Love, laughter, and adulting

I always struggle each year making a Christmas list.  Daniel and I don't give each other much, but our parents are awesome and always like to spoil us with things we like.  I normally ask for boring things that we need like body wash, paper towels, and refrigerator filters.  Daniel, on the other hand, never has a problem coming up with a list full of toys.  Last year I decided I needed to come up with something I REALLY wanted - and what more can a mom of twin babies what?  That's right - a night away!  Georgia graciously gave us a gift certificate for a night away in Yorktown Beach, and we finally redeemed it.  Actually, we went a step further and tacked on an extra night and took off a full day of work, for a longggg relaxing weekend!

To say we needed this getaway is the 2017 Understatement of the Year.  We love our girls more than life itself, but sometimes as a parent you just have to press the reset button.  In this crazy circus of our life, we needed to take a few days to remember that above being parents we are a married couple, and often put each other on the back-burner.

So, I put together my packing list:
lingerie
cheez its
bathing suits

It kind of ended there, ha!  I'm just kidding, but it seemed to me that those were the essentials.

So anyways, we packed up and sent the kiddos to Nana and Papa's house.  We made a pit stop in Williamsburg and shopped a little, had lunch, and visited Daniel's favorite brewery, Alewerks.  We arrived in Yorktown, parked our car and didn't get back in it until we left on Sunday.  We didn't have a schedule - we decided what to do on a whim.  We didn't have to cut up anyone's food, wipe hineys or hands, break up fights, or think about naptime and mealtime.

IT
WAS
AMAZING!

we arrived!  view from our room

after we checked in, we spent a while at the pool

we finished up at the pool and got cleaned up for dinner - gorgeous (and hot!) evening

we indulged in so much delicious food and drink!  the first night we had a crab-stuffed pretzel, a magic blackberry drink, and split a seafood broil... all while listening to live music

after dinner we sat on the rocks and enjoyed the sun setting over the bridge and turned to view a lightning show over the water

after a fantastic night's sleep (thanks, Benadryl), we found coffee, ate breakfast, and spent the morning on the beach.  We decided (again - on a whim!) that it was most appropriate to have ice cream for lunch.

<3 <3

So much love, laughter, and adulting.  I missed the heck out of our beautiful girls, but we needed this oh-so-bad. 

So to all of my mom-friends out there - struggling and exhausted from little people. 
Take
A
Break.
Plan it.  Do it.  You won't regret it.
Don't forget - you were married before you were parents ;)

Two American Firecrackers

Things are getting fun.
As challenging as this life can be, talking toddlers with their cute little voices and happy squeals are fun.
The Fourth of July holiday is no exception - it was lots of fun this year.  We went to the pool, played with sparklers, and made homemade ice cream.  We really enjoyed the long, American weekend.

First stop on our 4th of July weekend - the bank!

love it when Sydney loves something, she hugs and squeezes so tightly

Everyone at the bank had a freaking hay-day with the girls.  They walked in just talking, waving, and being so cute.  One of the ladies hooked them up with stickers and suckers galore.

they got hooked up with sticker and suckers

Going on a walk with Kim - and they found her "right dare!"

"Bome on, Eyya"
(they both say come with a B)

We celebrated Seth's second birthday with a small family shin dig at his house.

waving Bye Bye

The evolution of getting a picture with three two-year-olds.  Cracks me up every time!

oh, hey cute boy!

Ella & Sydney

"Bome on, Syd-ee"

After we celebrated Seth, we went with Ashley and Jacob to see fireworks.  We opted for the weekend fireworks show since A) weeknights are hard and B) we've never taken the girls, so the idea of an after-bedtime, loud, and crowded adventure could go awry at any time.  We obviously would need a day to recover if things went south ;)  Just kidding, I just like to sleep in.

Momma was smart to pack glow sticks!
pretty wands for the princesses, and a sword for the prince

the key to success: Daddy is playing Trolls

And the verdict... they did great!  They weren't overly enthusiastic, but it was late and they were tired.  Ella kept saying "bye bye fireworks" and Sydney said "pretty".  I'm thrilled they weren't scared of the loud noises.

almost time for the show to start

Momma and Sydney

Daddy and Ella

Up next on our all-American weekend, lots of time in the pool!

Who cares about the slip 'n slide, sprinkler, and pool - we found a puddle

Ella giving Sydney a little push down the slip 'n slide

And Sydney returning the favor

And the very best part of the whole day was the water house - they had soooo much fun

Summertime joy for a toddler

The girls woke up from their nap and Sydney reached over and said, "Hi Eyya"

KK came over and we hung out at the pool for a while, then came home to grill and make homemade ice cream.

snapchat with KK

And the evening's grand finale - sparklers!  Again, just like fireworks - no fear!

all American family

Dancing with Daddy in the kitchen

making pancakes - new favorite weekend tradition

I dressed the girls up in a pretty red, white, and blue dress and we walked down to the lake for a few pictures

They really enjoyed visiting the birds.

Hi burrrds! 
"TEET, TEET, TEET, TEET"

But one bird in particular did not enjoy the visit from the #doublesinks

Caught on camera, Exhibit A: the swan preparing to attack the girls.  It even hissed at them.  For real.  Photo shoots with these two get rather hairy sometimes.


Exhibit A

Next American adventure: Chik-Fil-A for lunch

Ella cannot handle herself when she's been given chocolate milk

We went to my parent's for a cookout, quick pool adventure, then another round of sparklers since they were such a hit before.  The day before, I took the girls to find new sparklers, opting for much longer handles, since they were so fearless before.

Ella was very tired

I love us

Sydney stared at her sparklers with such amazement

our two firecrackers

On the way home, we were in our neighborhood and saw some fireworks in the distance from the fairgrounds, so we pulled over, popped open the trunk, and watched for a few minutes together <3