Our October 2015

Wow! October was busy but pretty special. We indulged in fall festivities but the highlight was definitely our trip to Florida. We loved the beach, water, warm weather, our day trip to see Mickey and getting to see Uncle Scotty. Then once we got back to Indiana, the fun didn't stop. Briggs got to take his first field trip to a farm, then his class had a circus day, and we ended the month with Halloween. Whew! We need a nap. 

Here are some fun things the kids are up to this month: 

• As mentioned above, Briggs took his first field trip. We got to ride a real yellow bus together too!
• The kids LOVED helping carve and paint pumpkins this year. You'll see in the video how much they got into it :)
• Kerigan is sassy as ever. She knows she's about to turn two because the "no" phase has begun
• Kerigan calls Briggs "BB" She can say Briggy but she like BB better. His name is Briggs Beto, so maybe she's just trendier than we are
• She's in an attachment phase right now. She wants to take her little Minnie and blanket everywhere
• Briggs is really into math right now. His favorite game right now is..."When I'm 7, Kerigan will be....5. Then when I'm 28, Kerigan will be.....26." And so on and so on and so on.
• The kids still love dancing and singing. This month, Kerigan's favorite songs are "Baby bumble bee, wheels on the bus and Jesus loves me"

The two best friends at Mickey's "Not so scary Halloween party"

Our first visit to the pumpkin patch...this one was in Bloomington

Trick-or Treat!

What a great month! Here are some of our favorite moments summed up in this video:

October was packed but I'm thankful we got to spend so much family time together. We are looking forward to a great November! And we're pumped fall weather is sticking around a bit long too :-)

Here's to the month of Thanksgiving!

Friday Favorites: Siesta Key Edition

We're gearing up for Halloween weekend while missing the Florida sunshine! (So much rain here. And cold. Too much cold) Last week, we visited Siesta Key, FL with my parents and family friends. So today, I'm sharing our favorites in Siesta. These are all our "musts" with small kiddos :-)

parks.

Sarasota does it right. Their parks and equipment are all toddler-friendly, clean and fun :)

Our two must-see parks are:

1. Siesta Key Public Beach and Playground

2. Marina Jack

The newer public beach playground was a hit with our kids. And it was just a short walk away from our condo. 

One of our favorite things to do is to visit the marina. It's dog friendly, kid friendly and breathtaking at sunset. The playground has been recently updated as well-which we love!

food.

We have about 10 restaurants that we love down there. But these three are musts. Every time. 

1. Philippi Creek

2. Pacific Rim

3. Siesta Key Oyster Bar

This is the gator outside of Philippi Creek. I get the snow crab every time. The restaurant is fun, crazy, messy & has the best seafood. The kids love posing with all the animals and fish after dinner too. 

This is at Pacific Rim sushi restaurant. We love sushi. But Pac Rim has the best. BEST. And Briggs and Ker had their first sushi this trip! Avocado rolls :) 

Posing with Papa after dinner. 

beach.

The beach. Our happy place. Its always rated one of the tops. And its the 4th wonder of the world in my heart. #takeusback

Happy Halloween, friends! Think Florida thoughts and stay warm out there :-)

Check out Caffeinated Choas for more faves this week!

October Siesta 2015

We're back from Siesta Key. It's our favorite place to be this time of year. The warm weather, the smaller crowds, the beach & family. 

Last year, when we visited Siesta, Ryan didn't get to come. So it was so much sweeter with him here.  The first few days were a little windy and overcast, but it didn't keep us away from the beach. Then by Day 3, sunshine all day every day.  So days 3-5 we beached it, pooled it, took in the sunsets and ate all the seafood we could.

Kerigan wasn't too sure about the beach at first. (This was her first time back since she could walk) After a few hours, she was an ole pro and chasing birds on the beach with her brother. She loved the ocean. Last year, she was quite terrified of it. Not this year. That brave little bug would walk out on her own if I let her. Even if I was holding her hand she would bend down to dip her face in it then giggle hysterically.

Briggs loves the beach. He really always has. And he was ALL about making sandcastles this time around.  This trip we gave him a teensy more freedom when it came to the ocean. We made sure he always had his life jacket on. But we would let him walk/swim out to the sand bar on his own if we were in the water with him. He tried out boogie board with Ryan too. But then Day 4 came. And a wave got him in the face while he was on the board. And it was back to just toe dips for Mr. Briggs.  He no longer wanted anything to do with the waves. Dramatic just like his mama. ;-)

Day 6, we made a little trip to Disney. We rode Small World 3 times. We met Mickey and all his buddies. We stayed for "Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party" too. It was so cute and festive. The kids got to dress up in their Halloween costumes. Ryan dressed up too and was a big hit with the crowds. I will say though, if I had to choose between the two parties Magic Kingdom offers, I would pick the Christmas Party over and over again. But the event was definitely worth it. Disney never disappoints. 

Day 7 we got to visit Uncle Scotty's school near Lakeland. It was beautiful! Then we enjoyed SK Beach the rest of the day and evening. We love it here and are so thankful we got to enjoy this week with family and friends. Here are some pics and a video to highlight our trip:

And here's a little video to sum it up:

Have a great week, everyone!

beach sunsets

We're down here in Siesta Key! Our home away from home :) It's so nice to experience some much-needed family time in our little paradise. 

One of our favorite things while down here, is to watch the sun set as often as we can. Sunsets hold special meaning to all of us. And to enjoy it here...icing on the cake. 

ZooBoo 2015

Hello Monday! Today I'm sharing our zooboo pics. This is one of our favorite family traditions (ever since Briggs was a baby frog). The zoo is one of our local hangouts...so to get to dress up, eat some treats and see the rhinos is like, happiness overload. 

This year, the kids went as a zebra (Marty from Madagascar) and Little Red Riding Hood. Briggs hasn't gotten over the animal obsession yet. He's been a frog, a lion, rhino and now zebra. And when I asked Ker what she wanted to be, all she said was "tutu." So we had a lot of options :)

Little Red always looking for her brother's hand. 

Our zebra was SO excited to tell the zebras about his costume. 

Best buddies. 

Checking out their treats. 

This is how you could find them the majority of the night. Three musketeers. 

And again holding hands. And Ker is making sure we aren't too far behind. 

This makes my heart happy. 

Little Red, Pup and Zeebz

We love Zoo Boo!

Our favorite pup!

B is always showing love to his girls. 

Did you know zebras had such a protective instinct?

They recruited daddy. 

And three became four. 

Mama and her girls

Love this. It captures the crazies. 

What a great night! Briggs is still reliving it :) Have a great week, everyone!