Weekend Ramblings

This was a great weekend! I started it off with happy hour and Tex-Mex with some of my girls from work. Sangria swirls and chile rellanos on the patio? Yes. Every. Time. I actually only attend happy hour maybe 3 times a year, finding free time for that extra hour is tough and then dealing with the mom guilt afterwards... But I went and it was much needed. 

Saturday started bright and early, Elle woke up at her usual 6:45 and was SO excited to hear we didn't have to work! We had a low key Saturday, walked to the playground, family trip to target, and dinner out. 

Sunday was Elle's first day of Sunday school, and my first day teaching Sunday school. I am not teaching Elle's class, my class is a bit older. What a privilege it is to be teaching something so special to God's little children. I can only imagine what they will teach me this year! We rounded out our weekend with some outside time in the evening. The weather was great! We let Elle stay up to watch the lunar eclipse- she had so many questions! My favorite one "Daddy, are there houses on the moon?" Love her little mind!

Was your weekend just as wonderful?

Camping With Littles: Must Haves

I wanted to share a few of my must haves if you plan on camping with little people. Camping is fairly new for me.  I am still learning the ins and outs of what is really required and what can probably be left at home! This doesn't cover the necessities like diapers, food, etc., but I think these special items will make camping with small children a little bit easier.

High Chair//Shoes//Little Camping Chair//Blanket//

Another Blanket Option//Water bottle (Similar)  

Rocking Chair//Turtle

We received the portable high chair as a Christmas gift from my in-laws. We have taken it several places, to the pool, on our beach vacation, and most recently camping. We get comments on it every time we take it out! Elle is a girl on a mission anytime we go somewhere new. She loves to explore, climbing things, getting dirty. I left her dressier shoes at home and only brought her Keens and rain boots. I love that these shoes are easy for her to put on and you can pretty much hose them off if they get dirty. Shoes that can get dirty are a must! Do not pack shoes you are afraid will get ruined.

The girls and I love to play outside. One of my favorite things to do is to lay a blanket down on the ground and read, have a picnic, play, rest. It's so relaxing for the backyard or for camping! I like to use a quilt, I think it's a little thicker which makes it more comfortable than a thing mat. Wren isn't walking yet, so having a place for her to crawl and play was a must while we were camping. If I had to choose one thing off of this list, this would probably be it.

Did you even know they made camping rocking chairs?? Even if I didn't have anyone that needed rocked to sleep, I think I would like to take one for myself! Wren still gets rocked to sleep every night. This chair is super comfortable, it made it easy to rock and nurse her to sleep. Both of the girls got cloud b animals when they were born, Elle has the giraffe and Wren has the bunny. I have been using the tranquil turtle to try and help Wren sleep in her own bed at night. Nothing stops progress made like sleeping in a bed with Mama over the weekend! Nonetheless, this little turtle is very calming to fall asleep to!

Of course, the most essential things you need to bring aren't things you can pack. A warm heart and caring hands go a long way <3

Weekend- Oklahoma Style

The weekend was great, standard complaint of it being a few days too short. We had camping reservations in Oklahoma, so after we got done working on Friday we loaded up and headed out. Matts parents went ahead with the girls earlier in the day so it was just us two crazy parents alone on the road. It was so nice getting a few hours to ourselves, stuck in the car where you had to talk! 

The weather was amazing! It rained a bit on Saturday and Sunday, but we were so thrilled it was in the 60s/70s it didn't slow us down one bit! Elle, actually, couldn't get enough of the rain. 

The girls absolutely love the outdoors, they were happy little dirt balls most of the time! Highlights include: seeing the stars, campfires, rain, freezing cold mineral springs, and old my little ponies to play with!