August and September...What a Whirlwind

I am pretty sure our family missed the month of August, haha. It has been one of the fastest months this year. I would say it's a tie between August and July :) August was filled with friend time, swimming in the sun, sicknesses and service opportunities for friends. I can not believe how incredibly fast August went by.

Dad and Jack

We are working on a ponytail for Quinnie Bear :)

The boys got a hold of Dads camera at church :)

We received the best text from Momma Clark in the beginning of August about a visit at the end of the month. There were a lot of excited little bodies jumping up and down and smiling. They were so excited for Grandma to come. It could not have been better timing. We were all so very excited to have Grandma stay with us for a few days.

We love Grandma! 

The kids made a few "Welcome" signs for Grandma's much anticipated arrival. They were very excited to show off their artwork and give big hugs.

Bedtime stories with Grandma.

A walk to the park in style :) 

My Gram gifted this sweet pram to me years ago when Jack was a baby and yes, we still use it. It may be 50+ years old but it works like a champ. The kids love strolling in this. 

We took the kids for a walk but accidentally forgot water, haha. The walk ended a little sooner than we thought but it was fun to be in the sun. Note to self...don't forget water when you are walking in the desert, haha. 

Sweet baby Quinn

A Fun Trip to the Outlets

Beep Beep

The outlets are always a success in our book and even more fun when Grandma comes. The boys love running from toy to toy. They jump up on every single one and pretend to ride. We spend several minutes at each "toy station" and then move on to the next one with a little shopping in between :)

Jack and the green dinosaur.

Two peas in a pod.

 

More toys to drive and play on. 

Quinn takes one for a spin. 

Funny thing is that the kids don't like them to actually move. They just want to sit on them and pretend that they move, haha. It's cheaper for me so I'll take it!

Fun in the Sun!

Snack and pool time!

Here in El Paso we spend a lot of our summer days right here. I am usually sitting right there while watching these little monkeys pretend to be fish in the water. They absolutely LOVE to swim and show off their moves. I think they asked Grandma a thousand times to watch something or take a picture/video of them doing something special. Grandma was very patient and happily obliged to every request. 

"Look at me Grandma! Did you get it? Can I see?"

Cutie Pie Q

"1, 2, 3"

 Peekaboo Quinn

One giant step for Jackson Scott.

Beckham will literally jump off of anything he feels he can. He loves jumping in water and making a splash.

A trip to the zoo :)

This place is always a favorite. We like to go once every few months. We love to see the new exhibits or changes that have been made each time we go. The kids LOVE the zoo!

Woohoo!

Trying to find the snake.

"Take our picture with the alligator Grandma."

The boys are so fascinated by alligators. 

This hornbill was making so much noise. I couldn't believe how loud it was. I love Quinn in this pic. She's one of the "big kids" now ;)

Chasing pigeons. 

Sandy said that Pres used to chase birds like this too. She couldn't get enough. Anytime she saw a bird she took off after it to watch it fly. 

Grandma and Q snuggle time!

Quinn has been wanting to go on the potty for a while now. I have not officially potty trained her but she goes quite a bit and loves being a big girl. I think having two older brothers helps.

Our little family at breakfast.

Pres and I talked a few months back about me taking a "Momcation" during the first weekend of September. We both felt like it would be a great break for me and fun one on one time with Dad. I looked around for the perfect getaway place. After a little research I came across a resort in Tucson that looked very inviting. It was close enough for me to drive to and it had several of the things I wanted to do. I booked a room for three days and started planning out my stay.

Sandy had flown in a couple days before I left and stayed to help Pres for a day or two while I was gone. We were so happy to have her here for a few days.

A few pics from while Mom was away...

Reading with Grandma.

If you open a book up around my kids they will swarm you. They LOVE to read!

All smiles :)

Splash Pad Fun!

The Giant Bucket

Pres and Grandma took the kids to our splash pad. 

Daddy and his girl.

Splish Splash

Hiding from the water.

The Bucket!

Happy boy!

Gangs all here!

Snack time :)

Quinnie Bear

Grandma and Q. Smile Quinn, haha.

Rudy's for the win!

Jack took a pretty nasty fall at the splash pad causing all of the band-aids.

 There is nothing like Grandma!! XOXO

LOVE!

"Momcation" 

A picture from a rest stop in Arizona.

The drive was about 4 1/2 hours long and was incredible! I loved every minute of it. I grabbed a big ol' Diet Coke, a snack and headed west to Tucson. I listened to MY music and sang at the top of my lungs. I am pretty sure that I won American Idol several times and was one heck of a performer for the Greatest Showman :) Anyone passing by must have thought I was slightly crazy, haha. 

My first stop in Tucson...lunch at Cheesecake Factory! 

This is my favorite restaurant! We don't have one in El Paso so this was a big to do on my list. Maybe one day we will get one :)

Tucson Temple

Next stop on my list was the temple. This place is absolutely stunning! I love the blue that is on the roof. That color carries inside the temple. It was so gorgeous and incredibly peaceful.  Hands down the best way to start my weekend away. I could have stayed here forever. It felt so good being back in a temple :) I had forgotten how remarkable it is as well as refreshing.

Another shot from when I was leaving. 

After the temple I headed to Walmart and grabbed some snacks. I wanted to have a few things in my room so I wouldn't have to go out. Mostly breakfast, snacks and drinks. Arizona is so hot so I made sure to have water bottles. Once I got all of my necessities like Diet Coke and chocolate ;) I headed to the resort. I am so happy I grabbed snacks because the resort was further out than I had thought. It was on a beautiful golf course up by the mountains. It was so pretty and peaceful.

My room!

This place was huge! I couldn't get over the size of this room. It was beyond perfect for the weekend. I had a balcony, living room area, study and then a huge soaker bathtub as well as my own walk in closet. It was like a studio apartment but bigger, haha. That king bed was so dang comfortable. I slept like a Queen in that thing. I unpacked and got ready for my dinner reservations at Bob's Steakhouse. I couldn't believe how fast the day was going by. I had left that morning at 8am and here I am getting ready for a 6:30p dinner reservation. 

The resort had three restaurants to choose from so I chose the steakhouse for my first night in. I took my Magnolia Journal that I had been saving for my trip and sat all by myself in a corner booth. I ordered my meal which ended up being three courses! They had a special that night which consisted of a salad, steak with amazing carrots on the side and then finished it off with creme brulee. It was absolutely incredible!!  

People just kept bringing me food and drinks, haha. I literally felt like royalty. While I read my magazine the waitress would come by and fill up my Diet Coke and then bring my next course. I cannot express the feelings I had during this quiet yet absolutely delicious meal. No one asked me for anything. I could just enjoy my meal. I took my time eating, which for those who know me is a long time, haha. I spent a good hour and a half just reading and eating. The steak they served was one of the best steaks I have ever eaten! When I first sat down they served me a warm bread with butter. It was to die for. I had them box up what I couldn't finish of the bread and took it back to my room. This was THE perfect way to start my weekend. I probably could have gone home the next morning but I had so much more I wanted to do all by myself ;)

                                 

One of the reasons I chose this resort was because it had a spa. After an incredible night of sleep, and sleeping in until I woke up on my own, I headed to the spa. I toured the spa area and it was a dream. They had a women's lounge as well as hot tub, sauna, steam room and shower area... all for women only. They had lemon and lime flavored water all throughout the spa. I went back to the "salon" area and had my mani/pedi. After my nails were dolled up I headed to the outlets. I was shopping for maybe three hours and realized I only went to like four stores, haha. I didn't realize that taking my time took that long! I wasn't rushed at all so I just sifted through racks and tried things on at my leisure, sometimes twice, haha. I grabbed dinner from the food court and headed back to the resort.

Loved the landscape. 

The cactus were everywhere and so pretty. I wish El Paso had this kind of desert landscape.

A view from my balcony.

Another shot of the golf course. 

Once I got home I ate my dinner and took a book out to my patio to read. A massive storm rolled in and I had to go back inside. The thunder was incredible to listen to. I LOVE thunderstorms and this was definitely a treat. At one point I thought I was going to have a flood come through my door. The rain just poured and the drains couldn't keep up with it. There was about two inches of standing water outside of my door! 

During the storm I read and read and read my book while lounging on my bed listening to the rain and thunder. I couldn't have asked for anything better. I think Heavenly Father blessed me with that little storm. He sure does know His children ;)

Listening to the storm on the balcony until I had to go inside.

A picture after the storm moved on. This is from my balcony. 

That night I did something that I had never done before...I finished an entire book in one day. I chose the book Wonder for my getaway. I had heard several good things about it and it did not disappoint. It was an incredible book and a great read. I LOVED it! 

When I woke up the next morning I headed to Nordstrom Rack to check out what they had. I may or may not have scored big time there ;) I had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory one last time and then headed back to the resort. I took this opportunity to check out the women's only spa. I started in the hot tub then headed to the sauna, the steam room and finished in the sauna. It was so nice to relax and enjoy. Went back to the room and got ready for my last dinner. I went to the other restaurant but it wasn't as good as the steakhouse. Had the steakhouse been open I would have gone there but they are closed on Sunday and Monday. The waitress was very sweet and kind. 

A pic from the rest stop on the way home.

I woke up on Monday and packed up everything. I grabbed some donuts from a little hole in the wall that ended up being fantastic. Grabbed a Diet Coke for my drive home and headed east to El Paso. I had the BEST time in Tucson. I loved knowing that after a little weekend all to myself I was headed back to the GREATEST husband and three INCREDIBLE kiddos. 

The thing about taking a weekend away isn't because the kids are hard, crazy or drive me nuts. Jack, Beckham and Quinn are seriously some of the BEST kids in the world. They are so sweet, loving, kind, fun and amazing overall. Sometimes a Mom just needs a little time away to remember herself and do things that she enjoys. This will be an annual thing for me, that is for sure ;)

WELCOME HOME MOM! XOXO

My heart could not be more full :)