I love our Thanksgiving beach tradition so, so much. I finally put together a little video of our trip from last November (...it only took me seven months haha)!
It's so fun to look back on pre-covid life, and also my BABY BELLY!! So crazy to me that little Monroe was hanging out in there. It was seriously such a great trip. Now I should probably get working on our Alabama video! haha.
Click to enlarge the video, turn the volume up, and enjoy!!
Being a mom in quarantine for three months with five kids under eight has felt, at times, almost impossible.
But even through it all--from the last bits of pregnancy and delivering a baby in January, to non-stop sickness going around our other kids, to the Covid-19 panic and suddenly homeschooling (with a newborn!)--there have been too many blessings to even count.
Moments of stillness and peace as I pray each night for a healthy family. Moments of laughter as Jordan and I run through the sprinklers with the kids--or as we all sing to "Yum yum Breakfast burrito!" in the kitchen. Moments of content as I sit on the couch and nurse my baby, while reading to the boys. Moments of adventure when I pile the kids into the car, and we let the road take us somewhere new. Moments of peace as we sit at the kitchen table for home church each Sunday. Moments of learning as we all figure out how to constantly be in each other's orbits. Moments of forgiveness. Moments of connection.
So I am grateful for this quarantine, despite the hard times. It has taught me to re-focus on the important parts of mothering--and to be grateful for every single moment with my family.
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Every Mother's Day, Jordan and the kids make the sweetest video for me. This is year number SEVEN of these videos, and was extra special to me because of the quarantine. (And because we added Monroe this year!) Just the best.
The surprise birthday weekend Jordan booked for me was SO good for my soul. Just being in the mountains--while keeping our distance but keeping each other close--was everything I needed.
I am so, so lucky.
Here's a video I made of our weekend. Enlarge to full screen and enjoy!
Well, we're in quarantine. It's a crazy time, and it still feels surreal that it's happening. But here we are! And while we're stuck in the house during all of this COVID-19 weirdness, I figured I'd do my best to catch up on some blog posts! Because holy cow, I'm just a liiiittttle bit behind.
And we have had SO many good things that I haven't posted about yet. (Trips! Baby Monroe! Etc.!) So hopefully I'll be able to catch up over the next little bit.
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Back in October, we decided to take our kids to Washington D.C. for Fall Break! It was so much fun, and you can see more posts about it here:
Jord also compiled a video of our trip, and it's so fun to watch it with the kids and remember how much fun we had (back when we were allowed to leave the house and even travel! haha). But seriously, I'm so grateful for my crew and for our adventures. Click below, turn the volume up, and enjoy our Washington D.C. trip video!
On Christmas morning, Jordan surprised me with a video he put together of our Italy trip. (Best present EVER.) It brought back alllll the memories, and made me immediately want to go back.
It was such a dream trip! I am so, so glad we did it.
One of our very favorite traditions since living in Kentucky has been going apple picking every Labor Day. We always look forward to it so much, and the kids talk about it all year long in anticipation! It is so fun. (see bottom of post for links to those fun memories!)
We've gone to several apple orchards in Kentucky, but we keep coming back to the same one in Versailles for our Labor Day picking. The apples are always great, and there are so many fun activities for the kids to do afterwards, too.
Also can we please just take a moment and talk about how much the boys have changed since last year?? Just look at these photos.
Last year...
^2018^
...and this year.
^2019^
What in the actual heck happened?? I can't believe how fast they are growing up. Also how crazy is it that next year when we are picking Labor Day apples, we'll have a seven month old baby girl in tow??? Ahh! So nuts!
I think one of the boys' very favorite parts of the whole apple picking experience at this place is the wagon ride out to the orchard. They love it!
^family wagon ride!^
^Holland thought it was the coolest thing ever^
We had to tell the boys to go easy on how many apples they piled into their bags this year...because last year we ended up buying like $60 worth of apples that we were never going to be able to eat. Haha. This year was much better!!
^Love this Holland boy!!^
^sweetest daddy/ son duo ever.^
^Momma & her boys^
^Cam! (6)^
^Brights! (2.5)
^Bost! (8)^
^Holls! (4)^
^Baby sister! (19 weeks along)^
After we picked some apples, we rode back to the fun area where the kids played and played! They went down the giant slide over and over, played on the pirate ship playset, and raced tractors around a dirt track. (I don't know who loved that last one more...the boys, or Jordan. Haha!)
^hoodlums^
^DIMPLES^
They also loved the little trough station where you could "pan for gold," and they probably could have stayed there all day if we'd let them. They love finding any kind of treasure!
When the kids were done playing, we hopped back in the car and headed to find some burgers and fries. The drive through the Kentucky countryside was SO BEAUTIFUL. I couldn't help but take a zillion photos out my window as we drove!
We ended up at Shake Shack in Lexington for lunch, and it hit the spot (as usual)!! Man, I love that place. Then we wandered around the shops, and we let the kids get some more wiggles out on the cute outdoor play area near the restaurant before we headed home.
^cutest tractor driver I've ever seen^
So. Much. Fun!
Jordan made a cute little video of our day, so make sure you turn up your volume and click below to watch.
