Around here....

Hello. Thanks for hanging in here with me and my sporadic blogs posts over the last year.
It's been the kind of year that was so full and crazy that we lived it, tried to enjoy it, and at the same time just made it through. All this to say, I want to blog more, I want to be here, and I'll work on being here more. (probably saying this last bit more for myself than anyone else) *wink

The last four months went a little like this:

.Our third precious boy was born.
.I had a long recovery from my C-section.
.We drove to our hometown in Florida for my sister's wedding with our 3 week old.
.David and the twins caught the Flu on our last day traveling home.
.We had major car problems on our drive home, which long story short, resulted in trading in our current vehicle for a new one.
.Our 4 week old caught the Flu.
.Two trips to the ER because he was 4 weeks old.
.One of the above mentioned trips was spent in the NICU overnight.
.Everyone finally recovered.
.Still healing from my C-section.
.Our twins turned 6. What?!!!
.We celebrated with friends at the park and cupcakes at home.
.Trying to settle into life with a newborn again.
.Feeling like I was failing miserably and recognizing that things don't have to be perfect. Let it go!
.David and I made some decisions for our future.
.After looking for a new job, with a few interviews but no hires, since moving to Houston, we knew we needed to make some changes.
.His employment there had not turned out the way we expected when we moved to Houston.
.Deciding to move back to our hometown in Florida was a rough decision.
.We really liked Houston.
.Florida was not our plan.
.Sometimes plans need to change. Even if they feel like one of the hardest things you have to do.
.Our landlady let us out of our lease early.
.We had a clean house almost all the time because of potential showings.
.This was not easy with two 6 year olds and a newborn.
.The house was leased.
.My parents and youngest sister came to help us move.
.We would not have made it out of there without them.
.Loaded a U-HAUL and drove two days home.

(traveling. starting our second day. my three boys.)

.We are currently living with my very gracious (and wonderful, I might add) in-laws.
.Our new plan is to get on our feet again.
.David is still taking the BARR in July.
.He's currently looking for employment and had a 2nd interview with a company this morning.
.We are still settling in here.
.Being back is something I could have lived the rest of my life without but I do love being close to both our families again. That is something good.
.I'm looking for good everywhere because sometimes it still doesn't feel that way.
.I miss the busy-ness of Houston or city life in general.
.St. Augustine feels like home though.
.We are on the countdown for warm enough weather to make our first trip to the beach as a family of five.
.The twins can't wait. They love the ocean.
.That's all I've got for now.
.Thanks for hanging in here with me and my crazy blog writing.
.Sometimes it's easier to get out what I want to say if it's in a fragmented, small sentence, type form.

p.s. My baby is 4 months old today. I. Can. Not. Believe. It.
But I love him so very much.

Sunday Adventure

Today, we had a lazy morning. Once everyone was awake and dressed we headed out on a little adventure. The weather promised nothing but yuck (rain) but we had to get out of the house for the day. It was most necessary for our survival through the next week. I mean, does it really have to be Monday already?!
We are obviously still in the "explore our new environment" phase. We'll probably be this way for a good bit, which is a nice change of pace.
As we left home it was time for lunch. We tried a new to us pizza place. Pizza was good.
With our tummies full, we ventured out to Galveston to see the coast. Making another trip out there when the weather is nice is on our to-do list. If it wasn't for the lightning, we would have gone out to walk on the beach. As it was, we just drove through, found a Marble Slab, and ended up driving home again. A few errands before we ended the night at home. Grilled cheese, (or toast and peanut butter for me) fruit, and chips for dinner. B and F spent about 30 minutes in the pool before bath and bed. I'm worn out but it was fun to do some exploring.
How was your weekend?

 

 

A little travel with two...

Traveling with kids can be a real challenge, as I'm sure many of you know.

With that being said, we have a little travel system that seems to work for us and I thought it might be fun to share.
Seeing how others pack or do their daily tasks is always interesting to me.

Being prepared is absolutely essential for me.
Now that the boys are older, there are some things that have become easier. I don't usually pack a cooler with milk anymore. I know most restaurant's usually serve milk but when they were much younger we would run into places that didn't or were out. That used to be a big deal to these boys. These days, ice water is alright, if that's what we have.

So, I always pack a large bag of snacks, breakfast items, and drinks for all. David and I don't really snack when we travel but sometimes I need a little something to keep me going. This time I packed some roasted almonds and pita chips.
Since the boys are picky with what they will eat, it's best that I have stuff on hand all the time anyway. I carry our plastic food storage containers with us. It keeps the snacks fresh and I can wash the containers when we get home, so not a big deal. Also, I bring water bottles, 24 pack, with us and whatever David wants to drink (Gatorade this time.) to keep costs down and stay hydrated.

Snack cups...they go everywhere with us still. Then I also bring their milk/juice cups and separate water cups. All of these I wash out at the end of our day so they're ready for the next day. If I know we are going to be in a hotel, I pack a small bottle of dish soap and we keep paper towels in our car anyway.

This large utility tote from Thirty-One fits nicely on the floorboard in the backseat of our car. Plus, it holds so much! It's what I used for all our snacks this trip.

On to toys...
I changed up how I packed toys this trip.
Usually I have a container of toys and books that sits between their car seats so they can reach for whatever they want.
This time, I packed them each a plastic tool box of toys. The tool boxes fit on their laps and they could play with what they wanted, on their own. It worked great! There was minimal fighting over toys and both seemed pleased to have their own container of stuff. Using the boxes also helped to keep them more entertained with the toys since they didn't have access to them all the time. They fit on the floor right in front of their seats and I handed them to them when they needed some distraction.

 

 

 

Also included: books that I kept aside for later

                         Doodle pads

                         Alphabet electronic toys (their favorites, of course)

                         wallets from Aunt Julie with zipped up surprises (encouraging that fine motor skill of 

                         unzipping/zipping)

 

                         Travel DVD player and DVDs.........a serious must. They don't get to watch it most of

                         the trip but there are is always that moment when they don't want to sit there anymore

                         but you can't stop again just yet. It's a real lifesaver! Completely distracts them.

 

Then lastly, I whipped up this adorable terry cloth toothbrush travel bag for them.

I used Noodlehead's tutorial to make this. I found it ages ago and just got around to making one myself. I love it!

 

 

 

 

None of this makes travel a breeze but it does make it just a little smoother.

 

I hope you found this inspiring for your next trip or at the very least interesting.

Do you have any special tips that work for you when traveling with little ones?

I'd love to hear what they are!