Happenings Lately...

Okay, so there is a lot going on and this is the easiest way to talk about it =)

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The house is officially on the market!  It's been up for a little over a week now and we're still waiting for our first call for a showing {not that I expected them to come right away, everyone seems to be crazy busy through Memorial Day!}  But let me just tell you?  Keeping the house "show ready" with 3 kids?  Exhausting.  Especially when they like to dump all their toys out again 3 minutes after you clean them up and are half out the door on the way to work. 

It's awesome.

But it's fine.  Bob and I have a pretty good system going.  Clean up after the kids go to bed and then just straighten up and make the beds before we leave the house every morning.  Although I'm so tired of it {already, sheesh!} I do really like that our house is always clean.  It makes me feel so much better and more organized!  I feel like my pre-kid self again ;)

So yeah, I'll keep you posted on that and I really AM going to blog about the before and after pictures of our house.  Really.

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So tomorrow is Brynn's birthday.  I mentioned that before and we are really excited about celebrating with her.  She is the sweetest ever and I love her so damn much.  I can't wait to spend the day with her tomorrow! Also... everyone in our family gets to pick their birthday dinner {my mom will make anything they want!} and Brynnie picked pancakes.  So, pancakes it is tomorrow night. =)

But what I haven't mentioned yet?  Saturday is my dad's birthday.

Yeah.  That's going to be tough. 

I cry just thinking about it.

We do have some special things planned to honor his birthday {I don't really want to use the word "celebrate"}.  Everyone will head over to my mom's house in the morning to get the day started.  As I mentioned before, we planted a tree in honor of my dad. Well we bought this gorgeous plaque to place beside it and we plan to put that in the ground around noon.  I'll be sure to post a picture of it on IG {and likely here next week} so stay tuned for that.  We didn't want anything sad... we wanted it to just be a sweet reminder of him and the lives that he's touched along the way. We searched high and low for the perfect plaque and the moment we saw it, we just knew.  I really can not wait to put that out next to his tree in my mom's backyard.  It will be very special.

After the plaque, we plan to have a little lunch BBQ.  My dad LOVED BBQ's and since his birthday always fell on/around Memorial Day, we had one for him every year. 

I remember last year, we had a BBQ for him and Brynn on the same day and it was so fun just celebrating the two of them, BBQing it up, sitting around the fire pit, as the kids rode their scooters and played on the new waterslide. My dad and I drove around from store to store on his actual birthday last year, just trying to get this waterslide for the kids.  We must have gone to 10 different stores for this thing because it was sold out everywhere.  And I remember thanking him for going with me and spending his birthday looking for something that would make the kids so happy.  He was the best! 

 

Sigh.  Yeah.  Saturday is going to be hard.

After our BBQ, we plan to visit the cemetery and then, later in the evening, head out to dinner at one of his favorite restaurants.  Although we know how difficult of a day it will be, we have some special things planned and we will be spending the day together.  There may be a lot of tears, but there will also be just as much laughter. My dad's girls are strong... we'll get through it.

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Sunday is Aubrey's Baptsim!  {We just go right from one thing to the next, don't we?}  My sister has been working so hard on getting everything ready for Auggleberry's special day and I just know that it's going to be lovely.  I'm excited and can't wait to spend the day celebrating such a special baby girl {and Reid's BFF, cousin, and birthday twin!}

It's okay, you can say it... she's the sweetest, right?

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Okay, so I kinda have some news. I kinda submitted a proposal for this big international conference for work.  And it kinda got accepted.  So I'm kinda going to the conference next month.  In... {wait for it}...

Hawaii.

Yep, I AM serious.

I am so excited that I can barely contain myself.  We leave just 3 weeks from Sunday!  There are a few of my coworkers going as well, but guess who else is coming along?  

Bob. =)

We've never been to Hawaii, so this is a dream for us. We're staying in Waikoloa, on the big island.  For those that have been there before, do you have any tips and/or must see things that we should look into?  I do actually have to attend/present at the conference {obviously;} but we do have a few days to ourselves and want to make the most of it!  So far, we plan to visit the volcanoes and go to a luau {my idea, but come on!  It's Hawaii!}  Anything else you can think of?  Any wonderful restaurants we should try?  Let me know!

And I must must MUST thank my wonderful mom and mother-in-law.  As soon as we mentioned the word Hawaii, they automatically told us not to worry about the kids.  We realize exactly how lucky we are to have not one, but TWO, wonderful mothers who are there for us always and who are willing to take our 3 crazy kids for a week.  You both are the best ever and we love you so very much.  MUAH!

And I must do it.  I must.  

Oh, ya know... just a shot of our hotel pool.  NBD.

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Yeah, so there's not much happening lately at all, huh? ;)

Google Reader is going away on July 1st, and I don't want to lose you in the shuffle!