Summer Shrek Fest

Grabbing up the kids and throwing some stuff in the car is beginning to be my favorite way to travel . 

 I came across the Summer Shrek Fest at the Opryland Hotel. It worked great for us because there were enough activities scheduled to keep the boys interested but not too many to wear us out. 

The boys earned their Shrek ears and Kung Fu Panda activity books @ check in. Which were a hit. 

I have to be honest the Shrek costumes were really big and a little bit scary. Knox loved any animal costumes but the Ogres made him a little bit nervous. 

We were able to join 9 characters from Shrek, Puss n Boots, Kung Fu Panda, and Madagascar in a parade. They dressed us up to match a particular character theme, we walked with Fiona. The boys were in charge of giving out candy. They took this job very serious and didn't miss a child. It was a lot of fun, and Knox waved his little arm off. 

Whats a weekend without a Cracka Lackin Pool Party with the Madagascar Friends. The kids loved hugging and dancing with these characters by the pool. 

We ended the night with a poolside movie.  

Rotten Eggs, Swamp juice, and Ogre waffles were all apart of the Shrek character breakfast. The fondue fountain was of course Shrek green. 

We couldn't be that close to Opry Mills and not make a little time for shopping. Of course the boys wanted to camp out in the Lego Store.

 They were also set on the Rainforest Cafe. So after an hour and a half wait we were all so tired that we could barely make it through the meal. 

I love making memories with my boys and love watching their faces when they are filled with excitement. This weekend was full of both. 

Independence Day

Kase's patriotism has been put to the test this past week. However,he has been thrilled to show off his pledge of allegiance skills.  He has convinced himself that every time you see an "American State Flag"  you must immediately salute and pledge. With all of the flags out on the 4th he has been busy. On a 20 minute drive home he said the pledge 16 times. Each time putting his little left hand on the wrong side of his chest, and proclaiming loudly his pledge to the flag.

Of course before each meal during the 4th he stood proudly and led the family in the pledge!

There are so many things we love about the 4th!

 A 4th of July Breakfast

Time on the Lake with friends and family 

I can not remember a 4th that I did not celebrate at the lake, although the dynamic of the lake has changed so much over the years. When I was a little girl our entire extended family would join together for a hill picnic. So many families would come together and meet at the picnic tables in the middle of the hill and have a huge meal. My cousins and I would stand waiting for our lake neighbor to bring out her infamous dirt cake. We would choke down our food just to get a huge portion of the dirt cake hoping to get the most gummy worms.No matter how good those gummy worms looked we would not allow each other to eat them. We would stow them away in a metal band-aid box. I can not remember why or what we ever did with them but to us it was an important ritual.

Over the years the families on the hill dwindled and we had to change some traditions. We replaced our picnic with a shrimp boil. 

 I decided this year it was time to introduce my boys to the dirt cake.

 It brought back many memories for Meg, Lane, Kyle, Wendy and I but Kase's reaction was a little disappointing. He liked the cake but clearly instructed me not to put a dirty worm in his cake or on his plate.

Battling the heat this 4th made everything just a little bit stickier. I tried to plan some indoor things that would give us a break from the crazy heat. With Dads help the boys and I made pinatas for them to bust on the 4th. They definitely did not win any cute awards but the boys loved it, and of course they could have cared less if they were cute when they busted the candy out

crafts for the kids while waiting on the shrimp

ending the night with fireworks

Holidays, parties, and family gatherings are some of my favorite memories. I want to help create good memories and traditions for my boys. But most importantly I want them to be thankful for our country, and thankful that God has a plan for their life and has blessed us with family and friends to celebrate with!