Cow Appreciation Day 2015

Summer wouldn't be complete without our participation in Cow Appreciation Day!  I think we figured out that this our 6th year participating.  The location of the Chick-fil-a we go to may change and some of the people that go with us, but we always go with my sister and her boys.  It's tradition and Bagwell's love traditions! :)  

I luv my herd!

 Mackaylan, Boyce (in his #cowswag), and Eli

 Lydia scarfing down her food so she could get to the playground.

 The cutest baby cow in the history of forever!

 Lydia the "cow stalker!"  She loves mascots!

 Isn't this picture hilarious?  It looks like I photoshopped my head onto my body?  However, I love this picture of my little stud muffin!

 Ace and Tia

 Eli and Bob (cousin visiting from Kansas City)

The whole gang!

SPLASH!

This summer we have spent a lot of time at the pool!  Mackaylan has been a fish for years and Lydia is slowly becoming one. 

 

I would love to get Mackaylan on a swim team, but there isn't one close by. She loves to dive, create jumps, and swim laps.  

This year Lydia's big accomplishment has been jumping in the pool and off the diving board.  I am hoping that she will be swimming next summer, but the fact that she is jumping in and getting her face wet is a big deal! 

Ace seems to like the water, but most of the time he just relaxes in his bouncy seat on the edge of the pool.  He loves being outside so he is perfectly content watching everyone else play.... at least for this year! 

Most of the time when we go swimming Mickey is at work so the we all love any chance we have on the weekends to go to the pool together!  

Strawberry Hill

Last week we participated in Marvelous Monday with our church.  We went to Strawberry Hill for a tour of the orchards, a picnic lunch, and homemade ice cream.  We were able to pick blackberries and peaches.  It was a hot morning, but we all had a great time!

4th of July

I love the 4th of July holiday!  It's always a fun day that we spend with our family and friends keeping traditions and making memories!

Our local library always sponsors a 4th of July Parade for the kids the Thursday before the holiday.  This year it was raining, but we participated anyway.  The parade started at the library, we walked down main street, and ended at the park.  We had a police escort and a handful of spectators.  All of the kids were dressed in their patriotic attire and rode their decorated bikes, scooters, strollers, etc. Once we got to the park the kids had a great time eating watermelon and playing together on the playground. 

 On the actual 4th, we always go to Grams and Pop O's house to swim and enjoy lunch with friends and family.  This year Mackaylan helped me make a patriotic dessert and punch.  She is really getting into  cooking which is funny since her mom isn't much of a chef!  However, we do have fun together in the kitchen, and she has been a big help since Ace was born.

After our afternoon by the pool, we went to my Aunt Martha's for dessert and fireworks!  Every year the display gets larger and the crowd gets bigger.  I would venture to say it's one of the best home fireworks shows around! 

If I could sum up the 4th of July in four words they would be: family, friends, fun, fireworks! I hope these traditions continue forever! ;) 

Wordless Wednesday- 3 pics for 3 months

See this little guy right here?  He has my heart!  

I adore his smile, 

cherish his laughs, 

and most of all I love that he is my son! 

Happy 3 (well, almost 4 by now!) months, Bubsy!

Disney Day 3: Magic Kingdom

On our final day of Disney we headed to The Magic Kingdom.  We knew it was going to be a long, hot, fun day, and that it was!  When we started planning this trip, I read a few blogs and searched Pinterest for tips and tricks, and honestly, I just became overwhelmed!  I wanted us to make the most of every minute, but I also wanted us to enjoy ourselves and not feel like we were constantly on a clock.  So, we decided to just enjoy the moment and do what we could in the time that we had.

From my reading, I knew that Fantasyland was the first to tackle and I also knew that it was best to arrive at the park early to beat some of the crowd.  We did both of those things!  We also set up a few Fast Passes to use during the day and that helped a lot! 

When we entered the park, we noticed that there was only a 10 minute wait to see Tinkerbell so the girls and I hopped in line immediately.  We didn't realize it was a private meet and greet.  The girls LOVED it!! 

After we left seeing Tinkerbell, we decided to hop in the other line in the building to meet Mickey Mouse.  We were told that this was also a private meet and greet and the wait was only about 20 minutes long so I called Mickey and had him bring Ace to join us.  I am so glad that I did because Mickey would have been disappointed if he would have missed this special treat...  We were escorted into a room to have pictures with "the real, talking Mickey Mouse!"  He greeted us, asked us about our trip so far, and told us a few characters to make sure we went to see. It was so cool.  I think the look on Lydia's face sums it up!

After all of that excitement, the girls decided to scope out the map and plan their course of action.  While we were waiting, we saw Mary Poppins come out for pictures and autographs so we hopped in her line. It was pretty neat because we were like the second or third family in line and before she met with the girls she decided they should take the line back out of the sun a bit, so she grabbed Lydia's hand and they led the way to the new location.  

The rest of the day consisted of riding as many rides as we could.  We all loved the Barnstormer, Dumbo, and It's A Small World.  Mackaylan drove me around the racetrack and that was a hoot!! Let's just say that I am glad we have a few years before she gets behind the wheel of a car! LOL

By mid-morning, the girls were happy to be able to cool off at the Splash Pad (and this Mama was too!)

That afternoon when it was time to feed Ace, we made our way to the Baby Care Center, and the rest of the family went to find a cool place to take a rest.  By the time we got back to them, Lydia and Mackaylan had taken a short nap! That wasn't planned, but definitely made for a more enjoyable afternoon! :) 

We were also at a great location to purchase an ice cream and enjoy the afternoon parade!  Lydia loved it and waved at every character that passed by!

Later that afternoon, we visited with Ariel (Mackaylan's favorite character), rode the train around the park, and enjoyed lots of other rides! 

By the end of the day, we were all hot and exhausted, but we couldn't leave before the Light Parade.  We opted to watch it near the front of the park so that we could beat the crowd and catch the first ferry back across to the entrance.  That was a smart move on our part! :) 

 

As you can see, we had a great time and made lots of memories, and, I believe,  that's just what summertime is for!