Summer so Far...

Our summer seemed endless in the beginning and now it feels like it's winding down which makes me sad. We have had so much fun staying up late, sleeping in, and doing whatever we want! We haven't slowed down at all. We have play dates all the time with friends and the grandparents, we swim almost every day, and we have fun just being together. 

We also got a new pet! Daddy surprised me! He took the kids to run some errands and came home with a fish! He said it was completely spontaneous. They were driving by the pet store and he though what the heck. Nathan and Charlotte love him and named him Snowflake. They want a dog so badly so this is a good way to make them happy for now. Although this hasn't stopped us from looking. Even though we wouldn't get a puppy from the pet store, we love to go in and hold them. And the other day, we were at the mall and saw a shelter set up with lots of dogs to adopt. We found the perfect one! If it were just up to me, I think I would have taken him home! Wayne is getting more comfortable with the idea so it will happen one day. 

Oh and the picture of Charlotte sucking her thumb was when they were playing baby. Nathan was the dad! 

Gaylord Getaway

We were spontaneous and decided to do something fun and different for the Fourth of July so we spent the weekend at the Gaylord Hotel in Grapevine. When we told Nathan and Charlotte we were going on a mini vacation, at first Nathan didn't act all that excited. We showed him pictures of the pool and how cool the hotel was inside, but he was kind of quiet about it. I was so confused because he LOVES hotels! He finally said it looked really fun but he just doesn't like to be in the car for a long time. When we told him it was only 15 minutes away, he was wanting to do cartwheels because he was so excited. So funny!

 

The Gaylord had a Wizard of Oz theme which was fun for the kids to see. We got there around 10 in the morning and did a quick tour and then headed to the new waterpark that they built. We pretty much spent the day there. Nathan and Charlotte had so much fun because we found lounge chairs right in the middle which made it easy for Wayne and I to relax a little while Nathan and Charlotte explored but we could still see them. We all did the lazy river about 20 times! And then Nathan did a zip line and several water slides. Charlotte loved the zero entry water area where she could touch but also swim around. They were so cute together because they would make deals with each other so that each one could do what they wanted, but still do stuff together. Really, Charlotte just wanted Nathan to do everything with her but he loved the more adventurous waterslides and zip line.

 

After the waterpark, we took showers and went to explore the hotel more and also eat dinner. Nathan and Charlotte wanted to see everything and let me take lots of pictures! There was a cool electric train set, wizard of oz characters to meet, and of course the gift shop!

 

After a Mexican dinner, we went to the top deck of the parking garage for fireworks. This was neat because there was a party going on up there! There was a DJ, a spray paint artist (Nathan and Charlotte sat and watched him do two paintings...they were mesmerized by him!) and lots of dancing and games. The fireworks were over the lake and really neat to watch.

 

Once we went back to the room, we all completely crashed! Wayne and I said it was one of the best night's sleep we had in a long time. The beds were super comfy and we were all exhausted.

 

The next morning, we had breakfast and then swam in the indoor pool. There was an outdoor pool, but Nathan and Charlotte thought and indoor pool was much more fun. It was nice because you didn't have to worry about sunscreen.

 

We then packed up and headed home to Grandmother's house. Nathan and Charlotte spent the night there so that Wayne and I could have a night to ourselves. And when we got there, Grandmother had a surprise for them. They  had been growing jalapeno peppers in a pot for a while. They started out as just a little green leafy plant, no peppers to see.  Every time they went to Grandmother's house, they would check on their peppers. When they first started to form, they were teeny tiny. They showed them to me once and they were so cute! Once they started to grow, they really took off.  On this day, grandmother told them the peppers were ready to pull off. Nathan and Charlotte were so excited to see them and told Daddy he had to eat one, which he did! Wayne loves hot stuff and said they were actually really good.