IN THE NEWS!!

 I got a message today from my friend Jill that she saw our blog in Redbook magazine while getting her nails done. She was shocked! I rushed right out to find the magazine and sure enough there we were!!

 I have to say it was very cool to see our names and blog in a real magazine!! 

                Thanks Redbook for mentioning us in your July issue!

373: Medieval Times

Woo Hoo!! We won four tickets to Medieval Times!!

How do you celebrate your 44th? For me it was taking the family to dinner at an amazingly cool place!

 We all loved it!! Horses, knights, jousting, feasting with our hands it was a blast!

At the end our knight won and then he chose our Maddie as

The Queen of Love and Beauty!!

A special night for us all to remember. 

372... Lamberts Cafe

If you ever find yourself  in Foley, Alabama near Gulf Shores Beach, make sure to eat at the famous Lamberts Cafe. It is well worth the wait which will most likely be from 1-3 hours. It is similar to a Cracker Barrel but with a fun and lively atmosphere. They are known for their huge portions, and of course their delicious rolls and passarounds.  The Greeneteam absolutely loved it. 

This boy was one of the roll throwers. The kids thought catching the roll was fun!!

GIANT Rolls, warm and delicious. Jack wants to work at Lamberts one day. 

This is the giant drink that each person gets. No refills were needed. Thank goodness we did not have a spill. 

The service and food were really good.  There is no meal sharing, and they only accept cash or checks. I am so happy that we decided to wait. It is not your typical restaurant. The fun atmosphere makes it the perfect place for a family outing.  The children's meals for 10 and under were $5.99 and included the giant drink. Adult meals ranged in price from $10-$20. Super fun and so delicious. 

371... Visit to the Ocean

I finally took the kids to the Ocean!! This has been a bucket list item for the last several years. I am so happy to finally have it checked off the list. 

We had a great time.  The kids especially loved the giant waves! 

Future Surf dudes!! They walked the beach alone and came back giggling about the girls.

My pretty girl Makenna. She is excited to start writing about the ocean.

Hanging with mom!!

Bucket list item #2!! I hope this is the first of many beach trips. 

370... Poker

For the last three years we have been playing Poker with our friends the Howards. The kids love the Poker chips, and cards and have wanted us to teach them to play. Tonight was the night. We were looking for something new to do and I thought why not Poker? The kids were so excited. 

Carson was the first to get on the board with several winning hands. His nickname was Bulldog and for awhile he thought he was indestructible. 

Cosmic Crusher (Ms. Maddie), and Storm (Mr. Jack) had a few good rounds each. Jack took losing the hardest and still has a long way to go when it comes to learning how to play. 

Ember (Ms. Makenna) was on fire. She played her cards smooth, had unbelievable luck and was totally on fire. She killed both John and I tonight.  She loved being the winner and has agreed that a once a month family Poker night would be a great thing. 

I was very impressed with my girls. They both seemed to grasp the game, and made great plays and moves. The boys absolutely loved it. They loved throwing the chips, and making the deals. They just need a little more practice on how the game actually works. 

As for John and I, we loved teaching them. It was nice to play something other than the typical kids game. I think a once a month Poker night is in order. I see a 2025 VEGAS trip on our family bucket list!! 

369... Tea Time!!

Tea anyone?? Today my sister took the girls and I to tea at the Remember When Tea Room. It is such a beautiful little place located in Chesterland, Ohio. 

 The girls had fun trying to figure out the things that did not belong in the "OLD ROOM".. A visa machine, a speaker, an electric fan. It was fun to guess what did NOT belong.

  The food was very good.  We ate quiche, salad, and tea sandwiches. Can I tell you a secret???  SHHH!!! We ordered hot chocolate instead of tea as none of us our tea drinkers. Is that bad?? Probably, but I am just keeping it real.. The ladies at the tea room did not seem shocked so it must be acceptable.

 We loved getting dressed up. All of us had fun pretending to be fancy. We loved sitting at the decorative table, ordering fancy food, and holding our  pinkies in the air. I will definitely do this again with the girls. It would be a fun yearly tradition!!  Maybe next year we will take Grandma. I don't believe she has ever been to tea!!  

368... NIAGARA FALLS

Niagara Falls was a bucket list item.. You know one of those places that you think about and just think " I want to take the kids some day.". The funny thing is that it had been a bucket list item for just 3 days and we checked it off of our list. How cool is that?? 

I was driving with my mom to WVA on Friday and told my mom that I thought it would be great to take the kids there some time when I visited Ohio. On Sunday my sisters called and said guess what?? We are going to do a day trip to Niagara on Monday!! They swear that they did not talk to my mom. Go ahead play the weird music in your head.. Some times my sisters and I are on the same page. Strange!! 

Here the kids and I are at Niagara State Park. We are about to board the Maid of the Mist. It is the oldest tourist attraction in North America. We LOVED it!! So worth the money! Thanks Aunt Lisa and Aunt Dee Dee for splurging and taking us on this amazingly fun road trip!! We had a blast!

FUN, FUN, FUN!! Such a beautiful place!!

We give Niagara two thumbs way up!! Would love to go again someday!!