Just the memory...

Tomorrow my princess turns double digits...so I decided to do something special for her instead of buying her something she'll eventually grow out of or lose...

We had mommy/daughter spa pedicures and manicures. She loved the massaging the best! so I did not take any pictures...we will both have just the memory in our heads...sweet and intimate and forever :)

More therapy...

I am finding gardening is great therapy!

I relax when I tend to it...

I reflect when I'm tending...

I feel such a sense of accomplishment...

It's kind of like being a parent but you see the growth quicker...

Lessons learned...

I found that I learned many lessons out our first big trip with just the three of us...

Lesson 1: No amount of sun screen will prevent Sylvie from burning...
I ended up buying the kids swim shirts...the princess LOVED it...the teenager hid it under the bed because he said "I'll look like a douche bag!"

Lesson 2: Each kid has $20 to spend
But if they give me attitude, are disrespectful, or do not listen...I remove $1.
If they have a panic attack when trying something new (the princess) or become extra helpful (the teenager)...I add $1.
Both kids broke even...

Lesson 3: Beds times are a must!
Teenager: 11pm (that is IN BED at 11pm)
Princess: 8pm (if she refused to take a break from swimming...that girl is a fish!)

Lesson 4: Must drive with a sucker in my mouth (especially in West Virginia)
This prevented inappropriate things coming out of my mouth when driving 70mph in the Appalachian Mountains with a 5% decline and truckers cut me off OR trying to get off the ever so complicated exit ramps OR driving under a mountain when I am clearly claustrophobic and have a teenager who likes to be "funny"

Lesson 5: When I say we are going to do something... you WILL do it and you WILL like it!
Anyone who has a teenager and a princess totally understands this...

But overall...AWESOME trip :)

Packed...

We are heading on our 1st BIG road trip, just the 3 of us, to see the Atlantic Ocean. The last time Anthony was there...he was 2 months old...and he does not remember. I look back and think...."Why did we never take the kids to the beach?" I remember he took a trip to Florida with a friend. I remember he took a trip to NYC with his uncle. I remember visiting his family in Michigan. I remember we did take the kids to Disney...two years in a row. I remember taking a road trip to DC with the kids, my sister, and Caitlin... but never the beach.... I wonder why?

So I am looking forward to:
+watching their expression to the smell of salt water

+their toes squishing in the sand and having an endless sandbox

+long walk on the beach and having them look forever and see the ocean

+watch the sunrise with my children

+fishing off the pier with my lovelies

+an adventure they will remember it for a lifetime...

So I have had the bags packed since Tuesday...
I have had all the shopping completed since Wednesday...

My van is the cleanest it has EVER looked...

And we are PACKED for our adventure to North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Easy summer entertainment...

She doesn't ask for much...just some water and friends...

Proudly blooming...

My 1st GARDEN is finally blooming....

Remembering...

I remember when he was so little that he fit right across my chest...

I remember my mom teaching him how to smell flowers...

I remember when we had to have "naked time" every night...

I remember trips to the ER for head injuries...

I remember him graduating from kindergarten...

I remember him riding his bike for the first time...

I remember the first time he played football, basketball, soccer...

I remember sitting through hours of practices and games thinking "what if something happens and I'm not here?"...

I remember letting him go to school with a mohawk for 1 day...

I remember when we surprised him (and his sister) with a trip to Disney...

I remember when he cooked me his first steak....

I remember when he first mowed the lawn...then proceeded to break the lawnmower...

I remember when he grew as tall as me...then outgrew me...

Now I add the memory of watching him walk out of Middle School....and into High School...

Although time flies in the blink of an eye, I cherish every moment I have with my son!