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This is going to be random and long! The days are flying by and I’m failing to document so much. So this won’t be perfect but at least it’s something.
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Jax lost his first tooth! It was super wiggly and driving him crazy. One night he begged me to get it out. I pulled and pulled, but it wouldn’t budge. Finally it popped out after an hour-ish of effort. So the awkward smile years begin for him! Braces are definitely in his future.
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The days are cooling off just slightly so we’re usually outdoors again in the late afternoons. It’s so nice to have a little relief from the heat. I usually love summer but I have a low heat tolerance with this pregnancy so we’ve been inside a lot.
Sadie has refused for years to attempt to learn how to ride her bike without her training wheels. She wasn’t thrilled, but, I took them off this past week and I’m bound and determined for her to learn to ride her bike this coming week.
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We had two extra days off school due to a little tropical storm. We made big breakfasts, stayed in our PJs half the day, played with every toys we own, and visited the beach to see the high tide and feel the wind. McKay wouldn’t get out of the car at the beach, but Sadie and Jax were amazed and entertained. I remember my mom taking me to the beach to hunt for shells at their ages and I loved to feel the strength of the wind. I remember feeling like my legs were getting blown out from under me and holding on to my mom’s hand to keep from blowing away! I thought they deserved to have similar memories
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We visited our favorite Halloween costume spot: Goodwill! The kids each found their perfect costumes and it only cost me $10 total. Win! They’ve been wearing these every other day for a few weeks. Jax especially loves to dress up.
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Our mango tree gave us lots of yummy fruit this year!
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We went to Mike and Sarah’s new home for Labor Day. My parents were in Utah and we missed them. We gorged ourselves on Panzerotti and grilled pizza. Tasty!
We love their new huge home, but wish it wasn’t so far away. Seems like we’re still seeing a lot of each other, though, so that’s great.
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Spencer turned 4 so we celebrated his birthday at Joe and Julie’s house. The kids always look forward to cousin and cake time!
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I’ve been on a mission to try new restaurants lately. One of the spots we visited last week was a mini donuts shop in south Tampa. These little puppies were so good I had to get out my camera and take pictures! So unique! So delicious! It was almost life changing. I’ve been craving them daily since our visit. Wish it was closer. On second thought, maybe it’s best it’s not too close. I’d be there daily.
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Last Sunday we went to one of our favorite spots by our last house: Crews Lake Park. It was peaceful and wonderful to have family time. Watching the kids run and play in wide open spaces brings me so much happiness. Does my heart good and theirs. My disclaimer: the kids picked out their own outfits and they’re a little wild and crazy. Sadie is so girly, and the boys want to look fast and tough. What’s hilarious is they think their baby leggings make them look tough
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We have passes to Lowry Park Zoo and in the month of September they have a program called “Swaptember” where we can also get into the Aquarium and MOSI for free. So I took the kids last Monday to the Aquarium and been took the kids to MOSI on Saturday while I was working. Kids loved both but preferred MOSI.
Scared of the alligator…..
They chased this otter back and forth for at least 20 minutes. It was their favorite part of the day!
I have pictures of them at the spot below from previous years. When we got to the spot this year Sadie requested my phone so she could take a selfie with her brothers Big changes from the previous years! They’re growing up.
I lied, this was their favorite part of the Aquarium! It wasn’t an animal; it was mist. They were so amused!
MOSI pictures from Ben’s phone:
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I like having two hours of one on one time with McKay everyday. So far I’m quite happy with our decision to have him do another year of preschool. His new school is amazing, and he seems so happy and full of enthusiasm when I pick him up.
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We celebrated Ben’s birthday this past week. He wanted to keep it simple and to celebrate with the kids so we went to Maggiano’s. It was delicious! He also didn’t want any presents. I felt bad I didn’t go all out, but he didn’t seem to mind one bit. Last year we were island hopping in Thailand. I knew that couldn’t be topped and I accepted that some years are going to be more extravagant than others. He seemed delighted and more than content with how we celebrated.
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Other things I didn’t take pictures of: Mike and Sarah watched our kids so we could have a little getaway for our anniversary. It wasn’t long but it was lovely to have a little break and uninterrupted time together. We stayed on Clearwater Beach for just a night. We returned the favor and their kids spent the night at our house the following weekend. The kids loved it!
