summer 2018 bucket list roundup

Before I begin, let me start by saying MY BABY STARTED KINDERGARTEN TODAY! He was a very brave boy and went in serious but also curious. He’s been all over the place in terms of starting school, so we really weren’t sure what to expect this morning. But he summoned his courage (and his excitement for learning how to read and write) and went for it. Wasn’t he just born yesterday? SOB

On to the summer bucket list!

• Go on 5 night Disney Cruise to the Bahamas!!!!!! DONE
  We all had a fab time and this really needs its own post… To come? Highlights included 2 days on Castaway Cay (Disney’s private Carribean island), the food, the characters, and nights with cocktails on our verandah.
• Visit Kennedy Space Center. DONE
  This was incredible. They have the space shuttle Atlantis and the set up for it is really incredible – like chills, goosebumps incredible. We want to go back.
• Go to You Are Here exhibit at NCMA. DONE
  Super cool exhibits and photo ops 🙂
• Visit local splash pad. DONE
  There is a newish splash pad that we hadn’t visited yet. Mommy took the boys on a playdate and all of the boys loved it.
• Visit Granny & Papa. DONE
  The plan was to visit them at their house but we ended up meeting them at the beach and spending a few days.
• Go to big pool. DONE
  Did this several times over the summer and enjoyed ourselves.
• Go to Super Hero, Bug, and Karate camps. DONE
  Both boys attended all of these and had a great time.
• See movies (Incredibles 2!). DONE
  We saw Coco in 3D on the cruise, Incredibles 2, A Wrinkle in Time, and others that are escaping me at the moment. We have a $2 theater near home so Mommy and boys saw lots of stuff I didn’t.
• Host a backyard water play playdate. NOT DONE
  Considering a Halloween party instead…
• Get bikes and check out local greenways. NOT DONE
  I don’t know why it seems so difficult to get damned bikes. We are going to do this soon, I swear.

BONUS!

• Visited the sunflower fields.
  A local park planted a huge field full of sunflowers. It was beautiful, even though both boys were afraid of the bees.
• Attended Raleigh SuperCon and Wizard World Winston-Salem.
  Mommy and Mama are HUGE comic book and sci fi nerds who used to attend the mother con (San Diego ComicCon) so we thought we’d introduce the boys to this world with Raleigh SuperCon. They LOVED it (as did we), so we vowed to attend any that are in striking distance from now on.

  Can you believe the very next weekend was Wizard World in Winston-Salem? So, we did it again! This time the boys wanted to dress up, so the Marshmallow was the world’s cutest Mario (Nintendo) and Monkey was Ninja Deadpool (lolol). Next up, North Carolina Comicon in Durham in November! WOOT!

friend makin’ mondays

I’ve never done this, but it looked kinda fun, so here goes!

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

FMM Current Favorites

1. Song – You Know What I Mean by Cults
2. Drink – Coffee!
3. Physical feature of the opposite sex (or the sex that you find attractive) – Boobs! I feel like such a teenage boy with that answer 🙂
4. TV Show(s) – Game of Thrones (so excited for S2!), Mad Men, Pretty Little Liars
5. Actor/Actress – Michael Pitt
6. Book – Nothing currently, but want to start Game of Thrones books soon
7. Form of communication – Facebook
8. Exercise – None, except lifting and carrying my big old toddler
9. Food – Robin Eggs! Yay for Easter candy!
10. Quote – …

Now it’s your turn to answer the questions!  Don’t forget to come back and link up in the comments.  Happy Monday Friends!

june non-challenge: memories & activities

Day 22 – What is your most beloved childhood memory? What memories are you trying to create (or will you try to create) for your child(ren)?

It’s hard for me to zero in on a single one. I had a pretty happy fun childhood. Some standouts include Christmas (of course!), camping trips in the North Carolina mountains with extended family and friends, getting together with my cousins for some mayhem (Thanksgiving comes to mind), Disneyworld trips. That’s a lot, huh? We didn’t have very many family traditions (at least not compared to DW’s family), but we did have a lot of fun!

I want holidays to be super special for him, with lots of traditions (mostly from DW). I can’t wait for trips to Disneyland, Hearst Castle, Europe, etc., etc. I want him to have a taste for travel and adventure.

Day 23 – What are your favorite activities to do with your kid(s)?

Gymboree free play (the classes, not so much), swimming, and reading. We are going to Legoland with friends in a few weeks! Can’t wait!

june non-challenge: names

Day 21. What child(ren)’s names do you like that your partner hates and thus you could never use?

Oh, this is a fun one!

Girls

• Clara: I love this name! So cute and classic. DW does not like. Boo!
• Tegan: In fairness, we both love this name but we know every lesbian we meet would be like, “How lame. They named their kid after Tegan from Tegan & Sara.” That is where I first heard the name, but I wouldn’t be naming my kid after her. Doesn’t really matter anyway as this name is on the rise in popularity.
• Hero: This one was a favorite of DW. I was like nuh and uh. I don’t care if it’s from Shakespeare, this kid would be teased mercilessly.

 

Boys

• Clark: Swoon. I love it. DW does not.

I wish I could remember more. I’ll have to ask DW because I know there were many that we did not agree on. We have names picked out right now for a second (a boy’s name and a girl’s name). Now to see if there’ll be a second baby to name…

june non-challenge: PDA & kindness

Day 19 – How do you (and your partner if applicable) feel about PDA?

We are not real PDA kind of people. The only exception is when we see bands – I have a couple of beers and get pretty cuddly 🙂 I have always associated live music with cuddles. Don’t know why.

Day 20 – What is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you? Did you repay the kindness?

One that immediately comes to mind is DW’s family letting me move into their house for a month when my ex went nutty and I was looking for a new place. I think I have repaid the kindness in many many (MANY!) ways since with my MiL (FiL passed away in Jan 08).

june non-challenge: parenthood & astrology

Day 17 – (for parents) What is your favorite thing about parenthood? Your least favorite?

My favorite thing is watching him discover the world and learn new things. It’s so cool to see him becoming a person. I also love when we snuggle at night. He is such a huggy, touchy-feely kind of guy ❤

My least favorite is dealing with the sleep stuff. Not sleeping through the night, nap transitions, not wanting to go to bed at night…ugh!

Day 18 – How do you feel about astrology? What’s your sign, baby, and do you think it matches your personality?

I'm not really big on it. That said, I am a Taurus and must say that it does match my personality. Stubborn!

june non-challenge: college & friends

Day 15 – What was your college experience like? Were you involved in any clubs, groups, etc?

My college experience was loooooonnnnggg. I applied to schools in South Carolina and none in California as my plan was to go back “home.” Of course, by the time I was accepted into a couple of those schools, I considered CA my home. So I unhappily went to our local community college. After a year, I transferred to another CC down in San Diego. Then I transferred to SDSU, where I was completely miserable. So not my scene – blonde Barbies and frat boys. I dropped out and lived by the beach in SD for about a year. Then I moved back to LA and decided I didn’t want to be a receptionist for the rest of my life and got back into school. I finished in a couple of years at a local state school where I met my lovely wife.

I so hope Monkey gets the true college experience as I feel like it’s something I missed out on (dorms and the like).

Day 16 – How many friends do you have in real life that you talk to regularly? How many friends do you have that you feel are ‘true blue’ and how long have you known them?

Maybe it’s not that healthy, but I don’t really have any super close friends outside of DW. We are best friends and have been for 15 years. I wouldn’t want to travel or go out with people without her there. It just wouldn’t be as fun to me. We have several couples that we are friends with, one that we are pretty close with. I moved a lot when I was a kid, so I don’t really have long-term friends. Is that weird?

june non-challenge: clothes

Day 14 – How do you typically dress? How do you (or would you) like to dress your kid(s)?

I wear jeans every. single. day. When I go to work, I pair them with a a nice shirt or sweater and flats, wedges, or boots (I am a shoe fiend – love them!). At home, I pair them with a comfy t-shirt and flip flops or Converse.

For fun, here is a super rare shot of me in an actual dress!

Monkey dresses very similarly to me on my comfy days (and Mommy on all her days). Jeans or shorts with a cute t-shirt and tennis shoes (he has a pair of black Converse and navy Vans that he wears constantly). We are huge fans of Baby Gap and buy tons of stuff there off the sale rack, so that is usually what he is wearing.