Summer So Far + Orlando Girls’ Trip

Hi, hi!!! How are you guys? How is your week going? This morning I felt the urge to sit down at my computer before the boys were up (though this was short-lived as Chase and Ryder have taken to waking up just after 6 a.m. every day — whaaaat) and I have no other point to today’s post other than to simply chat with you guys. So let’s do that!!

Summer

Summer is in full swing and oh my gosh I am loving it! My work schedule, though? Not so much. Carving out time to blog is tricky but I’ve been doing this for 15+ years so fortunately I know this comes and goes and the time to dive into the blog more deeply will surface again. Since we have basically zero camps booked for our boys this summer (okay, one, and it’s a one-week morning VBS camp), I’m fully immersed in summer mom mode which means our days are filled with pool time, lake time, playdates with friends, park visits, bike rides, Pepper walks and a million loads of laundry, 99% of which are beach towels.

Yesterday was such a good one as we had friends over and the kids didn’t step foot inside for nearly five hours. Chase and his friend Tommy are 100 percent obsessed with fishing and fished non-stop off our dock and at the edge of the lake for 3+ hours straight.

They caught a bunch of sunnies but the catch of the day came when Tommy reeled in a 21-inch catfish. The catfish wriggled toward me in the towel Tommy was holding as I measured it and I think my scream could be heard miles away. The key to their fishing success? Frozen shrimp!

Another highlight of the day yesterday came when we walked Chase to neighbor’s house for a morning mini sports camp of sorts. Our neighbor’s twin teenage sons hosted a bunch of elementary-aged school boys for a morning of outdoor games and lake fun (in lifejackets) for $25 a kid and I thought this was the coolest idea!! Chase was in heaven and is hoping they’ll do it again soon.  I could absolutely see our boys organizing something like this for younger kids in the future, especially if it involves fishing, lake fun, etc.

Rhett also had a great idea in the late afternoon when he suggested busting out our old water bounce house!

My friend Carrie and I had to laugh as some serious mayhem ensued and I think it may be time to upgrade our water bounce house to something bigger as WrestleMania needs a little more space. Definitely let me know if you have any recommendations for a water bounce house that works well for bigger kids. We’ve loved the one we’ve had for years (it was a fantastic gift from my mother-in-law when the big kids were toddlers) but I’m thinking a larger one might make a good combination birthday gift for our three summer birthday boys.

Orlando Girls’ Trip

Backing up a bit, another early summer highlight occurred for me last weekend when I made my way to Orlando for a girls’ weekend with my college friends.

Every single one of our eight-woman crew made it which was such a treat, as varying schedules and family commitments often make this next to impossible. It was absolutely wonderful to be together and our location was perfect as Orlando has tons of flight options for easy travel and our hotel selection was fantastic.

We stayed at the J.W. Marriott, a hotel I mostly remember from my college days working as an intern for SeaWorld in college when I used to deliver brochures to the hotel in my Shamumobile (yes, really). Thankfully no brochure delivery occurred during this visit as we mostly spent our time sipping drinks as we floated along in the lazy river. Heaven!

We also filled our time with waterslides (I laughed so hard), live music, unworn outfits, piano bar scream-singing, caftails (cocktails + caftans — apparently it’s a thing), dancing, college reminiscing and hours and hours of talking and laughing.

I miss these women so, so much and being together felt like the most relaxed and wonderful form of fun. They’re the very best and we’re already planning our next trip!

And now since all of our early birds are awake, it’s time to get this summer Wednesday rockin’! We’re hosting another playdate at our house today and I’m hoping to squeeze in a quick workout before the madness begins. Hope you all have a great day!!