Kemah Boardwalk

On Sunday, we drove over to Kemah to check out the boardwalk that we had heard such great things about.  I had checked their website earlier in the week and they were offering a coupon that if you bought one adult all day pass, you could get a child pass for only $5 (instead of $16.99).  That seemed like a good deal so I explained to the lady at the ticket counter that I had seen that coupon but couldn't print it off because there wasn't a printer at the house we were staying at.  She proceeded to tell me that the coupon was actually buy one adult coupon and get another adult coupon for $5 (instead of $20.99).  Well this was a much better deal considering we needed 4 adult tickets and only 1 kid one.  Just goes to show that it's always worth looking around for coupons before showing up some place!  Once we got all of our passes, Sydney was just dying to get on one of the rides.  Much to our surprise, she could actually ride a good portion of the rides there.

The first thing we checked out was this double decker carousel.  Sydney of course wanted on the upper deck and jumped on a seahorse.  Once she was on, it took FOREVER for the ride to start.  I guess the operator of the ride wanted it to be completely full before it started.

 Posing with Grandpa!

 Hopeful the ride will start soon

 Getting bored...

Finally going!

Next we checked out was this flying plane ride.  I got on with her and boy was I surprised at how high it went!!  She wasn't the least bit scared though and in fact immediately rode it again with her daddy.

After that we jumped on the Boardwalk Bounce.  A ride that takes you up fast and then drops you fast over and over again.  Sydney and I held hands on that one!  She calls it "the-ride-that-takes-your-stomach-away".

Going up!

 Coming down!  Weeeeee!

The ferris wheel was next and Harper got to ride on that one with us.

Harper giving us her "I'm not going to smile" look

My defense is that I'll just tickle her instead

 Another cute random of Harper...shows her mischievous personality

Then we took a break for lunch at Landry's.   I had some awesome coconut shrimp but the girls stuck with the usual.  Corn dog for Sydney, macaroni and cheese for Harper.

Harper's starting to get tired...

Grandpa and Sydney

Something must have been funny

My sweet big girl

And my sweet little girl

Look at those eyes!

Mmmmm....

Playing peek a boo with Nana

We see you!

Back to the rides again.  Another airplane ride...another one that Harper got to hop on.

 I think Sydney actually believed that she was flying this plane!

 The train ride was next.  It took us all around Kemah and through a few tunnels.

Sydney then decided that she wanted to ride this hot air balloon ride by herself.  Boy is she big!  She jumped right in with these two other little boys who probably weren't expecting to have a girl in their balloon.  :)

Sydney got her face painted...Hello Kitty.

Then my mom and I rode Pharaoh's Fury...do you see us??  :)

We finished out our trip by riding the Boardwalk Bullet...a very solid roller coaster!  We had such a great time at Kemah!  Many more pictures of the rest of our trip coming soon!

First day at the beach

We are in Galveston with my parents for the week...resting, reading, sun-bathing, playing...very fun!  The girls had never seen the ocean in person before so of course as soon as we arrived at the beach house the first thing we HAD to do was run down to the water.  Sydney loved it all...Harper loved it until the water followed her back up the sand and then she decided she had had enough!

Harper and Grandpa heading out to the water

 Think she's having fun?

Maybe I'll just observe from here...

Oh no, the water is following me!

Knight in shining armor to the rescue!

Found a shell!

McHottie

The fog was rolling in...

A menu board

Are you someone who makes a menu for each week and then shops for what you need?  I am.  I think it started with my mom.  She would always plan out the week's meals and then head to the grocery store to buy just what she needed.  Oh, and sometimes, we could chime in with our favorite meal and it would be added to that week's list.  It's the little things.  :)  Not only is it a great way to save money (only buying what you need) but it also helps you to stay organized and less stressed.  Let's face it, we're all super busy, going here and there, running around and trying to stay sane.  Okay, maybe my little menu board won't totally change your life, but it's a starting point.  This is so easy, anyone, even your husband, could put this badboy together.

Supplies:
12x12 picture frame (if you can catch Hobby Lobby's half off sale or a 40% off Michael's coupon, that will help)
12x12 piece of scrapbook paper - whatever color, style matches your kitchen.  You don't want it to be too busy or mostly black because that might make your writing harder to see
Scrapbooking letters - again, whatever style you like.  I would suggest keeping it black and picking letters that aren't too big...you have to fit all the days of the week on your board.  Also, make sure you have the right (and enough) letters to spell what you need.

All you do is frame your scrapbook paper and then stick the scrapbook letters to the glass on your frame.  Seriously, it's that easy!  I drew lines with a dry erase marker first so I knew they would be spaced evenly.  I tried hot gluing those super strong magnets to it so I could hang in on the fridge but it didn't work...too heavy.  Maybe there's a better way I'm not thinking about.  Or you could maybe use one of those cookbook stands to display it.  Mine works just fine leaning up against the backsplash on my counter.  Run out and make one of these!  Happy crafting!

Wanna be a runner??

Well you totally can!!  I firmly believe that anyone can run.  I started consistently running just over a year ago and am currently training for my third half marathon.  Woohoo!  If you had asked me 18 months ago if I ever ever in my life thought I'd run this much I would have told you you were crazy.  But here I am, still running and more importantly, enjoying running.  Here are some tips I've picked up along the way.  I'm by no means an expert, this is just coming from my experience.

Get the right gear:  Having the right running shoes is going to be crucial when you start running.  I recommend going to a store that specializes in running (like Luke's Locker) and running for them so they can see how your feet hit the ground and suggest shoes that would work best for you.  They don't have to be super expensive either.  The first pair I bought were $110 but the second pair I bought were only $55 and I like them just as much.  (both on mine were Asics which I now love!)  Socks are another biggie in my book.  You need socks that wick away moisture.  I like these and they aren't too expensive.  After you get those two down, you can start investing in some good running clothes.  I've just bought stuff here and there since I started running.  At the beginning though, I just washed and wore the same things over and over again.  Don't feel pressured to have a whole new wardrobe right at the beginning.

Start slow:  If you don't currently run, don't go out and try to run 3 miles.  First of all, you'll probably injure yourself and second of all, you'll be huffin' and puffin' and you'll hate it and never want to do it again.  I highly suggest starting with the Couch to 5k program.  It's an excellent way to get started.  If you kind of run right now but not much, maybe you can start on week 3 or 4 instead.  In any case, slowly work up to being able to run 3 miles or 30 minutes.

Get a running buddy or 10: Every time I've run a race, I've run with other people. It makes training for the race so much easier when you know someone else is going to be right there doing it along with you. I've always just run with friends, but I've also heard great things about joining a running group. Either way, it will help hold you accountable which is super important.

Find a race:  Then sign up and run it!  One of the best parts of running to me, is racing.  Not racing to win, but just being a part of the race.  I've done 5k's, 10k's and half's.  They are all great and all a lot of fun.  You can find one's that support a cause close to your heart, or one's that are just plain fun.  Plus, once you sign up for a race, it helps you stay committed.  That brings me to my next point.

Stay motivated:  There are so many great blogs out there that you can read to learn new tips, what to eat, how to avoid injury, and just other people's experiences.  Here are some of my faves:
Healthy Tipping Point
Runner's Kitchen
The Fitnessista

You can do it!  I promise!  Happy running!  :)

Subway Art

Subway Art is all the rage right now.  If you follow any "creative" blogs, I'm sure you know.  You can see some ideas here and here and here.  Most of them use those super cool vinyl cutters to create theirs, but since I don't have one, I created mine with Photoshop.  I was wandering around Etsy.com trying to come up with some ideas of what I wanted to put on mine, (because there really is one million different things you can do) and saw an idea for a "family story."  What a cute idea and a neat way to personalize your subway art!  I knew I wanted it to fit in an 8x10 photo frame and wanted the colors to match our kitchen/breakfast room.  I started by creating a blank 8x10 page in photoshop.  Then I just arranged the words I wanted (switching up the fonts and colors to make it interesting) until I got the look I was going for.  It's kind of one of those things you just play around with until it looks right to you.  Then I just printed it on my regular old office printer and stuck it in the frame.  I think it turned out pretty cute and I'm excited about creating other ones for other rooms in the house. 

The Help...by Kathryn Stockett

My dear, sweet husband got me a Kindle for Christmas and boy do I love it!!  I've already read 3 books on it and am working on the 4th.  I've asked myself over and over again, why is it easier to read a book on the Kindle instead of an actual book?  The answer...I don't know.  It just is.  :)  The first book I bought on the Kindle is called The Help.  I love the way it reads because you get to see the different points of view of the main characters in the novel.  At the top of each chapter, it says whose point of view it is written from.  In my head, I even changed the accents for each character as I read their story.  Tell me I'm not the only one who does this.  Here's an excerpt from the Publisher's Weekly review that I think sums it up really well:

"...set during the nascent civil rights movement in Jackson, Miss., where black women were trusted to raise white children but not to polish the household silver. Eugenia Skeeter Phelan is just home from college in 1962, and, anxious to become a writer, is advised to hone her chops by writing about what disturbs you. The budding social activist begins to collect the stories of the black women on whom the country club sets relies and mistrusts enlisting the help of Aibileen, a maid who's raised 17 children, and Aibileen's best friend Minny, who's found herself unemployed more than a few times after mouthing off to her white employers. The book Skeeter puts together based on their stories is scathing and shocking, bringing pride and hope to the black community, while giving Skeeter the courage to break down her personal boundaries and pursue her dreams..."

Don't let the size of this book, deter you from picking it up (or downloading it).  It reads really fast and I think I finished it in about 10 days.  I promise, you will not be disappointed in this book!  If you don't want to take my word for it, check out the reviews on Amazon.  Please feel free to comment if you have read this or plan to read it.  I would love to see what other people think about it.  Oh, and word on the street is that Hollywood plans to make this one into a movie.   Happy reading!

A blog revamp!

Okay, okay...I know it's been FOREVER since I've posted on my blog.  Honestly, I was just totally burned out on it.  I felt like I was posting the same thing/type of things over and over again.  Don't get me wrong, I love my sweet girls and I love posting about what they're are doing but I felt like I was posting more and more pictures, and less and less of the story behind it.  I decided, that if I'm going to bring this blog back to life, I would need to do something more.  Of course I'll continue to post things about our family and pictures of the girls (they are getting so big!), but I'm also going to include topics that interest me.  What topics am I talking about?  Well...here are a few.

 Running:  I started running on December 28, 2010.  Since then, I've completed 2 half marathons and am currently training for my third half.  Maybe, quite possibly, there's a full in my future.  We'll talk more about that later.

Cooking:  I really love to cook.  It's not quite as fun to cook for some of the picky eaters I have in my house (ahem, Craig), but I do like finding new dishes they'll eat (or at least try).  Lots of great recipe blog links will be coming soon!

Teaching:  Many of you know, that I teach (almost) 3 year olds at our church's Mother's Day out program.  While I totally love what I do, I often feel like I lack in that area when it comes to my own children.  I've been making a valiant effort lately though to change that though so hopefully I'll be able to post some things that will be helpful to you as well!

Crafting:  Okay, let's be honest.  I'm a "wanna be" crafter.  But...I really wanna be!!  :)  I've done a few things here and there, but really hope to pick it up in the near future.

Reading:  I really really love to read.  I try to make some time for it everyday, but hey, it's hard.  I have read a few good books lately that I'll be posting reviews on soon.

So there you have it.  I might add to these topics in the future...who knows.  The possibilities are endless.  I hope this blog becomes more than just a bunch of pictures and something worth reading.  Stay tuned!!  :)