Happy Happy Friday!
As excited as I am to see Friday, it also means one more week of summer gone. Sigh.
I have a big batch of random favorites for you this week…
First up, if you’re an adopted mom or know someone who is…get them this devotional! I highly recommend it. I had a sweet friend gift it to me and I’m loving it. And if you have any other recommendations, PLEASE share!
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A little time in the sun by the pool is my FAVORITE.
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If you follow me on Instagram, you know this weekend my man pulled through for us. ha! Last week was a long week with camps, Backyard Bible Club, practices, and Tab out of town. Friday the kiddos and I were dressed to meet some friends at the pool when Tab called to say…LET’S HEAD TO THE GAYLORD THIS AFTERNOON!
The Gaylord Texan is just a thirty minute drive. They have amazing Christmas decorations we frequently check out, but we’d never spent the night or visited in the summer. So we popped over to enjoy the water park, spend the night and most of the day, then we drove back on Saturday evening. Let me tell you…it was just what I needed.
These four were stoked about our little staycation.
We checked in, dropped our bags, and caught the shuttle to the water park.
Miss Britt is a FAN of the water!
Our room had a great view of the hotel’s atrium.
Two Slaughter girls all clean and ready for bed.
Only in Texas can you see a giant pair of boots used as a play area for kids.
This whole family of six thing is cramping our style in the hotel room department. haha! We don’t fit anymore! On this stay we had a one bedroom suite. The three big kiddos all slept on the fold out couch. (I’m sure it was a bit crowded but no one likes being the one kid out so they ALWAYS choose to all sleep together.) Tab, Britt, and I slept in the king size bed.
On Saturday morning, Tab had a football meeting in Ft. Worth, so the plan was for the kids and I to stay and enjoy the water park while he did that. For some reason, Nixon thought the football meeting would be fun. He insisted on going (and later decided that decision was all wrong…ha! He said fifteen minutes in he realized he’d made the wrong choice.).
Bowen would pop up out of the water slide and declare, “THAT WAS AWESOME!”. Every. Single. Time.
Britt did GREAT! She’s a big fan of the water. We played in the kid area, would go around on the lazy river, and then head to the big pool so Ebby Lee and Bowen could do the water slide and zip lines. We did this pattern over and over again. Britt fell asleep in the pool while I was holding her. The second I laid her down she was up, but she never got cranky-even without her nap.
We had chips and dip, chicken strips, and smoothies…GREAT day at the water park.
SO MUCH FUN!
She was mesmerized by this little pinwheel. And have I mentioned how her little tan is my FAVORITE? There’s not much I love more than tan lines in those little baby wrists! AHH!
We were walking around the water park and I bumped into this sweet reader, Kajsa from Pittsburgh! She was absolutely precious. We chatted for a bit and even Miss Britt was excited about our selfie.
Can you spot Bowen? This area was perfect for Bowen’s age. Ebby Lee could hang here too, but Bowen could have played for days. Big props to my FAVORITE guy for making our weekend so special!
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Check out how CUTE this blanket is?! Isn’t it darling? Tab’s football crew sent it to us after welcoming Britt home and I couldn’t love it more. I asked Rebecca where she got it because I knew you guys would want to know. She got it from this shop on Etsy. SO CUTE!
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If you missed it, I shared some cute workout gear that keeps me moving and then we chatted at home workouts on Tuesday. You guys had lots of great recommendations for ways to get moving at home. Check out the comments!
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A FAVORITE verse. 🙂
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A BIG HAPPY FATHER’S DAY shout out to this guy! He brings the fun everyday. He keeps us laughing, makes us all work harder, and is our biggest supporter. He works so hard to provide, spoils us all, and leads us all to Christ. We love this guy big and celebrated him with burgers after church on Sunday. And then steaks for dinner. 🙂
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These cuties wanted me to remind you about the comfy Tucker + Tate line for kids. You can see all their clothes details here.
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Tuesday, Britt and I got my hair done and ran some errands. I thought I’d save time and have a smoothie instead of sitting down and stopping for a meal. I was laughing so hard because I clearly ordered wrong and instead of it being a regular “meal replacement” smoothie I’m certain this was a “Thanksgiving meal replacement”.
Right after the Thanksgiving smoothie, Britt and I were doing a little shopping. The sales woman walked up and started talking to Britt (being so sweet). Britt buried her head in my shoulder and the sales lady said, “Oh, you just want your mama”. Super simple statement, but it meant so much. For the past four and a half weeks I’ve been doing everything I can to get this sweet baby to know I’m her mama. So for a stranger to witness a little proof….well, let me just say it made my day! God used this sales lady to speak into my heart. In the midst of this new family of six it’s sometimes hard to see how far we’ve come and that sweet lady reminded me.
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My blogger and real life friend, Olivia, dropped off some goodies at our house when we got back with Britt. I must tell you she didn’t want me to share these but I insisted because they were so cute. I know some of you ladies might be looking for great gifts for adopted mamas and I highly recommend these.
This coffee mug is so special and she can customize it just for you. You can see all the goodies in her shop.
She knew my mama of four self would be wearing all the tees this summer and she just started making these in her shop. Olivia is one of the sweetest people I know. If you’re looking for a special gift, check her out! And she blogs too over at Joyfully Prudent. 🙂 Word on the street is, she’s got a GIVEAWAY happening today! THANK YOU, Olivia!
Thank you guys for stopping by today! Hope you have a great weekend! XO
I'm impressed you took Britt with you to get your hair done! How did she do?? My kids wouldn't have had anything to do with that! You are seriously super mom! God is so good!
Full of all sorts of goodness today! Happy Fri-yay!!!
Love your story about the salesperson and Brut wanting her mama. I'm sure working on and being patient for bonding is hard.
As someone who is praying about our family adopting….I think I am going to get that devotional. Cute workout clothes! Have a great weekend!
Erika! Your Gaylord pictures looked amazing!! We need to do that too! Also…how does your hair look so good before bed? I look like I stuck my finger in a light socket.
The Thanksgiving smoothie made me lol! And I was going to say what Shay did. Your hair was ON POINT before crawling into bed! The selfie with your new friend at the Gaylord captured Britt's left eye closed during her smile..which is my FAVORITE! She's just so dang cute!
Dying over the Thanksgiving smoothie!!! I'm on the hunt for my next devotional. Going to check that adoption one out. Thanks for the suggestion!!
http://www.lettinginthelightblog.com
That towel is the cutest thing ever! Checking them out right now, and that verse in James has been one of my favorites for a while now. It's helped me through some seriously tough, dark days. Love this blog & your precious family! Happy weekend!
How fun!!!! Loved all the pictures!!!
Ok you had me at the adoption devotional and then the coffee mug and blanket too! What thoughtful, sweet gifts :). You need to do a post on awesome adoption books, its hard to find both adult and kids books on the subject. I would love to read some 😉 ;). Have a great weekend. xoxo ERIN
LOL on the Thanksgiving smoothie!!!
I was in Nixon's position as a child…really wanted to hang out with my dad but would regret my decision about 15 minutes into it…wishing I had chosen the other option.
What a fun Staycation! Your husband does rock!
Love seeing Olivia's new items in her shop !! What a fun getaway you guys had. Have a great weekend
Thank you so much for including me in your Friday favorites. You are too sweet! I hope you're enjoying the mug and shirt.
What a fun little getaway for the fam. We've never been there during summer with the pool/park!
Look at Miss Britt winking in that picture with Kajsa! haha. She is so precious! And I am about to drop Craig off at y'all's house for a few days so Tab can tutor him in fun surprises. 😉 Way to go, Tab!! All I kept thinking of when I saw y'all's one bedroom suite though was OUR suite from last weekend in Waco that was a king bed plus pull out couch. It made yall's room look HUGE!!! No way you guys would have fit in that one! It was awful.
Happy Friday!!
That Inspired Chick
Kudos to the hubby for taking you on a last minute get away!
I love all of this, but my favorite part is absolutely the sales lady's comment. Our adopted daughter was a bit older as well, and that would have made my whole day to hear something so seemingly simple but so heartwarming and encouraging. 🙂
Good for you for giving Britt the time she needs to fully bond with you. That touched my heart.
You mentioned in a previous post (or maybe on Instagram) that you were concerned with Britt staying hydrated due to her cleft palate, which I must say is hardly, if at all, noticeable. Just wondering if she will require reconstructive surgery (now or in the future) and if you plan on sharing more about her condition?
Erika…the story about the sales lady's comment…chill bumps! That is so awesome. So glad you guys had a little getaway!
How sweet is that blanket!?! 😍 Happy Friday, girl!
Okay…Thanksgiving meal replacement😂 Totally cracked me up! Sweet Britt seems to be just falling right into place. We love the Opryland Hotel in Nashville (it's a Gaylord) We've never stayed, but love to go look around when we visit. Have a great weekend!!!
Our remedy for hotel rooms, a self-inflating air mattress. Lifesaver as they get a little bigger. I hope you continue to receive those little encouragements from God through this beginning time. I can only imagine the challenge of bonding. Not something a non-adoptive parent really considers. I hope your friends with experience continue to offer support as I'm sure they will.
What a great trip!! And I love the personalized gifts! The "you just want your mama" line has me tearing up over here… So happy for you!