Summer, Summer, Summertime!

As I sit here writing this blog I cannot believe it's already the beginning of August!  The summer has certainly flown by and I was so worried about keeping the boys busy so they wouldn't be bored.  They certainly have not been!  I feel like we've done so much - vacation bible school, summer camp, beach vacation, water park, library trips, playdates, park trips, YMCA, swimming lessons, playing outside, trips to the creek, Children's museum, and the list goes on and on.  Whew - I'm tired just thinking about it.  I'm not sure if we're even at home except just to sleep!  That's probably why Ethan and I have crawled into bed, snuggled up, and taken naps about every other day the past few weeks.  Oh I am loving that.  We put Eli down for a nap, get in mama and dada's bed, read a few books and saw some logs.  I know I'll look back on this and have fond memories and hopefully he will as well.  Here are some summertime pictures we've taken the past few weeks.

FUN WITH THE WATER & SAND TABLE

FUN AT THE Y WATERPARK

FUN AT BARNETT PARK

To Disney or Not To Disney?

The discussion of taking the family to Disney for Ethan's 5th birthday has been going for quite some time now.  After we had Eli the thought got put on the back burner and now it's coming back up.  Ethan has been talking about Disney and asking when we are going.  Of course, as parents we want to be able to take our kids but we're just not sure when.  Besides, the thought of planning a Disney trip intimidates me and scares me to death!  It seems so overwhelming and I have NO IDEA where to start!  I feel like I really need a personal travel agent / vacation planner.  A trip to Disney just seems like you'll be spending an arm and a leg but I know there are tons of people that do it in a frugal, yet memorable, way.  We have had so many friends that have been so gracious in giving tips and advice but I still feel so lost!  So many questions I have like ...

1. How do you travel?  Do you split the trip up if you drive, especially with young ones?  Savannah, GA is a halfway point but I'm not sure if it makes more sense to just drive all the way.  I know I can't sit there for 8 hours much less my babies.  Advice?
2. Appropriate age?  I think 5 is a great age (and what I've heard from people as well) but I worry about if Eli will enjoy it.  By the time we'd want to go he will be very close to 2, but I worry about his napping schedule and if he'll be a complete wreck if we can't get him a good nap.  So many people have said to leave the baby at home if someone can watch him but I want to go as a family.  I would feel bad leaving the little booger at home. :(
3. Dining plan?  I've heard many many people say DO THE DINING PLAN - no doubt!  Mainly because it's paid for ahead of time and it's a done deal.  With young kids, they probably don't care where they're eating and honestly I won't either. I just want them to be happy, and how could you not be at Disney World!  Will I be spending WAY more that way?
4. When to go?  Of course I'd LOVE to go on Ethan's birthday which is Christmas day but I know that's SUPER expensive so we're thinking January or February. 
5. Park Hopper?  Our idea is to have four full days of parks.  Gotta do Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom for the boys and MGM, then lastly Epcot. 

Can you tell I'm desperate for info!?! 

Strawberry Hill Pumpkin Patch & Hayride

Friday afternoon the boys and myself as well as my mom and dad made a trip to the pumpkin patch. We actually found one in Boiling Springs, SC online only to drive out to it and be disappointed. It was literally a tin shack that looked like it was going to fall apart at any moment and it was a ghost town. Nobody around. So needless to say we left. Mom mentioned driving a mere 15 miles to Strawberry Hill in Chesnee, SC and I'm so glad we did. Normally it's just a strawberry and peach farm but they had this awesome hayride for kids and it was decorated fabulously for fall. The hayride was so much fun! Ethan LOVED it and I think Eli did too. They took us past all the strawberry fields down into the woods. There were "spooky" things hanging from the trees (as E likes to call everything right now) and little "spooky" scenes along the way. We arrived to a cow field where we could feed the cows which was utterly, no pun intended, disgusting, but fun. If that makes any sense! Then there were three calves that we could pet and pigs that we could chase (check out the picture below). Then we finally got to the pumpkin patch where we could all choose a teeny pumpkin to take home. There were other fun things to do for the kids like roping a bull which E loved. After the hayride was done, we enjoyed a apple slushie which hit the spot because it was pretty warm on the hayride, hence why Eli has his socks off. I promise I'm a good mom ... it was just hot! We will definitely be back next year! So much fun!

Impromptu Pumpkin Picking

With Halloween quickly approaching last week, I realized that we have not been to officially pick out a pumpkin. We just had every weekend in October slam packed (I'm sure Chris is so thankful that November has very few plans) and never made time to do so. So, we met up with our friends, The Ledfords, and got the kids together to pick a pumpkin at the Kings Street Farmers Market in Charlotte. It was warm - so warm that Adam was wearing shorts and a T-shirt and I couldn't bring myself to put long sleeves on Ethan. But we went out around 6 so it was starting to cool down. The kiddos had a blast! Ethan and Kaitlyn get along so well together and they had the best time chasing each other around all the mounds of pumpkins. There were a million pumpkins all piled on different tables per size and then one big mound of pumpkins that they could choose from. There is a big sign that said "No crawling on top", and what exactly did the kids do? We finally just grabbed a pumpkin on our way out and went to eat dinner!