Rushing By

July 1st arrived, I blinked, and now July is over.  It sure feels that way!

This baby girl?  Rushing toward her first birthday.  She is just days away from turning one! This mama is in denial. 



The big kids? Rushing toward their first day of school.  They start just 4 weeks from today.  I'm sure August will fly by just as quickly as July!  I swear, the months just keep going by quicker than before. I know it's because we're busy, and having fun, but still...time needs to slow down!

The fact that we only have 28 days left to enjoy summer vacation hit me hard today (almost as hard as my baby's upcoming birthday) .  Our lives are already so busy, but I really want to cram in as much summer fun as we possibly can!

So, we're going to attempt to do something fun and summery every single day leading up to the first day of school. 

Today was spent at a local park.  We haven't really spent much time at parks this summer, so it was the first thing Dylan suggested! It was a beautiful (hot) day, and we had the park to ourselves!



I haven't really taken my DSLR to the park lately, and I'm glad I did.  There's a reason that I snap a zillion pictures.  In between the blurry shots and the shots of kids looking away from the camera, I end up with a few gems.





 This was the first day that Lily really explored the park!  It is much more fun for her now that she can walk and climb, and chase after her siblings.  Dylan and Lexie brought their bikes along, and spent most of the time riding on the path. 

















After all the fun, they were getting a bit cranky and hot, so I suggested wetting their heads to cool down.  I didn't expect my trio to end up soaked!





My favorite trail is at that park, so I decided to make the kids work out with me after they were done playing.  One loop is 1.3 miles, and it is considered a difficult trail.  Dylan did great, and Lexie made it about 3/4 of the way.  It was really hot, and the hills were too much for her, so she ended up straddling the front of Lily's jogger. It was definitely a workout for me!



We really enjoyed our afternoon!  I enjoyed the time spent with my kids.  That time is fleeting, and I now know to make the most of every moment.  Life is good.

Week 30: 365 Project

Week 30?!?  This year is flying by faster than the last one!

{JULY 22nd}

Our plans for the afternoon were canceled, so we ended up spending it at home.  We pulled out the pool that we had bought over a month ago and set it up for the kids.  We had a great time sitting outside while the kids went swimming and played. Grant's mom even stopped over for a visit.  That evening, we went to our friend's house for dinner.  We stayed really late, and had a great time!



{JULY 23rd}

I was home alone all day with the kids, from wake up until after bedtime.  I'm not going to lie. It's stressful! After Lily woke up from her nap, we played outside. The kids went swimming in their pool, while Lily played with toys. Lily decided to climb the rock climbing wall on our playset all by herself. That evening, we had an unexpected trip to the store to buy a new garbage can.  Someone thought it was a great idea to use our garbage can as a stepstool, and it broke.  It was during dinner time, so I surprised the kids with Happy Meals (yuck). Once Grant got home, we got caught up on our favorite shows.




{JULY 24th}

Happy Birthday to Grant!!! I babysat all day, then Grant's mom stopped by with a birthday cake.  That evening, Grant and I had dinner at Red Lobster while my parents watched the kids.  It was nice to go out alone!  Once we returned home, we watched a movie together before bed. 



{JULY 25th}

Grant shaved the 'stache!  YAY! I took Lily to get her weekly blood draw done.  She didn't cry, but trying to hold her still was comparable to trying to hold a crocodile still.  After a few errands, we headed back home.  That evening, I held a Gutzy Gear party.  After the party, Dylan went over to my sister's house for a sleepover, and my great-niece, Aubrey, spent the night at our house.





{JULY 26th}

I decided to keep Aubrey with us for the day, because Dylan was spending the day with his cousins. We went to the library, and then went to our weekly blogger/twitter moms playdate.  This time we had it at Ballocity, which is an indoor ball pit/climbing area.  It was ridiculously hot and humid, so it was a perfect day for an indoor activity.  After the playdate, we had to stop at WalMart.  While we were in the store, a huge storm rolled in.  We ended up trapped in the building for a half hour.  We made a dash for the car as the rain slowed.  The damage from the storm was crazy.  Trees were down everywhere! That evening, we went to our friend's house for dinner.




{JULY 27th}

We spent the afternoon visiting my parents, and had dinner with them.  While there, we stopped at the stable for a quick visit with my horse.  I miss him.  I don't get to spend nearly enough time with him. It was another day of crazy storms!




{JULY 28th} 

It was the first Saturday in months that we didn't have any plans.  We spent the day at home, and I watched my nephews all afternoon.  After dinner, Grant stayed home with the kids, while I went shopping for items to make Lily's birthday outfit.  Two and a half glorious hours alone! Once home, we put the kids to bed, and spent the rest of the evening watching our favorite show.

Just One Week

Wasn't I just pregnant?



Didn't I just have her?



How can she be turning 1 a week from today?!?

 

Time flies.  I always say that.  But it's true. 

I'm going to be savoring her last few days of babyhood!

Gutzy Gear Party!

I was recently contacted by Gutzy Gear to host a party for them!

Gutzy Gear is a way for kids to customize their backpack or bag with Gutzy strap covers and Gutzies, which are removable patches.  Kids can collect Gutzies or even trade them!

Gutzy Gear can be found at Toys R Us, Kmart, Walmart, and Target, to name a few.  You can use their store locator to find a store near you!   Check out Gutzy Gear's website for more information!  They can also be found on facebook and twitter.

I was very excited to host a party sponsored by Gutzy Gear!  Dylan is starting 2nd grade this Fall, and Lexie is going to Kindergarten.  They have a lot of friends and cousins in the same age group, so this was a great opportunity! School is starting in a month, so back to school shopping is in full swing. I knew the kids would enjoy this product!

We were sent starter kits for each guest that included 1 set of Gutzy strap covers and 1 Gutzie.   In addition, each guest got to take home 2 additional Gutzies! 

As soon as the box arrived, my kids asked for their starter kits.  They eagerly put them on their new backpacks!  I was impressed with how easily the Gutzy strap covers attached to the backpack straps.  The Gutzies are easy to put on and move around.  The best part?  No sewing required, because they are Velcro!!!  My kids loved looking at the selection of Gutzies.  They already have their favorites picked out!

Before the party, I set up a table that held the Gutzy strap covers, some information for the moms, a paper that showed the series 1 Gutzies, and a backpack modeling the Gutzy strap covers.



Upon arrival, the kids flocked to the table to check out the Gutzies. They had a great time pointing out all the Gutzies they liked!

I had a few early guests (plus Dylan and Lexie) try on the backpack!

 
 

 


 Once the majority of the guests arrived, we got started with the activities.  Gutzy bingo was a hit!  They loved choosing their Gutzies!

 


We had a few (very) late guests, so they played a quick game of pin the Gutzies on the backpack so they could choose their own Gutzies to keep!

The kids had a great time, and were happy to show off their new Gutzies!



The kids really enjoyed their Gutzy Gear!  There were even a few trades as the party neared an end, and some plots to hit up our local Toys R Us for more Gutzies!

The most exciting part was taking home their very own Gutzy strap covers and Gutzies!



I owe Gutzy Gear a big thank you for giving me the opportunity to host this party!