a tour but we didn’t time it quite right. It was really great going through the apple cider mill. The girls had a lot of fun following the apples to the cider press, seeing all the cool machines, reading about the process, and drinking the homemade apple cider.
Welcome to the Cold Hollow Cider Mill!
The girls loved watching the bees make honey
The girls thought this sign was hilarious
Apple cider press
Big container of apple cider
A bunch of flattened apples, interesting (yup)!
Apple Cider Mill
Fresh Apple Cider Doughnut
Karlie enjoying her apple cider doughnuts!
Brina eating her apple cider doughnut
Travel & Vacation: Ben & Jerry’s Factory Tour (Waterbury, VT)
Ben & Jerry’s Factory Tour
On our way back to the airport in Vermont we made a quick stop by the Ben & Jerry’s Factory in Waterbury, Vermont. The girls found the tour fascinating and they especially liked the ice cream sample at the end! 🙂 The factory we visited makes all the pint size ice cream for Ben & Jerry’s. They do 160,000 containers of one flavor every day. If I remember right they were making “Coffee Caramel Buzz” the day that we went through the factory. We couldn’t take pictures while we were actually in the factory but here are some of the highlights. If you are every in that area it is a pretty fun and quick tour to go on with the kids.
We parked in front of a neat “Infarmation” sign that describes the steps for making Ben & Jerry’s ice cream
Do you see what the big containers are labeled in front of Jake and Brina? From left to right – Sugar, Milk, Milk, Cream, and Cream (definitely an ice cream factory)
We all got a good laugh from this one! It is the “original Vermont fly swatter”. It is a stuffed cow tail.
Display with pint size containers of Ben & Jerry’s euphoric flavors
Karlie and Brina loved exploring and learning all the neat things about the Ben & Jerry’s factory. They especially enjoyed their “Hot Chocolate” ice cream sample! 🙂
Travel & Vacation: Visiting Our Grandparents (part 2)
The girls had a wonderful time up in Vermont with Grandma Kay and Irish. Thankful for an opportunity to spend some time with Jake’s Mom and grandparents.
Earlier this year we were able to fly up to Vermont to spend a long weekend with Jake’s Mom and grandparents. We were blessed to have a good trip, plenty of snow, safe travels, good memories, and lots of fun. The girls weren’t ready to go home when the weekend was over, but it was time to get back to school again. The day we left was the coldest day, but we ran outside for a few quick pictures before we had to head back to the airport!
Hanging out with Nana and PopPop in Vermont (aka Grams and Gramps)! Karlie and Brina had a blast. We took this picture on the front porch right next to the big snowdrift!
Last morning in Vermont, we had a great trip!
Karlie’s card that she made for Grandma Kay. Very cute, I especially like the creative “pop-out” heart!
When we came down that morning this is what we caught Karlie doing…yup, playing a game on Grandma’s Kay cell phone. Somebody got them hooked on it the night before!
And what do you think Brina was doing at the same time?! Yes, Grandma had introduced Brina to a new game and she was hooked within the first few seconds of playing! Oh boy!
Daddy, Brina, and Karlie building some cool items
Sweet Nana and PopPop
Travel & Vacation: Visiting Our Grandparents
Playing in the sun room
We recently had an opportunity to go to Vermont and spend some time with Jake’s family. The girls had a blast playing games, doing puzzles, reading books, and more! They thought it was awesome having a dog in the house too and loved leading Irish around as well as learning how to give her various commands. It was a nice relaxing weekend with Jake’s Mom and grandparents. Thankful for a chance to spend time with them and have fun.
Brina hanging out near the stove with Irish. Hmmm….seems like Irish should be the one in that bed? She thought Irish’s bed was a soft place to sit. Irish was a good sport and didn’t seem to mind sharing.
Craft time! The girls loved doing crafts and were often found at the table cutting, gluing, coloring and more!
Jake and Gramps – Wonder what they are up to now!?
We made a stop by Eatons Sugar House in South Royalton, Vermont
Glad to see the bridge is back up and working again. It was taken out with a flood over a year ago
The river looks a little icy today, don’t think anyone wants to go tubing this time
PopPop looking great
Travel & Vacation: Celebrating in Vermont
Birthday cake! Doesn’t the birthday cake look beautiful?! Grandma Kay made the cake and did the main layer of frosting and Brina added all the colorful frosting and goodies to the cake. It looked pretty and tasted delicious! 🙂
The girls had a four day birthday weekend since they didn’t have school on Friday or Monday so we made a quick trip up to Vermont to spend some time with Jake’s Mom and grandparents. We celebrated the girls birthday during our visit which was a lot of fun. The girls enjoyed spending time with their grandparents. It was a great trip packed full of a lot of good memories. Grandma Kay gave Brina some good tips on cake decorating which Brina loved (she was tickled pink that Grandma let her decorate their birthday cake).
Brina decorating her and Karlie’s birthday cake
Karlie all smiles. While Brina was decorating the birthday cake Karlie was happily picking up the toys and cleaning.
Brina loves helping in the kitchen, decorating the birthday cake was a big hit with her
Karlie discovered a cool toy in Grandma’s stash while cleaning up! She thought the helicopter was pretty amazing!
Grandma Kay showing Brina how to do another neat trick with the frosting!
Sweet girl having fun
Brina so proud of her decorated cake
Karlie having fun!
Brina had extra frosting so Grandma let her decorate some cookies. Daddy eating one of the cookies Brina just frosted.
Happy Birthday Sweet Girls!
Look whose eight! Grandma Kay found some really cool number 8 balloons that the girls loved!
