Father's Day weekend recap

We spent Saturday out at the lake with my dad and step mom.  The lake has always been one of my favorite places.  I am glad that Brady and Katelyn get to make memories there too.  Brady woke up saying, "We're going to ride Waldo's boat momma? YAY YAY!  I'm going to be the captain and Katelyn is too!"

It was a gorgeous day and so much fun.  Katelyn refused to take a nap which meant she had a meltdown during our second boat ride.  I thought surely she would just fall asleep on the boat like Brady used to always do, but nope, she just wasn't having any of that.  She loved the first ride especially when we started going fast.  She was just squealing and every time we would hit a big bump she would start giggling.  It was the cutest thing.  We might have a little dare devil on our hands.

Brady actually passed out on Paul and took a nice little nap on our ride. We were going to try out the tube, but we will have to save that for next time.

So much fun!

They have the best daddy.

My heart is melting...so sweet.

His first time in the kayak!

I just love this place.  So beautiful.

The popsicles were a hit!

A little side story on the popsicles.  Brady ate some of his then handed it to Paul to hold while he drove the boat.  Well, Paul thought he was done with it, so he tossed it.  A little while later Brady came back looking for his popsicle and was a little upset that it was gone.  We told him he could have one when he got home.  Like I mentioned, he fell asleep on the ride.  As soon as we got to the dock and he woke up he looked at me and asked, "Can I have my popsicle now?"  I'm telling you- he does not forget a thing.

Sweet sleepy boy

On Sunday we went to church and then had brunch at Bonefish.  We had never tried the brunch there, and it was really good!  Brady and Katelyn gobbled up all of theirs and Paul and I split our meals.  I totally meant to take a picture, but clearly I was hungry, and it looked so good I dove right in.  We split the bang bang eggs benedict and the western omelet. They were both really good.  I would highly recommend trying it out if you like brunch.

After naps (or lack thereof for Brady), we went to the pool and Paul's parents joined us.  Then, Paul cooked us steaks for dinner.  It was a great Father's Day weekend!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to 4 of the best dads I know.  My dad is one of the most selfless people I know.  He has always been there for me, and I love him more than I could ever say.  He is the first man I ever loved, and he is just as special as a granddaddy. Brady and Katelyn love their Waldo so much.

Secondly, of course my husband is the absolute best husband and father.  I couldn't imagine a better daddy to my children.  We love you so much and are so thankful everyday that you are ours!  We could not survive without you.  You always put your family first and love us with your whole heart.  We may not show it all the time, but we appreciate everything you do for us.

Third,  I am so lucky to have the best father-in-law in the world.  He has always treated me like his own daughter, and is so sweet to Brady and Katelyn.  We are so blessed to have him in our lives.

And finally, I am blessed with the best, funniest, most full of life granddaddy ever.  He has always kept us laughing, and I hope that when I am his age I am still as active and "with it" as he is.  We love you Geno!

Happy Father's Day to all the daddy's out there!

Fashion Friday

I am going to try to do a "Fashion Friday" post every week.  This can include a number of things: sales going on, current trends I like, children's fashion, etc.

To kick off my first Fashion Friday post, I thought I would start with little boys fashion.  Everyone always says that little boys just aren't fun to dress.  But, I don't think that is true.  There are plenty of cute options for boys as well.  I will admit as he gets older it gets harder to find things that are cute, but age appropriate.  I don't want my two year old all of a sudden looking 15!

When he was a baby, I was all about the bubbles and jon jons.  Paul was never too keen on this style, but hey he is only little for a short time and then he will be wearing shorts and t-shirts/polos the rest of his life.

I only bought 1 jon jon for this year.  He is pushing it on being a little too old for them, but I just had to stretch it for one more summer!  My favorite place to find cute smocked jon-jons is Shrimp and Grits Kids. They have the most adorable smocked clothing and right now their whole summer line is on sale!  This is the jon-jon I purchased for Brady:

It is no secret that I love to put my babies in matching outfits, so naturally Katelyn has the matching bubble. I also like shopping at Shrimp and Grits Kids because they are a local company in Charleston, and my niece and nephew model for the catalog :).  I'm a proud aunt.

Another reason I had to move on from the jon jons is because I realized once we potty trained Brady, it was not quite as convenient when he had on a one piece.  We are trying to teach him to go by himself to the potty, and it is much easier to just pull down elastic shorts.  So, one of my favorite places to find good knits for Brady is at Kelly's Kids.  They can be a little pricey, but the quality is very good, and Brady can still wear a lot of his stuff from last year as it runs pretty big.  Here are some of my favorites from this year.  Notice they are all easy on/off elastic waste bands.

1. crab shirt | crab shorts 2. lizard shirt | stripe shorts 3. blue/yellow striped polo | white shorts
 4. blue polo | plaid shorts

The best part is, this week ONLY all summer clothes are 40% off.  Grab them before they are gone! I hardly ever pay full price for my kid's clothing, and I will share my secrets on that in another post.  When it comes to just everyday play clothes, my go to places are usually Gap, J Crew Factory, and Old Navy- all online.  I hardly ever go into physical stores anymore.  The internet just makes it too easy.  I will occasionally pick things up at Target if I see something cute, because that is one store that I frequent often :).  I want my kids to look cute, but also be comfortable.  

In the shoe department, my favorite sandals are these salt water sandals.

Brady pretty much lives in his crocs in the summer, because they are durable, can get wet, and best of all he can put them on himself.  If you have a toddler/pre-schooler and don't have a pair of crocs, do yourself a favor and go buy some now. I always thought they were ugly and never understood the trend, but now I totally get it. 

As far as school shoes go, a good tennis shoe does the trick.  Brady is currently rocking these.  I think they are just adorable on him, and they are velcro making them easy on, easy off.

I think shopping for my kids clothes is so fun.  Where is your favorite place to shop for your kids?

Pool bag essentials

We pretty much go to the pool almost everyday now.  It is the perfect activity for the whole family, and the best part is it wears the kids slap out! Hello 3 hour nap time :).  Here are the essentials for a good time at the pool!

1.  Salt Water Canvas Whale Bag- It is essential to have a good pool/beach bag especially when you have children.  They come with a lot of stuff, and I was searching for the perfect bag to tote it all.  My sister-in-law suggested this Whale Bag, and it is perfect.  You can fit up to 6 towels in it, and it has lots of outside pockets for sunscreen, etc.  It is mesh, so if you take it to the beach you can easily spray out all of the sand.

2. Baby pool float- This obviously cannot fit in the actual pool bag, but it is key when taking your baby to the pool.  I like this particular float, because it comes with a canopy to provide shade as well.

3. Good towels- Brady and Katelyn have these towels from Pottery Barn Kids.  They are big which I like, because I can't stand a tiny beach towel.  Also, a little secret a friend shared with me one time is that TJ Maxx actually has great beach towels.  That is where Paul and I got our towels, and I love them.  Paul's is actually a Lacoste towel, and I got it there for like $15.

4. Pool hat- Katelyn received this pool hat as a gift.  It is perfect, because it is made out of the same material as a swim suit, so it is ok if it gets wet, and it helps protect her head/face from the sun.

5. Sunscreen- This is probably a no brainer, but obviously sunscreen is a must.  I actually use the spray can and the cream.  I like the spray for their bodies, but use the cream for their faces.  I don't have a particular brand that I like best.  I just use anything 30 spf or higher.

6. Sunglasses- Brady really likes his sunglasses, so we make sure to always have those in the bag.

7. Fruit snacks- Fruit snacks are one of Brady's favorite things.  They both love to have a snack by the pool, so we make sure to pack a couple of things.  Brady usually wants fruit snacks and Katelyn has goldfish.

8. Puddle jumper-  This is the best invention ever.  Brady is pretty self sufficient in the pool with this contraption on.  However, it has to be this particular brand.  Paul tried to buy a different one, and it just didn't work the same.  This one is definitely the best.

9. Water bottles- It is important to stay hydrated, and these are our favorite water bottles.  They are the Eddy Camelbaks.

10. Pool toys-  I mostly pack a couple of things for Katelyn, because Brady is pretty much just entertained swimming around and jumping in. But a couple little squirt toys help keep her entertained.

Make sure to bring your truck to haul everything.