Recent Reads {3rd Edition}

I'm back again with my 3rd edition of "Recent Reads!"  Even if nobody pays a bit of attention to these posts, I'm going to keep cranking them out.  I love reading other people's book reviews, and I like going back and reviewing what I've read myself.  Last week I read three books from Sunday to Sunday, but today I'm starting my second book of the week, so I average about 2-3 books a week right now.  I always think I'm going to take a little break in between books, but I never do.  I think I'm going to keep these posts to about 5 books at a time, so you'll probably be seeing more of these soon! Once again, this is the website I use for all my reading, in conjunction with my local library, so all of my books are 100% FREE and never ending!  There is an endless amount of books for me to read, even if my favorites are still on a waitlist, so it's a win win situation!  Anyways, here are most recent reads from the last couple of weeks.

Leaving Time

I've read a handful of Jodi Picoult books, and let me tell you, you never know what you're going to get in her books.  Most of the time, they don't have a happy ending, but they keep me captivated the entire time.  Don't get me wrong, they're really good, but they never end how'd you expect them to.  That's the case with this one!  It felt like it took me forever to read it because it was long, but I couldn't put it down.  It's about a girl who's looking for her mom who disappeared 10 years ago.  It wasn't one of the typical books I usually find myself reading, but I liked it.  The mom does elephant research, so I had to look up a few words that were super scientific.  The ending shocked me, so I'd definitely recommend it!

The Couple Next Door

This book has been on every "Must Read" booklist I've seen, and let me tell you, it didn't disappoint.  This was one of the first books I put on my waiting list over two months ago, so I was so excited when it finally came open.  I finished it in less than a day because I couldn't put it down.  It's about a couple whose 6 month old is kidnapped out of her crib while they're next door.  The premise of it gave me many anxiety attacks over my own boys, but after a few twists and turns and some light shed on what happened, I settled down a bit.  I could've done without the last page (the ending) because it didn't quite wrap up the way I had hoped it would, but I would highly recommend this book!  It was a very quick, "edge of your seat" read.

The One and Only

This is the second Emily Giffin book I've read, and this one was all about football and Texas.  I'm not a football fan, tennis and golf are my sports, so I wasn't sure how I'd like this one.  I'm not exaggerating when I say it's all about football, so if you're not keen on that sport, I wouldn't suggest this.  Like I said, I don't like football in the least, but I hate stopping a book after I start one.  To be honest, I really have no idea how I feel about this book after having finished it.  The premise is a girl in her early 30s is stuck in a bit of a rut in her life, which revolves around her hometown football team.  She's in love with her best friend's dad, who also happens to be the head football coach.  I couldn't put it down because I wanted to find out what happened, but I wasn't a big fan of the love story when the guy she was in love with practically raised her.

We Were Liars

This is another book that I have really mixed feelings about.  My sister read it, so I thought I'd give it a try.  It's about a rich girl who spends every summer on her family island off the coast of Martha's Vineyard.  She's in an accident one summer that she can't remember, so this book is about her trying to get her memory back.  I didn't like the style in which the book was written, but it was an extremely fast read.  I was shocked by the ending, but I wish some parts of it had been explained/clarified in more detail.  It just left some things open-ended, and I didn't like that.  Overall it wasn't bad, but it wasn't one of my favorites of the summer, by far.

The Apartment

This was the first Danielle Steel book I've ever read, and I really had no clue what to expect.  My mom loved her novels during my childhood, so I wasn't sure if she'd be too old for me or not.  I was wanting a lighter read while I was waiting for some books on my "Holds" list to open up, and this sounded intriguing and light enough to buy some time.  It's about four young women living in an apartment in New York and how their lives and friendships unfold.  It was fine, but it wasn't one of those books I couldn't put down.  It took me a few days to get it finished because I mainly just read it when I laid down for bed.  All of the characters seemed to run into a fast problem that quickly resolved itself, so it was kind of anticlimactic.  It was a light read though and I didn't have to think hard at all, so that was nice.    

Life Lately

Happy Tuesday!  I only know it's Tuesday because I'm watching a Fixer Upper marathon on HGTV.  It's at this point in the summer where I lose all track of time.  I like a routine and schedule better than most, but we're so over scheduled during the school year that I'm a fan of this twilight zone period of summer break as well.  Anyways, here's what we've been up to lately... sorry that it's long!

• Cooper is really enjoying his summer break.  He loves swimming, playing outside, and playing with all of his toys.  He's been spending a lot of time outside since we got Bear, and those two play together really well.  He loves Legos, but goes through phases with them.  Right now that's all he wants to play with, and he's getting really creative with what he builds.  They make me a nervous wreck due Abel being to choke on them, so I really have to police anything he does with them.  He's super excited about our vacation in a few weeks because he loves trips, loves the beach, and is beyond excited that we're going with all of his cousins.  I know he's going to really enjoy our trip this year.
• Clark has gone almost two weeks without a pacifier!  It's an absolute miracle!  In just the last day or so, we've finally gotten to the point where he stops asking/crying for one several times a day.  I think we've finally turned a corner!  I'm really proud of him.  We're still fighting his warts, and it seems to be a losing battle.  More are popping up on his back, and Cooper is getting them too now.  I don't know what to do.  His birthday is one month from today, and he's so excited.  He keeps telling me all this stuff he wants, so I hope we'll be able to please him!  He's excited about vacation too, but he isn't quite the beach bum Coop is.  I know he'll have a lot of fun too though.
• Abel is just a mess!  He's hilarious, but all he wants to do is eat!  He would literally eat all day long.  I can't seem to keep him full.  I'm trying to wean him off of his pacifier, and he's doing okay with it.  He's fussier than I would've imagined him being, but I want to do it now, rather than have another Clark on my hands.  I took him down to nap time and bedtime when Clark stopped cold turkey to help with Clark, and now I'm trying to stop those.  I'd love to go to Florida with no pacifiers at all... that'd be a first in 6 years!  He's also stopped taking a bottle!  Our pediatrician typically wants those gone by 12-15 months, and Abel really did this by himself.  Over the last few weeks, he really lost interest in them, and the other day, stopped taking them altogether.  He's using a sippy cup, so I'm glad that happened naturally.  He's going to be my vacation wildcard.  He likes going to the pool, but prefers to play around it rather than swim.  I think he'll either love or hate all the sand at the beach, so he makes me nervous!
• The big boys are at "Granna Camp" with Andy's mom for the next few days.  This is a summer tradition, and they were so excited when they left this morning.  As soon as they left I purged some toys and clothes that need to be donated!  They won't let me get rid of anything if they're here.  It's just Abel, Andy, and me, so Abe's been getting some serious one on one attention!  He was very upset he couldn't go, but I think he's loving the full-on access to his brothers' toys while they're away.  Andy and I are going on a day date tomorrow to play golf and eat lunch since we've only got one kid to pawn off, and I can't wait!  We haven't golfed together since before I got pregnant with Coop, so I'm sure I'll be rather rusty.
• Bear has been with us for about a month now, and he's doing great!  He really is a sweet dog, and despite being 31+ pounds, he's definitely a puppy!  The biggest issue we're having right now is chewing.  He seems to be over growling and barking at everyone, thankfully!  I took him to the vet for a checkup on Saturday, and he told me he's getting new teeth, so I guess that explains it.  Everything looked great and the vet just went on and on about how pretty he was and how well this breed does with children.  I told him how our last puppy venture turned out with our Beagle, and he wasn't surprised by that at all.  I can tell he's going to be a big boy, but he thinks he's a lap dog.  He's sitting in my lap as I type this.
• I've started listening to a new podcast called Up and Vanished, and I'm hooked!  It's about a cold case in South Georgia.  A 30 year old teacher disappeared back in 2005 and the guy that hosts the podcast is trying to solve the case.  It's really interesting and an easy listen.  I'll be the first to tell you that I struggle when it comes to listening to things - I can't do audiobooks or anything like that because I just can't pay attention (the older I get, the more I'm convinced I have adult ADD), but I can make it through each episode with minimal rewinding.  I'm still reading like crazy, but this helps break that up some.
• I've been a faithful Apple Watch wearer for about a year and a half now.  I wear mine all the time, exclusively (I don't change watches if I wear something dressier).  I have the first series, so mine isn't waterproof.  I haven't swam laps in a few months, but that was one thing I didn't like about it - I couldn't wear it to count my pool exercise and I count my exercise faithfully on it.  Anyways, the second series is waterproof, and I'm itching for one big time!  I dropped mine our our tile floor and the face has a big crack in it, but since they're pricy, Andy wants me to holdout for my birthday in September.  I'd love to get one sooner, so we'll see!
• I'm so excited about our vacation - it's a little less than 3 weeks away.  The beach is calling my name!  On the flip side, when I get home from our 11 day trip (we're going over to Orlando for a few days with Andy's family when we leave Daytona), I've got 3 weekdays until I go back to work.  That is super depressing to me!  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my job, but LOVE LOVE the summertime with my babies.  This one has gone by ridiculously fast.  It was a really short break this summer.  I like being back in a routine once school starts back and I really miss my coworkers, but the month of August is just notoriously filled with loads of anxiety for me.  Getting back to school, being away from the boys, being really busy all of the sudden again, wrapping my head around planning for my classes, figuring out a good family routine so I don't feel like I'm drowning, and all that fun stuff just causes tons of anxiety for me.  Clark starts pre-k this year, and I'm very anxious about that as well.  I know he'll do fine, but the closer we get, the harder that is getting for me.  I'm hoping since I'm anticipating all anxiety that I won't have as much trouble adjusting this year as I have in the past, but I'm sure I will.  I wish summer vacation was just a little bit longer!

Okay, sorry I've rambled so much!  Here are some pictures of some recent summer fun!

Summer Bucket List Update

We are rocking and rolling our way through our summer bucket list, trying our best to soak up every minute of sweet summertime.  Pretty much everything that's left will take place on our vacation next month, expect canoeing.  We've got a canoe, but it seems to be a lot of trouble to get it out on the water and all five of us in it, so I'm not holding my breath too much on that one.  Maybe if we end up on another boat this summer, I'll count that in its place.   

• Go see a movie 
• Play in sprinkler 
• Watch fireworks
• Play putt-putt
• Build a sandcastle 
• Find seashells
• Family vacation  
• Try a new restaurant 
• Buy ice cream 
• Buy food from a food truck
• Family slumber party
• Night swimming 
• Vacation bible school
• Go to the zoo
• Go to the aquarium
• Go to Rock City
•  Go canoeing 

Life Lately

Happy Thursday!  We're up to our necks in summer break, and we're loving every minute of it!  We've done a lot of swimming and keeping ourselves entertained anyway we can find!  Here's a little look at our summer break so far!

• Cooper is my child who really likes to be busy every. single. day.  He likes to have every minute of our day planned with "something fun!"  Before he goes to bed each night, he asks me what fun thing we're going to do the next day, and it wears me out.  He gets it honest because I'm a planner, but I can't seem to do enough to keep him happy.  Most days we wake up and go to the Y and then swim or do some sort of afternoon activity to keep them busy.  He's swimming like a fish and is as brown as a biscuit.  He definitely enjoys swimming the most of out the three.  All of the sudden, he's super obsessed with his hair.  He keeps telling us he wants his blinds (what he calls bangs) long enough to "swoosh" them.  He got a haircut the other day and begged us not to cut too much off.  I didn't think we'd have this issue yet at 6.5 years old.  He doesn't nap, but I do make him rest every day during nap time, so that calms him down a little.  He also wants to stay up late every single night of summer break, so he's definitely keeping me on my toes!  
• Clark has had a bit of a roller coaster summer so far.  He got to go to his first VBS, which he loved, but it wore him out.  He had to get some cavities filled, and we went to the dermatologist to take care of a wart outbreak he's having.  He's got molluscum, which is common in kids his age, but his was spreading rather rapidly.  Our dermatologist treated him, but it hasn't been a pleasant road to recovery.  His skin is really irritated, and we're still treating them.  If they don't go away, we go back next month for more work.  We've also pulled him off his pacifier, starting last night, and he's had a really hard day.  The paci struggle is real, folks.  Besides those things that have turned his little world upside down, he's enjoying summer.  He really likes swimming, but he isn't as strong of a swimmer as Coop, so he gets a bit frustrated still.  He can swim with no float pretty well, but he's not super strong yet.  We still make him wear a back bubble most of the time to help him.  I'm hoping he'll get it down pat in the next few weeks.   
• Abel is at the cutest and most difficult age right now!  He wants to hang with the big boys, but just isn't quite big enough yet, so he gets very frustrated.  He wants to be so independent, so he pitches a fit if I try to help him with stuff.  He's just getting over another nasty ear infection, despite having his tubes.  Don't get me wrong, the tubes have made a WORLD of difference, but I wasn't expecting any infections after he got them.  This was his 2nd one post tubes, and they're nasty!  Everything drains out, so it's obvious when he has them, and it's a mess!  Dr. Meredith told us that a small number of children still get infections with tubes, and I guess we fit into that lucky group.  Other than being a little diva, he's doing great!  He's talking up a storm, and has really started repeating everything we say.  He's loving the pool, once he gets used to the temperature, and has no fear of jumping in off the diving board to Andy... he makes me nervous!
• We've had our dog, Bear, for a little over 2 weeks now.  He's adjusted well and is acting like a puppy!  Thankfully we've had no major bathroom accidents, and the only thing we really have to stay on him about is chewing shoes or toys.  He's a nervous Nelly when someone comes in our house, so I'm trying to figure out a way to work on that.  He calms down once he gets over the shock of new people, but he scares everyone.  He also acts like a bully on our nightly walks when he sees other dogs, so I want to know how to make him more friendly.  I eventually want to take him downtown to walk and stuff, but I'm afraid he's too jumpy for that now.  
• The summer routine we've fallen into is going to the Y after breakfast and then swimming or some other activity to keep the boys busy.  We haven't done much outside, besides swimming, because it's truly feeling like a Southern summer now.  It's just too hot to do too much outside. We had bible school last week, and the boys loved it.  They learned SO much and have been asking us wonderful questions about God.  Over Memorial Day weekend, we rejoined my childhood church after being gone for about 9 months, and it's been great.  I feel like I'm home again.
• Besides the French Open (which my man, Nadal, won!!!!) and the U.S. Open (I'm hoping Dustin Johnson will pull it together tomorrow and end up winning on Sunday), I haven't watched hardly any TV this summer due to reading.  Any spare time I have, including working out at the Y, is spent reading.  I'm telling you, I think I'm still in a funk since I finished Parenthood, so I just haven't found another show I really want to watch.  I've read so many books that take place on the island of Nantucket this summer that I started watching the old 90's sitcom, Wings, today.  I want another drama-ish type show to watch, but it's got to be something good for me to invest my time in.

Alright, I think I've rambled enough for the night!  I'm off to read more before I fall asleep!