Spring Break Gulf Shores Part 1

We just got back from our Spring Break trip, and it was wonderful. The time away was much needed, and this was our 2nd long trip with our camper. It's also going to be the longest trip that we have this year, all of our other camping trips will be somewhere in Texas and closer to home. 

Our plan was to leave after Adalyn's soccer game on Saturday; joke was on us, because her game was scheduled for 3 in the afternoon. Sigh. We spent the morning finishing up packing the camper, Megan went to gymnastics, and I managed to get the house picked up. Adalyn played goalie in the 2nd half of her soccer game. Can you see her way over there? After her game, we quickly headed home, and headed off. 

We drove toward Houston, stopped at Buccee's for a late dinner, and since Adalyn left her soccer ball in my car and wanted to play during the trip, we grabbed her a Buccee's soccer ball. We stopped around 10, and spent the night at a Cracker Barrel in Louisiana. Cracker Barrel's will let you stay in their parking lot over night for free. 

The next morning, we opted for a Cracker Barrel breakfast too. The girls all had hot chocolate. 

And since we spent the night at Cracker Barrel we had to add their magnet to our trip board. 

After breakfast, we piled back in the truck and headed to Gulf Shores with a few stops for gas and a stop for lunch. We just ate sandwiches in the camper.

Finally, we could start seeing the gulf. 

We arrived somewhere around 5, and while DJ set up the camper, the girls and I went for a short walk. 

And then I set up the inside with everything we would need, settled the beds, and we got ready for dinner. Our plans was to roast hot dogs, but we decided that would take too long so DJ cooked them on the Blackstone and we warmed up by the campfire. 

The next morning, Gee and Papaw had arrived and they came over for breakfast. 

We bought a smaller camping grill last year, and then we bought a blackstone grill a few months ago. Hands down, it's been the best for cooking while we camp and the clean up is super easy. 

I pre-made sourdough pancake batter before we left, and then we cooked the pancakes on our first morning.  This ring made cooking the pancakes and eggs a breeze! 

After breakfast, we went to the campsite store and rented a bike for Megan and myself (all of the girls need new bikes, so we brought what we had) and set off on a bike ride around Gulf Shores State Park. 

The park has miles and miles of trail, and you can ride around the park and over to the beach. When we had been to Gulf Shores before, we didn't realize the state park was here, and I would totally recommend to anyone staying in the area, to take a morning and bike, run, or hike around the state park. If you're not able to travel with your own bikes, you can easily rent them. 

Lots of boardwalk areas to bike through. 

On our way around the park, we spotted two baby alligators, a Bald Eagle, and a few places to stop and play. 

There were even some big bolders to climb on. 

And a fun little photo op. We stopped at another park to play along the way and all together biked about 8.5 miles! 

We went back to the camper for lunch and then headed out to the beach. 

We had warmed up during our bike ride, but the high was about 66, so it was chilly on the beach. 

My parents hadn't planned on tagging along, but the week before we left, they were able to find an open campsite at the state park the week before we left.

This girl has dreamed about being a mermaid on the beach. 

After dinner, the girls played a game of Left, Right, Center with Gee, and then we called it a night! 

 

Family Fun w/ Get Out Pass

When Get Out Pass, asked me if I wanted to partner with them, I literally jumped at the chance! As a family of 5, we love being able to get out and go on adventures. Whether they're close to home, or further away, we knew that we would use Get Out Pass often! 

They're not only in the Austin/San Antonio, area, but they've partnered with businesses all over the country to give your family the best time! 

You'll want to go here, and use the code "ITSELAINEWELTE" to save on your passes, and purchase 1 pass for every member of your family. So, if you're a 5 person family, you'll need 5 passes. The code will work and will help you save money on every pass you purchase. 

Okay, let's look at a few of the activities available in the Austin/San Antonio area.

The Get Out Pass will give you access to The Jungle Movement Academy. The girls are going to love this activity, and it's perfect for a rainy spring day. 

For the lego loving kids, head to Bricks & Minifigs for lego fun! 

You have access to the Austin Aquarium, and the one in San Antonio! 

Mt Playmore is one of the girls favorite places! I'll be able to take them in for free- yes, please! 

I have been wanting to explore the Wonder World Cave, and now we have access to it! Definitely taking a road trip down to San Marcos for this adventure! 

Okay, let's talk pricing! 

For one pass, you'll pay $69.95. I've seen a lot of coupon codes offered, so currently, the Get Out Pass is discounted to $34.98 each.

But, if you use my code "ITSELAINEWELTE"  you'll only pay $31.48 for each pass! 

You can purchase the Get Out Pass for your area:

 San Antonio/Austin

Dallas

Arkansas

Houston

Idaho

Indianapolis

Louisville

Maryland/DC

Nebraska

North Carolina

Ohio

 Oklahoma

Oregon

Sacramento

Tennessee

Utah

Washington 

 

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

We love baking in our house, and we love chocolate chip cookies! Over the years, we've used the same tried and true cookie recipe, but this time, we're making it gluten free. 

What You'll Need:

1 c. granulated sugar

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. butter

2 eggs

1 1/2 tspn vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3 c gluten free flour 

1 bag Enjoy Life chocolate chips/chunks

What You'll Do:

In your standing mixer bowl, add your sugars and softened butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix for 30 seconds, stop and scrape bowl, mix for 30 more seconds. Gradually add baking soda, salt, and gluten free flour to mixture and mix about 2 1/2 minutes. Add chocolate chips, and mix together.

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls on to cooking sheet lined with parchment paper. 

Bake at 375 for 12 minutes.

The cookies are the perfect bite size, and so delicious! 

Let me know if you try them! 

 

Outfit Round Up

Confession. I don't have a tall mirror in our home. It's on my list of things I want, but I'm not entire sure where I would even put one! So, when I need to see what my outfit looks like, I either stand on the end of our bed, or I take a selfie. These selfies are now forming this little post called "Outfit Round Up" and may serve as to why I am not a fashion blogger. 

Also, let's note. I basically wear leggings every single day. When you're constantly on the floor playing with kids, putting your hands in their mouth, or wiping snot; putting on jeans is zero fun. 

Outfit 1

I love this camo sweatshirt (similar) It's cozy and just easy to throw on with leggings. 

I love off the shoulder tops. It just makes me feel a little more girly. I picked this one up from Amazon. The waffle weave texture is soft on this, and it's longer in length, so it's perfect for leggings, but would also be cute with jeans, or denim shorts as we transition in to warmer weather. 

I'm a big fan of sweatshirts. I grabbed this one from Target a few years ago. But, can we talk about these earrings? They're a favorite of mine right now! I've worn earrings from this brand for years, because they're lightweight and always so cute. 

 A simple argyle sweater and leggings were perfect for a cozy afternoon in. 

This waffle weave hoodie is cozy; purchased last year from Abecrcombie

But these shoes are the best. They're great if you want something a little more than an athletic shoe, but still want a tennis shoe. 

DJ laughs when I wear this wrap. It's old. It has holes all in it. I love it, and I will never get rid of it. Just bury me in this okay.

Same sweater, with jeans, but these tennis shoes. 

I bought this sweater last year, and didn't have many chances to wear it. Our weather was cold and then hot all of February, with constant temperature changes. It was perfect with leggings, and the same shoes for a cozy day at work! 

I picked up this top the other day at Kohl's, and I'm obsessed with it. I've worn it twice already, and I know this is a top I'll wear weekly! It's longer and has thumb holes, so you know it's fantastic! 

My yoga pants, that I wear daily are here. 

Life Lately

I was just going to wrap up our weekend, and then realized that it has been a sweet forever since I blogged, so changing plans and sharing a little life lately :) 

The girls had Valentine's party's this year! Yay! I ordered Adalyn the sweetest little heart dress, and I can't remember where it's from, but it's big enough that she can wear next year too. She's so hard to buy for right now because 8's can be too short, but also too big in the waist, and 10's can be too long still. She's tall and skinny. 

One day, Megan and Adalyn made their own Valentine boxes. They used Megan's left over Kiwi Krate boxes, painted and decorated them, and I didn't have to lift a finger, and it was magical. 

Plus, Adalyn came home with a ton of candy, so she was happy. 

Megan glued 4 boxes on top of each other so her box would be the biggest. It's her last year for class parties, and that makes me just a little sad.

I checked the mail one afternoon, and we had an envelope from the White House. I was super confused, and thought maybe it was a thank you for participating in the state park program when Megan was in the 4th grade. It turns out, that one day last year, she wrote a letter to Biden, looked up the White House address, and mailed it herself. They sent a letter back to her and an autographed photo. 

DJ and I hosted 8 girls for our church's DNOW event, and while the big girls were out of the house, we took the little girls to Urban Air. It was cold and rainy, and we just wanted out of the house. It was crazy crowded, but the girls had a blast. 

Two happy girls. 

Two beat parents. 

The DNOW weekend involved me getting girls checked in and luggage to our house Friday night. 8 girls from youth group spent the night along with 2 college leaders. We woke up Saturday morning and cooked them breakfast, and then they went off to church for Bible studies and activities. Saturday night we cooked them dinner, and they went back to church before coming home around 10. Over the night, two of the girls ended up with a tummy bug, which was disasterous. In all, we survived the weekend, but it was crazy. 

That Sunday afternoon, Megan and I went off to a birthday party, and DJ and Adalyn went to the Texas baseball game. 

She was able to run the bases after the game and she enjoyed some much wanted 1:1 time with her dad. 

Adalyn started soccer this past week. She had her first practice last Monday, and afterwards we took her to P. Terry's for dinner. She realized she could order bacon on her burger and she was in heaven. 

We also took Ballet Baby for a bike ride around the block. 

And played her first 2 soccer games over the weekend. 

After her soccer game Saturday, she had a friend spend the night. (Megan did too.) We spent a bit at the park, ordered pizza.... DJ and I worked on packing the camper for our upcoming Spring Break trip...

and took 4 girls (plus Gretchen) to church on Sunday morning. 

Then it was back to the soccer fields for another game; a grocery store run, and a birthday party. 

This week is set to be another fun one, and then we're off on Spring Break and I can not wait! 

 

Adalyn's New Room

Last Fall, Adalyn asked for a bedroom makeover. Although, I loved her bedding, because I had picked it out when she was 2, this 8 year old thought she needed a change! I took her to look at bedding, and then we surprised her with it on Christmas morning. 

And, then it sat in her room for a few weeks, before we finally had a "free" weekend, and when I was finally able to convince DJ to help me paint. 

We headed to the paint store and Adalyn immediately found a bright pink paint color that she wanted, and threw a lovely fit when I told her that it didn't match the bedding she picked out. We finally compromised on a lighter shade of pink, and DJ was not impressed! Back in our Tulsa house, Gretchen had bubble gum pink walls and I was obsessed with them. DJ did not want anything pink again, but when you have 3 daughters, your chances on no pink walls are pretty slim.  

We went to work painting the ceiling, and then painting the walls. Adalyn was a great little helper! We let it dry overnight, and the next day, we were able to load everything back in to the room. 

I was nervous that the pink paint was actually too light, and I wasn't sure it would go with the curtains or some of the decor we already have, but it couldn't have match any more perfectly than it does! 

We rearranged the way her bed was facing in the room which gives her a little more floor space. 

Above her bed, we added her 1st birthday canvas, a ceramic flower (we have plans on adding another) and a woven rainbow. 

She had these painted frames in her last room, and they just so happen to match her new bedding, so we moved them above her desk, and she can use them as little "art" frames. She also had the "Land of Make Believe" banner in her last room, but it had rainbows at the end that were at the end that didn't quiet, match, so we slid those off and hung above her desk. 

Above her nightstand is an octagon shelf from Target's Dollar Spot. It holds a few trinket gifts and a few oils that she can use at night to help or sleep or throughout the day. 

We kept the wreath from the hospital door when she was born, the metal "A" and hung a picture of her and Bailey. 

We love how her room turned out. The little pom pom pillows, and the mustard throw adds some fun colors other than pink :) And while I had thought I'd repaint her night stand, I'm thinking it's actually still perfect for her. 

Comforter

Shams

Pom Pillows

Mustard Pillow

Ceramic Wall Flower 

Rainbow