Another Spring Break Adventure

We kicked off Spring Break with Layton's birthday outing to Six Flags and on Tuesday we set off for another adventure! 

Terrell took the day off on Tuesday because of it having the best weather forecast and we took the boys to Stone Mountain. It was another day full of family fun. We've enjoyed our Spring Break lots!!

The first thing we did after arriving Tuesday morning was to ride to the top of the mountain. So fun! We loved the view and the ride up. =)

The top of the mountain! We took the big boys back in 2014 (Layton was only 3 months old so he didn't make the trip with us) and we had a great time. So we enjoyed being back after almost 3 years. Plus including Layton in the fun and having everybody together was the best!

Love this guy and the way he loves his family!!

My babies and the sky. =) We had beautiful weather and were so thankful we decided to go on Tuesday. The weather this week has been super crazy and unpredictable. 

Flashback to 2014 on top of the mountain.... =)

 

After making our way down... which was a much more thrilling ride than I remembered, haha... we decided on putt putt golf. Terrell and I didn't play since it was crowded and there was a family behind us, but the boys loved it. Garrison even made some great putts! 

It was a fun course with an up close view of the train. =)

Layton took some shots with help...

And some by himself too. We all enjoyed the golf game. =)

Once we finished hole 18 we jumped on the train before it left! It was a really relaxing ride. I think it made us all sleepy. It's much longer than the train ride at Six Flags and it was breezy and nice. Of course the boys started complaining about halfway through because they were starving and ready for it to be over. Haha.

It was about 1:00 once we got off the train so we went to the car for lunch. We decided on the same plan from our day at Six Flags and packed lunches for everybody to eat in the air conditioned car... with their movie playing. =) The perfect lunch break!

After lunch we went back for the new "Dinosaur Explore" exhibit. This was probably my favorite part of the whole day. It was was like a mini Jurassic Park. 

The dinosaurs were all real life size, they all moved, made noises, blinked their eyes, opened their mouths, etc. The whole exhibit was set up like a zoo, complete with facts and information displayed, but with dinosaurs! It was a huge favorite for the whole fam!

The Brachiosaurus was my favorite! It was HUGE... and "eating" leaves off the trees. =)

The infamous T-Rex. =)

My own little dinosaurs. =) Layton was super hesitant about getting inside the egg. The one in the background had a baby dinosaur that popped up and down and Layton thought there was one inside all the eggs. Haha. #thepicturethatalmostwasn't

We went to the "Dinotorium"/Great Barn after the exhibit and the boys played and had a ball while we tried to keep eyes on them. We stayed there for a while because they were having such a great time and then we made our way to the "Sky Height" area.

I wasn't a fan of us doing this because I knew Garrison would be the only one tall enough to participate in the high ropes course... and it was crowded.... and Austin and Layton both would have to be entertained for a quite some time while we waited. But, come to find out, the "Sky Height" was by reservation only and the earliest time available was like 6:20... way past when we would be there. So the nice Stone Mountain girl told us about the smaller course for any age located behind the big one. And it was perfect for all 3 boys! 

Layton needed help to go through it but the big boys flew through every course and did it like 20 times or more. Ha. They all loved it. 

We didn't even know it was there and were getting ready to call it a day. 

I think this turned out to be the best wrap up to our day because they all loved it so much and could be active and move and really tire out before we left. =)

We had the best day together and loved our 2nd Spring Break adventure of the week!

We decided to leave Stone Mountain and head to Covington for supper. Our home for almost 8 years. We avoided rush hour traffic in and around Atlanta and instead visited our old stomping ground and some of our most favorite places. We checked on our old house, rode around the square, checked out Terrell's old bank, and then ate at one of our favorite restaurant's there, Stevi B's!! 

It was pretty cool being back at our old "home". We missed some things and definitely felt some nostalgia, but we were mostly grateful for our time there and our move HERE. Covington will always be special to us. We made some wonderful memories there and became a family of 3, then 4, then 5 all while living there. It's a wonderful town full of some great people and it was always good to us. But, we wore out Highway 36 to Barnesville enough. We don't miss the drive, don't miss the packing and traveling, and definitely don't miss the time away from family, the stress of holidays and missing out, and not having our village close by. So thankful for our time there and God's plan to move us back here. He is so faithful and our trip down memory lane reminded us of His faithfulness in a big way. 

We had a GREAT day start to finish. Yay for Spring Break memories!! Hopefully I'll have a full recap next week. I'm taking tomorrow off. =) Happy Thursday!

Layton's Birthday Outing!

We FINALLY got around to Layton's birthday outing over the weekend! Almost 2 months after his actual birthday.... but we made it happen and our baby boy was thrilled!! 

We had the best time together and it confirmed for me once again my LOVE for this tradition. =)

A little back story just for my memory...Around the 1st of the year when we started party planning for our February birthday boys we decided on Snow Mountain for Garrison and Six Flags for Layton. Layton was a big fan when we went before Christmas and since we have season passes this year we decided it'd be perfect. So we kept the special outings a surprise and one day out of the blue around Layton's birthday he started talking about going to Six Flags. And he basically never stopped. He asked about it almost daily. So it turned out to be the perfect choice for him because he'd been begging to go for weeks and weeks! And now he can't wait to go back! =)

Six Flags bound!

We arrived right when they opened at 10:30 and let Layton choose the first ride of the day. He chose the choo choo train... but of course it was 10 minutes away... so we watched daddy and Garrison ride the mine train while we waited. =)

Then we were ready for the choo choo. Layton chose a front row seat and loved every second!  

Then we made our way to Boom Town for Layton's choice of rides. 

While were there we even rode a fun roller coaster together as a family. Layton's first! 

And the old fashioned cars (as we call them) are a huge family favorite! We never get tired of these. 

I laughed so hard while Austin drove me around. We enjoyed a wild ride. Ha!

Once we were all starving and ready for lunch we went back to the car for a picnic in the air conditioning. It was the perfect little break for us to cool off and fill up before setting out for the afternoon. 

The first thing we did after going back into the park was ride the Logs! So. Much. Fun! I rode with Garrison and Layton and we all loved it. You get splashed but not soaked and it's just a really fun ride for any age. Austin and Terrell rode together and they loved it too. Austin isn't a thrill seeker so we weren't sure what he'd think but the Logs are officially another family favorite now. =)

Austin and Layton started tiring out pretty fast in the afternoon but we managed to fit in a few more rides together before calling it a day.

And we had to go back and ride the old fashioned cars one more time. This time I rode in the backseat while Garrison and Austin were my chauffeurs. Austin had the wheel and Garrison had the pedal. It was another wild ride for me. Hahaha.

And this time Layton got a turn to drive! I think daddy was in for a wild ride himself!

My littles were sooo worn out so we decided to make our way back to the car while Terrell and Garrison rode the Mind Bender. On our way out we ran into these guys and stopped for a picture.

And Garrison ran into some characters on his way out too!

We had the best day together and loved finally giving Layton his birthday outing! We were SPENT afterwards.... tired, hot, sweaty, and gross. And you know you're getting old when you have to take some Tylenol as soon as you get home from Six Flags. Haha. The memories we made, the laughs we shared, and the fun we had were all so priceless and worth every ache and pain. And headache. Ha. 

We can't wait to go back again! Happy 3rd birthday Layton Thomas!! 

***And Happy Birthday today to my wonderful mama and my boys' amazing Granna! We love you and hope you have a GREAT day!!!

Friday Favorites: 1st Week Success!

My first full week as a Kindergarten teacher has been a successful one! Yaaaay!!!! Wooohooo!! Praise the Lord!!!! 

#butI'msooooexhausted #whenisitbedtime #mamaisruningonfumes

Despite my exhaustion I am so grateful for how smoothly things have gone overall. And, I'm really thankful that my kids weren't neglected, my husband wasn't neglected, and my house wasn't (totally) neglected during this first week. Those were all very real fears for me and I am just giving God the glory for the success we've experienced so far. And Spring Break coming next week has made a huge difference for me when it comes to being away from Layton. Post Spring Break could be pretty rough.... but this week, this mama and teacher is GRATEFUL. 

Here's a look at a few of my favorite moments from the week...

*This moment goes back to the week before last when Terrell surprised Garrison by coming for lunch. Austin had "Doughnuts with Dad" coming up (which we missed thanks to everyone being sick... so we ended up doing our own version at home) and Garrison was a little bummed about not having a doughnuts with dad...it was for PreK only.... so the best daddy ever surprised him for lunch! Terrell happened to be coming through Barnesville around Garrison's lunch time and it worked out perfect. Our biggest boy's day was MADE. =)

*I read this in the midst of everyone being sick last week. The week that about did me in and caused a nervous breakdown. Not only was it timely for last week, it was also a much needed reminder for me as I am pretty much always tempted to look ahead, plan ahead, and worry ahead. Who knew my New Year's resolution for the year would be almost impossible for me. Ha. Focusing on the present and taking one day at a time is big ole challenge for me... and I fail a LOT. But I do think being intentional and trying has at least helped a little.

*My middle man's 1st game of the season was a pretty great one. =)

*And so was his 2nd! One day soon I've got to get some pictures of Garrison playing!

*After school, post-homework downtime. Ahhhh. A much needed breather before the supper time and practice rush begins.

*I only made it to the last few minutes of Austin's practice Monday night but it was a great night for baseball. And the miracle of miracles is happening for me.... I've had very little Spring allergies so far!! Almost non-existent! I'm using my nose spray daily but this is HUGE for me. Obviously my surgery really paid off! YAY!

*The boys are back into Power Rangers right now and Layton is almost always in character when we're home. Even right before bedtime. =)

*One of Austin's teacher's sent me this picture of him and one of his besties waiting on an appearance from Pete the Cat at our Fine Arts Center. Love these 2 and their sweet little friendship!

*The same day I got a picture of these 2 bestie-cousins from my mom. They love off-roading together. =)

*A new request for the boys lately is that we have reading time together before going to bed. Normally Terrell and I alternate nights of who puts the big boys to bed and who puts Layton to bed and we read to them separately. But this week we had 2 nights of reading together that was pretty special. Even if the boys got on my nerves or made me a little crazy I was intentional about soaking up the moment because I wanted to remember it. These days are some of the best days. 

*Garrison wrote this short story during his "free choice" center time on yesterday and I love it. The title is supposed to be 3 Guys. My favorite line.... They were famous and victorious. =)

*Pre-game pictures! Hahaha! 

*Oh these boys of mine. They make me crazy and melt my heart just about constantly. =)

We are kicking off Spring Break this afternoon!! We're looking forward to some special family outings, extra rest, extra fun, and extra downtime! We are all excited and ready! Happy Friday!!