Family Vacations Make Me Happy

We made the long drive to visit my grandparents in Lake Havasu City, AZ. 

It was a bit of a last minute decision to make the drive, but it was one of the best trips we've made as a family. 

Our first part of the trip was the road trip. We genuinely enjoyed the road trip with the kids. The drive from CO to the Grand Canyon was gorgeous. The kids were great, and the time I spent with James was great. I'm so happy to say that the long drive went so great. 

The Grand Canyon is truly amazing. To think that God has given us a place like this on earth makes me desire Heaven even more. 

Although it was a bit hard to truly enjoy due to the fact that I have small children near a steep drop.

Yeah….we were holding on TIGHT.

Once we arrived in Lake Havasu the first thing we did was smooch Great Pa and Great Gran and then jump in the pool.
How cool is my grandma? I bet you don't have a hat like this.

And seeing as how it's 115 degrees there we hit the beach at 8am. Ella was not impressed. This girl doesn't love the beach.
Seriously….what's wrong with her?

Also, a while ago I accepented the fact that my body isn't designed for a 2 piece anymore. Three kids will do that to ya. But I am so happy to own this one piece. It's adorable, and super flattering! Gotta love a spanx bathing suit! 

And In-n-Out happend…..twice.

My kids are so blessed to have so much family around them. They are surrounded by grandparents and great grandparents. So blessed.

It was such a blessing for me to see my children interact with their great grandparents. They had the chance to experience Lake Havasu the way that I remember. You swim, you eat treats, you watch cartoons and repeat. It was perfect. I love that we had this time together.

WIW: That Mint Dress

This dress reminds me of The Sound Of Music.

You know….the part where Leisl is signing "I am 16 going on 17"….

Ok, so mine is completely different.
But it's so fun, and flirty, and "flowy". It does that circle spin thing when I twirl around in it.
Such a girly dress.
Plus…it's mint. And I love mint.

I especially liked the detail of the neckline. I don't when I began to like a deep V, but I love that it has it down the back as well.

The only thing that's bad about this dress is the wrinkles. Because we all know there is no way I'm going to iron anything before I wear it.

It was fun to pair it with bronze and gold accessories. Any chance I get to wear my bronze peep toe heels, I do! 

The best part…..it was $10 at Ross. 

Love me a thrifty find! 

Surviving a LONG Road Trip

We just got back from our family vacation to Lake Havasu, AZ.

It was a LONG road trip. It took us nearly 15 hours to drive home.
You know what….it didn't suck.

In fact….the ride out there was actually enjoyable. Yes, it was kind of fun. Yes, we still had our three kids 5 and under with us. (Although it would have been a lot easier without them)

So, now that we survived and didn't kill each other I thought I'd share some of my best "road tripping with kids" tips.

One of the best things I did was make a trip to the dollar store. I purchased a bunch of stuff to make an "activity bag".

I bought paper, coloring books, stickers, and little prizes I could had out.
I also bought little containers where each kid could have their own box of crayons, markers and wipes.
This way there was no fighting over a certain color, marker. I also put the wipes and kleenex in there so they didn't have to ask me for them. I put sunglasses in there too. Dollor store kids glasses are the best thing ever. Seeing as how my kids lose them like crazy.

I also gave each kid their own lap tray so they could color or hold their snacks. You can find these online.

I handed out the little prizes (chalkboards, "guys", toy horses, games, etc) every few hours or so. This was a nice way to break up the long trip with something new for them to do.

I also had a snack bag. Lots of snacks seemed to be the key to happiness. I tried my hardest to buy food they don't get at home but they would love to snack on. But I also tried to avoid sugar as much as possible. There is no need to get them all jacked up on energy in a confined place. 

Every time they asked for a snack I gave it to them. It kept them happy, and kept our sanity. I had little plastic cups I would fill up for them. That way I didn't have to prepackage snacks at home. 

I packed a cooler too with food for a picnic lunch. That way we got out of the car, stretched our legs, and ran off some energy, and saved money. 

They each got their own water bottle, to avoid fighting over one. Dollar store….love it.

Find rest areas to stop at, so they can run around like crazy people.
We also stopped at a Burger King with a play place to use the potty and let them play for a bit.

On the way to the Lake we stayed a night at a hotel, so the next morning we could see the Grand Canyon.
This was out of our way, but we really made it a priority to see it. Who knows if we'd ever make it back that way.
This broke our trip up a bit, and added a mini vacation in the middle of a long road trip. I really suggest making the most out of the trip. Go a bit out of your way to enjoy it more. It was totally worth it!

Invest in a neck pillow.

Ok….I actually did have a neck pillow for all three of them….they didn't even use it.
Geesh! I guess kids will sleep no matter what.

But I think one of the best tips I can give is to just go in with a good attitude. We mentally prepared that the trip was going to be draining. But we prayed, and allowed God to control the time we had as a family.

And we did.

Hope you can enjoy these long road trips too!

We…Are...

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James and I have been anxiously awaiting the moment when we could publicly announce our upcoming adoption.

We are so happy to have felt God's tug on our hearts to add to our family through adoption!

The kids are so excited too.

We just heard the news that our profiles are live… and now the wait begins…the wait to be chosen by our birthmother.

We have chosen to adopt through Bethany Christian Services with an infant domestic adoption.

We are praying and trusting God right now.

If you have a free moment we would so appreciate your prayers too!

Check out our video and profile online and feel free to SHARE SHARE SHARE it!
Thanks!

More details to come later. 

:: Elated right now ::

Straw-BEER-Garita

Do you remember last summer when I posted my Skinny Watermelon Mojito recipe?

It is super yummy. But this summer it is time for me to introduce you to my Straw-BEER-garita.

Yum, yum, yum! It's refreshing, delicious, and a crowd pleaser!

And it is even better because it's not strong at all! I love that. I love a little kick…without the punch.

Here's what you need….

1 beer (I used a mexican beer for the flavor…plus it's what I had on had)
1 cup limeade concentrate
1/2 cup strawberry margarita mix (non-alcoholic)…I used On The House mix
4 shots tequila (obviously…I'm cheap…and it's a mix….don't use the expensive stuff!)
juice of 1 lime
Ice

Mix it up! Pour it up. Drink it up!

Seriously guys…it's so good!

Hope you love it!

Happy summer indeed!

{Home Tour} Master Bathroom

I am so blessed to had gorgeous cherry cabinets in my kitchen. 

You can see those HERE.

When we bought our home it was a new build, which meant I was able to CHOOSE my "stuff". Like my cabinets. When I picked cherry for the kitchen they were put though out the entire house. 

Including the bathrooms. Well, I didn't want them there.

I know…

"boo hoo, Bethany!"

But….I've been wanting to paint the cabinets in the bathroom since we moved in.

The time finally came! I did it.

And you guys….I'm in bathroom heaven!

It's amazing what paint, hardware and new mirrors can do!

So here's the before and AFTER. 

 (sorry for the dirty mirror….can you tell which side is James'?)

Find out how I made this towel hook HERE

I wanted my bathroom to look feel like a spa. Soothing. Very soothing.
Green is calming…don't you think?

 Can you believe I did this all for around $100?!

Here's my cost breakdown:

Paint- $20
Hardware- $25
Mirrors- $60

Mirrors are super expensive! I couldn't really justify getting rid of perfectly good mirror (even if it was ugly) and spend a small fortune on new ones.

I found these ones at Home Depot for $30 each. They just needed a little spray paint.
You know I love my white spray paint!

If you are curious…they are Martha Stewart mirrors. Don't check the bathroom section for mirrors…check the Martha Stewart decor section!

Another great tip for changing your bathroom from "builder grade" to "custom" is to get rid of those towel rods! Hooks can allow you towels to look more like decor.

So there it is!

With paint, hooks, hardware, and towels I've got my own spa…all for less then the cost of one trip to a real spa!