5 Weeks In; Forms Are Up!

This morning we decided to take a drive down to see if anything was going on yet with our house. Last week the sales guy told us that the permits should be back any day now & that we would be getting a call to set up a pre-construction meeting. We didn't hear from anyone this week so we didn't expect to see forms up when we pulled up to our lot. 

Kellan on our drive, he loves his hats even when it's 90 something degrees out!

It was a pleasant surprise and interesting to see exactly where the house will sit. We were taken back a bit at just how far back the house will sit, it makes the backyard space smaller than we were expecting. We're going to ask if anything can be done about it, if they could even move the house up 5 or 10 feet, it would make a big difference but the yard will still be good, just not huge, even if it can't be changed.

It's funny how our big ol' lot doesn't look so big now with the forms up. We didn't really think about the footprint of our house when the sales guy kept using the neighbors houses as a reference for yard size. Our house will be a single story, 4 bedroom, 2 bath, 2200 sf home. The houses on either side of us are smaller & the next house over from them is a 2 story house, so smaller footprints & bigger yards. We originally wanted a small piece of land, a big yard has always been important to us so it not being as big as we had anticipated is leaving us both just a little disappointed. Our yard will still be a nice size for the boys though. Really any yard is an improvement over no yard at all!

Donna, Garren, Kellan & Caden having lunch.

25/52; Hot Summer Days

It has been so HOT here the past couple weeks that the boys ask to leave the playground after just 15 or 20 minutes, so we've avoided going to the playgrounds & have just been hanging out at the pool. Yesterday the boys woke up early though so I decided to try out the playground a little earlier in the morning, hoping it would be cooler & they could enjoy playing for a little bit. It didn't work out though, although it was only 85 degrees at 9am it was too humid & the boys only lasted about 10 minutes before they wanted to leave. We were at the playground on Saint Simons Island right by the pier & Garren asked if we could go walk, Kellan wanted to go home but Caden was willing to walk too so we headed to the pier.

G, K, C

K, C, G

Summer Bucket List; POTTY TRAIN CADEN!!!

This is what I have been the most anxious about to get checked off our Summer Bucket List!!!

I really thought it would be the hardest thing on the list to accomplish.

I had hoped that Caden would follow his brothers leads & just decide he was done with diapers one day, but he didn't. I thought I was going to have to get all hard core & go with the 3 Day Potty Training method to get him to use the potty but I didn't have to do that either. I simply took his diaper off & kept an eye on him until I thought he had to go... He peed on the floor without me catching him the first time. The second time I caught him mid steam & got him to the toilet in time for him to finish there. Since he got some in the potty I praised him & gave him a couple 'nummies.' (Nummies are whatever little treat we have on hand at the moment, ie mini m&m's, fruit/gummy snacks, Reece's pieces, even yogurt covered raises work, lol...) This seemed to do the trick for Caden & he's been peeing in the potty every since :) We are even already venturing out of the house in just underwear (no pull-ups) & doing great so far.

 

I'm loving that all 3 boys are now using the toilet, for peeing anyways. Number 2 is another story for Kellan & Garren but I'm sure just something we need to stand firm on to get them over the hump. They both ask for a diaper when they have to poop, they don't have accidents but absolutely refuse to go #2 on the potty. Any tips or advise would be greatly appreciated! Caden has asked for a diaper but will go on the potty once told to. He is of course still figuring that feeling out. 

I still put the boys in a diaper at night. Kellan always wakes up dry, he has since he first potty trained but I like my sleep too much & really don't want to be stripping sheets in the middle of the night if someone were o have an accident. Lazy I know but sleep is oh so precious around here these days!

It's that time again... well actually its for a new website this time...
We've been nominated for the Top Multiples Parenting blog, if you wouldn't mind, please take a second & vote for us by clicking the badge below then clicking the heart on our photo :)
 Thanks in advance!

Summer Bucket List; Driftwood Beach

I read an article on things to do in the Golden Isles with kids hoping to discover something new. The article didn't really list anything new to do but it did list a playground I didn't know about on Jekyll Island, so last week I packed a lunch & hoped to have a nice long morning on the island before it got too hot. 

The playground was fantastic & was different than any of the other playgrounds I've taken the boys to. The boys ran, climbed, crawled & slid to the hearts content. It was warmer out than I had hoped for so early in the day & it wasn't long before the boys asked to eat, it was only 10am actually :-/

The boys ate at a picnic at the playground & then we loaded back up in van to cool off.

There was a maze of tunnels 

& lots of spaces to climb up & in to

Kellan, Garren & Caden eating a very early lunch

We took a drive around the island to see if we could find anything else interesting & new. I decided to stop at the fishing pier & get a glimpse of driftwood beach to see if it was someplace the boys & I could go by ourselves. Well the boys saw the water & the trees that were on their sides & that was that, they were ready to explore! We weren't really dressed to for the beach so I just took the boys shoes off & we walked along the beach, digging in the sand, climbing on the driftwood (trees) & watchng the shrimp boats pass by as we went along.

Garren & Caden

Garren & Kellan, Kellan went straight for the water!

Shrimp boat

Garren, Kellan & Caden excited to see a shrimp boat!

The view opposite of the ocean from the beach

We ran across an interesting little water fountain on our way back to the van & the boys couldn't get enough of it. I thought their little faces trying to catch a drink were so funny..

Caden

Garren

Kellan

It turned out to be a great morning & impromptu beach trip. I think we will definitely go again before summer is over.

Summer Bucket List; Plant Vegetable Seeds

Last year I received some kid packs of seeds in the mail with something else, I don't remember what now but I held onto them so the boys could practice gardening this summer. To my surprise the seeds were organic & GMO free, SCORE! :) I knew the boys would love playing in the soil & watering them, I never realized just how much they would love watching the seeds grow!!!

Caden, Kellan & Garren filling the peat pots with soil

Transferring soil from one pot to another, lol...

Kellan getting the water

Well watererd (overwatered) seeds!

A couple days later they sprouted!

A week later they are ready to be transferred to planters.

The boys ask every morning to see their plants & check them to see if they need water, usually not since they get so overwatered when they do. They comment on how much they grow & what each plant will eventually give them, cucumbers, tomatoes, & salad greens. I can't wait until the veggies appear & then are ready to be picked & eaten, I think the boys will be so excited! I also can't wait for next summer when we are in our house & have a real garden with lots of veggies!!! 

The boys seem to have green thumbs so far :)

24/52

Project 52; Watching the shrimp boats from Jekyll Island (g,k,c)

Father's Day Weekend

These tough holidays seem to just keep coming & each one is just as heart wrenching as the previous.

Although my heart hurt & I longed to see my dads smile or hear his voice I tried to keep busy & focus on other things. Luckily I have a wonderful bonus mom who made it a little easier.

My dad always called my sister & I to let us know or remind us when any of the country music shows were going to be on. It's was just one of his things. Shortly after he died an award show aired & Marie saw an ad for the Florida Country Superfest, she thought it would be fun for her, Autumn & I to go.

It just so happened to fall on Father's Day weekend.

Autumn, myself, Marie

We'd been looking forward to the festival for a couple months. I was excited & a little nervous to leave the boys overnight. 

We met up at my sisters in Jacksonville Saturday afternoon & headed to the festival. We got there, found parking close by & made our way into the stadium. We found our section just in time for a good old FL downpour. We decided that drinks were in order while we waited for the storm to pass. This was not the typical 20 minute Florida thunderstorm though, it was 2 hours before the storm had finally calmed enough for people to get to their seats & for the concerts to start.

Little Big Town

Jason Aldean

We got back to my sisters place just before 2am & headed straight to bed, we were tired girls, out way past our mommy bedtimes, lol! I somehow was wide awake just before 7am. Everyone else was still asleep including the baby & my nephew so I got dressed & snuck out quietly.

I cried most of the way home, thinking about my dad, how he would have enjoyed the festival, how I wish I could see his face & hug his neck for Father's Day. I needed the time alone that morning to just be with my emotions & thoughts.

I arrived home to 3 boys & 2 dogs that missed me & were excited to see me. I suppose Donna & the cat were too :) I had 'Not Yo Mama's Banana Pudding' to make for my bonus dad so my morning was busy catching up on hugs & kisses & getting ready to head out to my mom & bonus dads for the afternoon. We celebrated Fathers Day with them & headed back home to get ready for the week ahead.

2 Weeks In; New House Lovelies

Last Tuesday we went to the home studio to pick out all the finishes & fancy little details for our new home. As exciting & fun as it was, it was also a bit nerve racking making every. single. decision! Donna & I have been combing over the catalogs & looking up appliances online for 2 weeks just to make sure we made the best selections we could without feeling pressured. Sticker shock was a small factor today but we were able to get the things we really felt were important & still stick to our budget, hooray!

Here are some of the selections we made...

Most of our upgrades are done in the kitchen, we upgraded to a "Gourmet Kitchen" I felt like having double ovens would be important as the boys get older (& eat more) so we got them & a flat glass top stove. We upgraded the dishwasher to one with the contols inside the door, this is because for some really strange reason, when the boys get mad or frustrated they go right to the dishwasher & crank it on, lol... We figure this should help... our nerves anyways if not the boys'. Our big splurge & where the biggest sticker shock came from was our cabinets. When we decided on them originally we didn't realize they had a double glaze on them, which means double the price, actually triple because we still had to include the original upgrade fee plus the glaze price x2. OUCH! Well worth it though to get what we really want.

We did not upgrade the kitchen countertops or flooring for 2 reasons, 1) we don't want the cost of those items factored into our property taxes & 2) the builder doesn't offer the products we really want, quartz counters or bamboo flooring. These are things we can upgrade later on our own.

We opted to have the whole house pre-wired for cable/satellite & data/internet. That just means there will be a box installed in the laundry room where everything can be dropped in & hooked up in one place & each room will have outlets/connections for whatever technology brings our way. We don't plan on moving again so hopefully doing this now saves us the headache when the boys are old enough to have their own computers, TVs & phones.

We had to pick locations for all the outlets & light switches. We decided on exterior colors, shingles & coach lights, interior moldings, door knobs, paint color, flooring, counters, sinks, faucets, lighting & so on...

It was a long but fun appointment & we can't wait to see how everything comes together!

Other than that the only other things going on with the house right now are the permits & survey. The survey has been completed & our house will be build in reverse of the original plans. This is because of a storm drain that sits in front of our property preventing the driveway from being able to be on the right hand side of the house. It's really not a big deal to us either way. It might feel weird at first since the models we've been in have been build to the original plans but I think we'll get past that quickly. The permits have been applied for & the builder is just waiting on the city. Hopefully we will have some forms or footers going up by the end of the month :)

Summer Bucket List; Our Community Pool

We are putting our first check mark on our Summer Bucket List! We've actually been to the pool several times now because the boys absolutely love it & it is so much more fun than it was last year!!!

Caden with Garren & Kellan in the background

Garren

Garren & Caden love to swim independently, of course they wear puddle jumpers but they kick all around the pool, the love to jump in from the edge & to be thrown too. They are pretty happy to just do their own thing.

Kellan, Garren & Caden

Kellan isn't as comfortable swimming around on his own yet but he's getting there. The first couple times we went he just hung out on the steps but the past couple days he has asked for me to take him swimming. He hangs on to me pretty tight though. He has a lot of fun regardless!

Garren

They all love to play in the fountain & to play with other kids. They also love to flirt with women in bathing suits, lol... No one is safe sun bathing with the boys there!

3 Year Photos

They're back! I received our photo CD in the mail last week & have been oogling over the photos ever since. As I mentioned in the post we went about this session very casually. We walked around our old town of Mt Dora, took in the sights, played in the fountains & took advantage of a few places that made for nice backdrops. It was a fun morning catching up with a friend & hanging out with grandma too.

Here are some of my favorites...

 Garren

Caden

My favorite of Garren

Kellan

Garren

My favorite of Caden

Caden

Garren

MomMom & Grandma swinging G & C

Caden

C, G, K

I love the 2 photos above except that G looks mad in one & C looks mad in the other :/

Which one do you like better?

K was getting tired, Grandma comforted him <3

 Grandma & G, K, C

My favorite of Kellan

G giving Grandma smooches

Grandma & K

The boys had so much fun playing in the fountains & keeping cool, C, G, K

Garren being a monster

Caden

 Now I need help deciding between the next 2, one K is drinking from a water bottle but everyone else is looking at the camera & at least Donna & I are smiling, the second Caden is holding the bottle but his face is visable, Donnas face is ok & it looks like I was talking. Which would you hang on the wall?

Thank you to my sweet friend Kareen for putting up with us once again & chasing around 3, 3 year olds on a warm & humid Sunday morning.