traveling with kiddos

11 hour car rides, 3 hour plane rides with several long lay overs with 2 kids under the age of 4 might not sound enticing to you.

We LOVE it!

We love traveling with our kids and our families. Creating memories and seeing different places through their eyes is important and fun to Scotty and I. Sometimes getting to our destination might get a little crazy with kids but in the end it is worth it.
However, I have learned a few things that work for us. Of course we learn something new on each trip.

I am envious of those people that pack before hand and have it all together. I am not that person. I wait til the last minute and end of staying up way to late, get tired, and just start throwing things in a bag. But I have learned a few tricks that make it easier when packing for little ones. Too many times I have looked up to see Kase wearing a belly shirt or Knox wearing shorts to the floor due to my husband being notorious for mixing up the boys clothes I have learned I have to pack their clothes separate and keep them separate. I found 2 adorable handy totes from thirty-one that works great for us. They are great to stack, save space, collapse and are pretty darn cute.

When we get to our room I do not put their clothes in drawer I keep them sorted in these bins which I think is easier and I am not a fan of putting everything away in drawers for a short amount of time.

I have also found that when packing Ziploc bags (my favorite Ziploc bags are from IKEA because they are extra big and cute) and rubber bands are must haves.



I have learned if I roll the boys outfits it saves space as well as keeping wrinkles out because who really wants to iron on vacation? Then I wrap a rubber band around the outfit to keep it together.

I am really bad about forgetting what I packed to go together so the rubber bands keep me organized and saves time.

I use the Ziploc bags to sort underwear and shoes.

On trips with long drives I have learned to make it fun for them. On this trip I knew that I wanted to pack the boys beach pales so I decided to use their pales as a goody bucket as well.

I packed up left over Easter candy and other gifts that the boys have received that I had put back for times like these and filled their buckets. I wrapped the treats in brown sacks I had in my pantry to make it a little more fun for them.

Then along the way if I noticed them getting antsy that meant it was time to pull something out of the pale. This distracted them and gave them something new to play with. Kase loves it!! Of course Knox loves it because Kase loves it. Of course I didn't want the adults to feel left out so I decided to make them goody buckets as well.

When we were little Mom always packed a picnic and we would stop on the way. Which is some of my favorite memories of traveling with my family. We do the same with the boys. It gives them and me something to look forward to, provides a healthy meal for them and lets us all get some fresh air and burn some energy.

Where else can you have lunch with no shirt and no pants? Picnics are the best!

(Wendy and Brandon went earlier than us, so they missed out on the family picnic)

In the end we always get there no matter how long the drive or flight is and have a great time. Yes traveling with kids can be crazy and slow, but we think it is worth it.
On this trip we are at Jekyll Island. Seeing the boys faces when we arrived and their little feet running towards the ocean made me forget the long drive, flights and all the junk I had to pack up to bring. I can't wait for the next trip!

My "Dan In Real Life"

If you haven't seen Steve Carell's Dan In Real Life then you need to add it to your Netflix list. As I watch the family in the movie excersice, eat, cook, sing, and play together as a family it reminds me of our family weekends at the lake. Weekends that we enjoy taking morning runs , cooking, playing cards, sittingg on the porch and reading, and enjoying boating together. I couldn't think of a better way to spend a weekend.

This past weekend we traveled to the lake to celebrate Father's Day and enjoy a sunny weekend.

My boys love the lake and every time we leave we have to drag Kase to the car crying because he does not want to leave. I agree with him but think I may be a little old to be drug to the car crying but if I thought it would help me stay longer I think I might try it.

Aunt Wendy introduced Kase to water balloons this weekend.

Wendy is so great with the boys and plans fun things for them to do. However she might regret this one.

Kase loved hiding and surprising everyone with a balloon. Some of their expressions were priceless especially moms.



Of course Knox was not far behind. He had a little trouble getting them to pop, and understanding that they weren't balls ,and that we didn't want to play catch.

Wendy also had a tie-dying project she wanted Kase to help with. Kase of course being a typical boy was easily distracted with a glass of water and rubber bands so she didn't get much help, but he had fun.

We enjoyed going to church with Scottys Dad on Father's Day, then headed back to the lake to enjoy a great meal. We were surrounded by wonderful fathers.

Countdown to Fathers Day

With Fathers Day coming up I have been talking to the boys about the day and why we stop and celebrate all the wonderful fathers. I asked Kase why he loved his dad, of course he replied, "because I love him." So I had to pry a little more to get his top 5 reasons of why he loves his daddy. Of course these are Knox's top reasons as well he just isn't able to tell me so you are going to have to take my word for it. Plus he is Kase's shadow so if Kase says it Knox agrees.

Kase and Knox's Reasons they love their Dad:

#1 Kase: He gives me big hugs

#2 Kase: He gives me kisses

#3 Kase: He wrestles with me and not Knox (you can tell he doesn't always like to share daddy time with his little brother)

#4 Kase: He works . Me: What does he do when he works? Kase: He drills wells

(When Scotty comes home from work Kase always tells him how dirty he is.)

#5 Kase: He takes me golfing and I hit it way far and it goes way high!

My boys are so much like their Dad and I love that they are. He is such a wonderful father to them. So I wanted to do something special for him this week leading up to Father's Day. Of course I am going to dig in his gift jar and the boys and I will purchase a gift that he wants. But I wanted to do more than that. One thing that Kase has inherited from his father is being really neat and organized. I don't know many kids that will pass up candy or treats because they make their hands sticky. Knox on the other hand inherited messiness from me and loves sticky hands.

Since the accident we have had lots of family and friends in our house taking care of us ( I could never repay them for all they have done.) However they didn't know where to find things they needed or where everything belonged. I think this has started stressing Scotty out.

As I was checking out the other day I saw a magazine on organization. I snatched it up and decided to put it to the test. I organized the pantry,

fridge, freezer,

drawers and cabinets to surprise Scotty.

He was so happy to see how I labeled things so he can now find things. Happy Father's Day to a wonderful Father!

Fun Idea!!

Why is it that throughout the year I can name off 100 things I need and or want, but when it is my birthday or Christmas and my family asks me what I want I can't think of 1 darn thing? I finally found the perfect solution!! I am not afraid to borrow ideas from friends (thanks Katye Guess) and this one I HAD to steal!

If you came in my kitchen you would find four different size canning jars that are decorated with colorful ribbons. They are odd and don't really match the decor but they serve a great purpose. Scotty, Kase, Knox and I all have our own jar.

(knox's little jar)

When we think of something that we want or need we either write it down, print off a picture, or rip out a magazine ad, and put it in the jar. (Girls it is important to put a little more information than that. Guys need to know where to get it, what color, they need the specifics.) When I think of something that boys might want or need I write it down and put it in thier individual jar.

(kase's jar)

Of course the teacher in me wants to use Kase's jar to teach him something as well. I want him to learn that just becuase he wants something doesn't mean that he gets it right away or at all. It is ok to look and to want things but he needs to understand that we don't get all that we want. So when he tells me or sees something that he wants I help him put it in his jar. Then we wait patiently.






Of course Knox wants a little bit more functionality out of his jar.

(i love how this kid thinks!)


Father's Day is coming up and instead of trying to think of something Scotty wants I can dig in his jar and pick what I want to get him knowing it is something that he wants. The great thing is that we forget what we even put in our jars so it's still a surprise.



We love our JARS!