Category: Activities

Posted in Activities

Breeders Cup

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Wednesday!

I’m finally getting around to recapping our Saturday at Breeder’s Cup.

I’ve shared about the October/April meets at Keeneland as well as Oaks at Churchill Downs, and today’s post is about Breeder’s Cup.

A Few Facts:

  • Breeder’s Cup happens every year in November and the races are all Grade 1.
  • It’s a year-end championship for North American Thoroughbred racing.
  • It’s a two day event with Friday’s races consisting of two year olds and then other ages on Saturday.
  • The biggest race is the Breeder’s Cup Classic on Saturday with a purse of $6 million dollars.
  • Keeneland hosted in 2015, 2020 (but there were no spectators), and then this year as well.

We went with our friends in 2015…

…and here we are this year! It was such a great day.

To prepare for Breeder’s Cup, Keeneland installed temporary seating throughout the facility to increase capacity from 20,000 people to 45,000 people. They added more seating with additional boxes and five chalets. We were in a chalet by the final turn which is where we were in 2015 as well.

The chalets are huge with buffets, bars, and big screen tv’s. We did say that we preferred the “aesthetic” in 2015 because they had couches, high top tables, dimmed lights, and different spaces to hang out. This just felt more like “how many people can we fit in here if we just keep adding tables and chairs?” Anyway, needless to say, our table was the most fun 😉

Besides the buffet, at various times, servers came around with snacks like pretzels, cookies, and more. There were many betting stations as well as tables to grab waters and soft drinks as needed.

At one point, the ladies hopped on a golf cart to visit the gift shop.

At the gift shop, we saw Carson Kressley shopping!

For most races, we’d go outside and stand by the rail. The weather was warm and windy which felt unnatural for November!

After one of the races, we snapped a few pics…

…as well a one with the ladies, the guys, and the group photo…

…and a group selfie. (Our friend Scott is a big self guy…he’s tall and comes in handy for photos!)

Yikes! I need to clean my mirror, but here’s a closer look at my dress.

I bought this dress from Avara, and it won’t be my last! They have such cute and affordable dresses and easy returns. I paired the dress with my Target boots that I’ve worn many time so far this fall.

The Breeder’s Cup Classic is the second to last race. Frontline, the favorite, won easily.

Travis and friends usually have multiple bets going on throughout the day. I can’t even begin to understand it all, but they have fun. They usually come thisclose to winning big by the end of the day, but tracks aren’t built on winners. haha

One of the wives picked this up at the gift shop, and of course, we needed a pic after the final race.

As we were walking out, we couldn’t help but admire the amazing sky. The official color of The Breeder’s Cup is purple…and just look at that sky!

We left around 6:30, and didn’t have a dinner reservation until 8:30. That being said, of course traffic was crazy. Travis was lucky enough to have a pass, so we didn’t have to walk too far to get to our car.

Once we got to the restaurant, Frank and Dino’s, we hung out at the bar and had a couple of appetizers.

Then, we were seated and had the sweetest server. It sounds like they were slammed on Friday after Breeder’s Cup, and learned a few lessons. It honestly didn’t feel like we had to wait too long for our food, but we appreciated her being up front about it all.

I got the pesto gnocchi, and it was delish. If gnocchi is on any menu, I order it.

We all hung out, ate, and chatted before grabbing an Uber and calling it a night.

Of course we had to have a dinner selife!

We got home around 11 and headed straight to bed! It was a long day that started at 6 AM to get to Hayden’s cross country meet in Louisville.

Let’s just say I was very grateful to “fall back” that night!

Good friends can be hard to come by, and this is a special crew. All of the guys are Trav’s friends from college. Two of the couples live in Lexington like us and see each other somewhat regularly. They were some of my “first friends” when I moved here 18 years ago and didn’t know anyone. The other two couples live in Nashville, and we try to see them once or twice a year.

Anyway, it was a great day. I hope Keeneland hosts the Breeder’s Cup again in the next few years.

Posted in Activities, Tuesday Talk

Tuesday Talk: Summer Top 10

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Well, it’s June 21st…the first official day of summer. Why does typing “June 21st” make me feel like summer is halfway over? *sigh*

Today, I’m sharing the ten things we love about summer…

The kids helped be compile the list, and here are some of their faves:

1. Pool time

It’s no secret we love a pool day. With them doing swim team through the years (and Hadley still doing it), we spend lots of days at the pool. Swim team is early in the morning, so we will usually stay until early afternoon when we commit to a pool day.

What we also love to do is go to the pool in the evening. It’s cooler outside, and we will also have dinner there. Win win for everyone.

2. Hanging with friends

We love extra time in the summer to hang with friends. I don’t know if it was the fact that kids were forced to be outside in 2020 or the fact that my kids were old enough to be given more freedom, but that felt like the summer that starting being more than just going to the pool. It’s been great letting them go outside, bike, run around, have popsicles for a snack, and play basketball in the driveway until dark. We have a neighborhood full of kids which has been such a blessing.

3. Camp (& sports camps)

Hadley LOVES camp. She can’t wait to go again this year. After the first day of school this year, she came home telling me she recognized so many kids at school from camp. She’s even more excited to go this year because she will know so many more friends there.

In the summer, Hayden takes the cake with signing up for sports camps. From basketball to baseball to golf, he does it all. There are actually a couple of running camps nearby that he’s interested in, so maybe sleep away camp is in the future for next summer.

4. Fruit

Hadley immediately said, “fruit!” as something she loves about summer. I do too, and it’s nice to know that the kids have lots of healthy snack options, and that strawberries and watermelon can be “sides” for dinner.

5. S’mores

Travis loves making a fire when we have time. Sometimes, I tell him no because there’s usually a smokey start that kicks up my sinus issues, but the kids love the fire…and it’s hard to say “no” to s’mores!

6. Vacay

We always look forward to vacation. There are some years we get to the beach twice a year, but summer is the guaranteed time to visit the beach.

We’ve raised a couple of beach bums…that’s for sure.

Ok…i’ts my turn…I love all of the above + extra time with my kids and…

7. Summer scents & flowers

I love a summer candle and…

…peonies are my favorite summer flower …(hydrangeas are a close second!)

8. No alarm

Not having to set an alarm is the best. Now, I don’t really sleep in, but I definitely sleep later than 6am like during the school year. I love to get up by 7:30 to have some time before I have to wake Hadley for swim.

This summer, since we haven’t had baseball, we’ve had the opportunity to have a slow start to Saturday mornings which I love and appreciate.

9. Relaxed meal planning / food prep

Summer means that we often grill out for dinner. I also love that we sometimes eat at the pool or go out to dinner on a weeknight. Those are not things we typically do during the school year.

Also, I’ve shared before that I like being able to eat at home for lunch. It’s nice to take the extra couple of minutes to make a grilled cheese or enjoy a “snack plate” of whatever we have in the fridge or pantry.

10. More time to read

I love having extra time to read in the summer. Honestly, I also love having a bit more tv time too! I usually get behind in many shows and try to play catch up in the summer. I try to start and end my day with some reading…

…with hopefully reading time at the pool too!

Bonus:

One last addition from Hadley…she says one thing she loves about summer is getting tan 😆 Me too! I swear my mood improves when I’m tan. (Of course, we wear sunscreen…but it’s nice to have a bit of a summer glow!)

What do you love about summer?

I try to savor summer as much as possible. After the 4th of July, it’s hard not to start thinking about school. Enough of that negative talk…right? My teacher friends know what I mean.

I hope you have a great summer day!

Posted in Activities, Friday Favorites, Kids

Friday Favorites {#117}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Friday!

I have a full posts of favorites so I’m going to hop right in to the link up with Andrea and Erika.

Here are some favorites from the week:

Favorite Activities:

Hadley’s dance recitals were a highlight of the week for sure!

Hayden is playing summer basketball, and he had a couple of games this week. The summer league is super low key which is nice.

Hadley had another swim meet this week. The butterfly stroke is one that she’s been working on, and she finally got to swim it in the meet on Wednesday night.

She swam in two relays and then all four strokes, so she was a busy girl! The heat index was over 100 during the meet. I was about to jump in and join a relay!

Last Saturday, Hayden went to run on the track for his workout and took a detour at football camp. He saw Will Levis (QB for UK), and got his photo taken with him. He was so excited.

Favorite Summer Scents:

I really need to quit buying candles, but I couldn’t pass up the $11.95 sale on three wick candles at Bath and Body Works.

I specifically went into the store for the Champagne Toast and Fresh Orange candle. I love both of those scents, so I knew this would be a good one combined…and it is.

While I was there, I also picked up the peony candle and put it next to my Trader Joe’s peonies. (Tell me it’s summer without telling me it’s summer!)

Amazon Faves:

{Amazon Affiliate links}

I change out my garden flags pretty regularly, but I didn’t have one that was summery. This one arrived earlier in the week and is perfect for summer.

I got this dress last year and have worn in a ton.

I decided to wear it to Hadley’s recital with my new braided sandals.

Also, the dress is one I turn to time and time again. I’m actually thinking about ordering the pink or sleeveless version of it before vacay!

You all know that I share my Amazon purchases once a month, but I could’t wait to share these sandals. I wore them to her afternoon recital with white jeans and then again for the evening recital with the dress. After the recital, I was on my feet for a couple more hours at my friend’s birthday party, and they were so comfortable on my feet.

I originally ordered my regular size 9, but when they arrived, they fit…barely. My heel was right at the edge, so I thought I’d compare with a 9.5. That size wasn’t available anytime soon, so I tried the 9.5 wide. I don’t have a wide foot, but these fit perfectly…much better than the 9.

Since I couldn’t love these sandals more, I decided to go ahead and share now rather than wait for my July Prime Purchases post.

Other Faves:

My niece Layla turned five at the end of May, and was overdue for a birthday gift from us. On Monday, we hit the mall (along with Hadley, my mom, and my sister-in-law) for a quick lunch and then we stopped in the Plush Shop for her to pick out a gift. She came home with “Princess Owlette” (Also, don’t you love her princess necklace?)

On the way out, we picked up cookies for everyone at Great American Cookie as one more birthday treat.

Later that night, I got this photo at bedtime which I thought was really sweet.

My mom came to visit and was able to see both Hadley and Layla’s recitals as well as one of Hayden’s basketball games.

Last Sunday, my brother’s family and my mom joined us at Boonedogs for a late lunch. The food was good and the weather was really nice. The kids were able to run around for a bit too.

I got the Greek dog –with cucumbers, feta, sun dried tomato, garlic lemon sauce and fried capers. So good!

Last Friday, I shared some new fave Target pjs, but I also picked up this set. I’ve worn them almost every night, and a shameless amount of time during the day. The pink color is very summery, and the material is so soft. I did size down in this set.

top // shorts

Throw on some flip flops, and I feel like I could leave the house in these. 😆

Favorite Mom Meme:

Even as the kids have gotten older, this struggle is still very real!

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

In honor of Father’s Day, here’s a throwback to probably 1982…back when the Major smoked a pipe and rocked a mustache!

…and this meme for fathers everywhere!

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from this week:

Not Just a Mom
Recital Recap
Shutterfly

What are your weekend plans? Hayden has a race tomorrow, and then of course, we’ll celebrate Travis on Sunday for Father’s Day.

Posted in Activities, Everyday Life

Winter Break Recap

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Monday. The first Monday of 2 0 2 2 ! We have one more day of break, and I’m going to take it easy and enjoy this last day off.

Today, I’m recapping a bit of what we did over break.

Our break seemed so hectic during the first week while the second week we were able to have a little bit more down time and even do a few things as a family.

Over break we…

  • baked cookies.
  • The kids received their first vaccine.

We…

  • attended holiday parties.
  • had basketball training and practice (Hayden)
  • played with friends
  • played with cousins
  • celebrated Christmas
  • went to basketball games (Travis and Hayden attended a couple of high school games and a UK game)
  • stayed up late
  • slept in
  • watched a few movies
  • read
  • caught up (kind of) on shows
  • shopped at the mall (Hadley had some Aerie gift cards burning a hole in her pocket)
  • Purged and organized the house (somewhat)
  • started a home project
sneak peek
  • worked on Science Fair projects

Hayden studied the “Science of Running” during his club running season.

Hadley observed a variety of apples over a few hours to see which one would be freshest to pack in her lunch.

  • We saw the Spider-Man movie.

We go to the movies so infrequently that we usually go to the nicer theaters with the lounge chairs. This movie was so good.

  • We hiked at Red River Gorge.

Last Thursday was a great day to go because we needed to get out of the house while our neighbor finished up our house project. The weather was in the 60s but overcast. We did a great two mile loop…

…and then stopped for pizza at Miguel’s.

  • I started New Year’s Eve day watching one of my favorite movies: While You Were Sleeping.
  • Then, I heard about Betty White’s passing. Golden Girls is one of my all time favorite shows (*one of my first parenting “wins” was the fact that both of my kids could sing along to every word for the theme song by the time they were three!) The number of people who texted me or sent me a message about her on Friday goes to show how well those people know me. I watched a few episodes of GG in her honor on Friday afternoon.

What a life she lived. She’s certainly legendary!

  • Then we celebrated NYE with neighbors and friends.

Most years, we don’t really have plans, and this year we ended up hanging with lots of great friends at two different parties.

Travis and I went to a progressive dinner with friends starting with apps at one house, followed by salad at another house, then dinner and desserts at two other houses. Hadley hung with friends while we did that, and Hayden went to our neighbor’s house with other friends. Travis, Hadley and I joined Hayden at the neighbor’s house around 10:00 to ring in the new year.

I can’t believe I stayed up until midnight! haha

  • On Saturday, we laid low most of the day. It was so rainy, so it was nice to sleep in and relax. Then, we continued to tidy up the house (this seemed to be an ongoing process…) before watching the CATS play in their bowl game.
  • Saturday evening, we went to Cincinnati for the night. We arrived around 6:30, checked into our hotel, and then had dinner at 21C.

We stayed at the Westin and realized that’s where the Chiefs players were staying too. Hayden got a couple of autographs that night, and then we hung out in the lobby Sunday morning to see them get on the bus. Hayden was so excited. We saw Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and Tyrann Mathieu (among others)

We headed to the Chiefs game. It definitely felt like football weather (brrr!) …and up until the 4th quarter, it was one of the best days of Hayden’s life.

The Chiefs lost in a close one, but we still had a great time.

I’m sure I’m missing some things, but I’d say we had a good mix of productivity and relaxing over these past two weeks.

While I’m recapping things, here’s my 2021 recap that I shared last week.

Tomorrow is back to reality, so I’m going take today to take it easy and prep for the week ahead.

Take care,

Linking up with Heather.

Posted in Activities

Summer Fun 2021

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello! I missed last week’s Let’s Look with Shay and Erika where everyone shared their Summer Fun Lists, so I’m sharing ours today.

When the kids were little, we didn’t belong to a pool, so I would plan something each day…and live for their afternoon naps!

Depending on the day we’d go to a park, have a picnic, go to a movie, head to the library, splash in the baby pool in the backyard, or meet friends at the YMCA pool.

2011
2012
2013
2014
2018

A few years ago, we joined a pool, so most of our summer days are spent there. Swim team practice is in the morning, so then we often hang out for a couple of hours afterwards. A couple days a week we’ll grab lunch at the pool, other times, we come home by lunch. The kids love the pool because they are able to see friends (me too!), play basketball and volleyball as well as swim. Also, our pool has various events like snow cones, movie nights, and pool activities a few times throughout the summer.

2019

Last summer “forced” us to find fun outside of the pool since we didn’t join due to Covid. I’d say that last summer was actually a blessing in disguise. We had a lot of time together as a family, and we picked strawberries, had time to bake, went canoeing with friends, rode bikes, and did many other activities.

Also, we have quite the crew of neighborhood kids, so it was fun to see them out and about on their bikes and playing outside most days. All of the parents were nostalgic as it reminded us of summers when we were kids.

This summer, we are back at the pool, but I asked the kids to think of a few things they’d like to do this summer.

Here’s what they came up with:

A few of the activities like going to an MLB game and dance classes have already happened (or are currently happening), so we are off to a good start.

The kids even planned their pool day yesterday to be there for the afternoon snow cones! I’m sure we will have a great summer.

What are some fun things you like to do in the summer? We’d love to add to our list!

Posted in Activities, Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#34}: Summer 2020 Top 10

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and Happy Friday! I’ve almost made it through my first week back to school which has looked very different than my previous eighteen years in education! I completed online trainings, planned, prepped my room (let’s hope I get to use it soon!), responded to emails, engaged in Zoom calls and meetings, and much more.

I’m ready for the weekend! I’m linking up with Erika and Andrea for this week’s Friday Favorites post.

Yesterday, I recapped our 2020 Summer Fun List activities that the kids individually wanted to accomplish. We were able to cross most things off our “Fun List” that we made earlier this summer. Most of the family activities made it to today’s post as I’m writing about our “Top 10” favorite highlights of Summer 2020.

I feel like this summer was less busy (for obvious reasons), but then again, it seemed like by mid-June, we were out and about a bit more, activities started back up, and I felt like we were kind of busy again. I do feel like we needed this break. While the kids still had things going on, it was definitely a slower paced summer with staying up too late and lots of sleeping in. There are some summers where I feel like I can’t even catch my breath. This summer did not feel that way even though there always seemed to be the underlying stress of the virus. But…we tried our best to make lemonade out of lemons. 😉

Here are our favorite highlights of the summer.

1. Florida Vacation

In June, we spent a little over a week in one of our favorite places: Siesta Key, Florida.

2. Extra Homer Time

Homer loves having us around! We’ve enjoyed this bonus time with him…and apparently that extra time will continue for at least the first six weeks of school 😉 He’s a hit on the class Zoom calls! 😂

Pool update: It was #homered a couple of weeks ago. Thankfully, it’s three layers, so he only punctured the top layer! I’m sure the pool will end up in the trash in a month or so, but I will still use it as much as I can to keep my tan and read a book.

3. Slower Pace

I’d say June was about the same pace as the spring months, but July kicked it up a notch with dance and baseball.

We did enjoy sleeping in since the kids didn’t do swim team this summer. There were nights where it was dark out, and the kids were still outside playing! I had to beg them to come in.

We all had extra time for the things we love: reading, Netflix, Xbox, walks, and more.

A couple books I read this summer, and I’ve been watching Alone on Netflix with Hayden lately.

Hadley is the MVP of sleeping in!

We found time to occasionally play games like Monopoly Deal.

I’m probably the queen of pool lounging, but Hadley is the runner up!

4. KC

We were able to make a visit to Kansas City in July. It was nice to see family we hadn’t seen in a while…including my mom’s dog Gus. It was a very low key visit spent relaxing with family, splashing in the pool, playing on the golf course, and playing games like Monopoly and Dominoes.

5. Hiking

We went to McConnell Springs Park and Shaker Village for hikes this summer. We also took walks in the arboretum when it wasn’t too hot outside.

McConnell Springs
Shaker Village

6. Fun with neighbors and friends

Keeping guidelines and social distancing in the mind, the kids ran around with neighborhood friends and rode their bikes a lot.

Hadley went to the lake with her friend one Saturday.

4th of July sparklers with friends is always fun and a favorite.

7. Picking Strawberries

We had our first experience picking strawberries earlier in the summer. I took the kids to Evans Orchard in June. It was a beautiful day, and the berries were delicious.

Strawberries are our favorite summer food.

8. Activities

Again, June included vacation and not many activities. BUT…in July, the kids were able to start back with some to the activities they love like…

Golf. A few times this summer, Travis and Hayden were able to play golf.

…which also included hitting golf balls at a course in KC when we were visiting my family.

Hayden has had a great baseball season where he’s grown as a player, gained lots of experience as a pitcher, and had so much fun with his coaches and teammates.

A couple of weeks ago, Hayden and his friend went to a local 5 day basketball camp. They were gone all day, and had so much fun. We were very impressed with the protocol and procedures of the staff and the camp facility.

Hadley took a few hip hop dance workshops, had her recital pictures taken, and started back full time a couple of weeks ago to make up for April and May classes.

Silly Sis is always smiling.

9. Cincinnati Zoo

I took the kids to the Cincinnati Zoo in June, and we had a great time. It’s about an hour and a half drive from Lexington. We purchased tickets in advance to arrive at a certain time and were able to social distance from other zoo guests. The weather wasn’t too hot, and we were able to see most of the animals!

10. Canoeing

We went canoeing on Elkhorn Creek with friends. It was a six mile trek, but the weather was great, and the water was cool and beautiful. I’d definitely like to make canoeing a summer tradition; it’s a new favorite activity, for sure! Maybe next year, we can try the kayak.

We had a really great summer. I never knew how much we needed the extra downtime (as most summers for us are booked solid), and we sure appreciated it. I can safely say I will always remember the summer of 2020!

A few more faves…

Favorite Mom Meme:

This meme made me laugh and cry at the same time 😉

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday

Both of these pics are from August 2017.

I love these pics of seven-year-old Hadley at the beach. Her sass and smile are the best!

2017

I love this cousin pic so much. We had an impromptu photo session thanks to Trav’s brother in August 2017, and this pic is so sweet. All of these cousins are so blessed to have each other!

Weekly Recap:

Back To School Breakfast
Shaker Village Hike
Let’s Look
Summer Fun List Update

Real talk: I’m just as tired at the end of this first week of school (where I was both at home and at school) as the regular first weeks back. I’m going to take the time this weekend to get some rest and spend time with my family in hopes of being recharged ready to start another week of learning, Zooming, planning, and more on Monday!

Thanks so much for reading, and have a great weekend.

Posted in Activities, Family

Summer Fun List Update

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Well, the days of sleeping in and easing into the day are almost over. To be clear, they’ve been over for me since Monday 😉Today, I’m sharing an update on where we stand with our Summer 2020 Fun List.

When we wrote down our ideas for this list in mid-June, Hayden and Hadley each listed some thing they’d like to do, and we brainstormed a few ideas to complete as a family.

Here’s a breakdown on what we’ve accomplished this summer:

Hadley

  • Learn a (new) Tik Tok dance: Y’all, she seems to master a new dance daily! AND…we all get to be audience 😂
  • Tie Dye: Hadley did tie dye a shirt and socks with some friends.
  • Bake: We haven’t baked too much this summer because we have ZERO self-control when it comes to sweets in this house, but Hadley has made the Lemon Freezer Pie on her own a few times.
  • Cook dinner one night: Well, I’ve forgotten about this one, and need to hold her to it 😉She does help me dinner prep sometimes. #summerisntoveryet !!
  • Dance Workshop: She was able to take a couple Hip Hop workshops this summer, and is now back dancing full time to make up for April/May classes.
  • Try S’mores Frapp: She did try this frapp from Starbucks this summer and liked it!
  • Go to Bob Evans Restaurant: We haven’t made it there yet. I’m not sure if our local BE has dine in service right now? I guess we could get carry out one night.
  • Dog walking business: Yes! The kids have taken care of a few neighborhood pets this summer and regularly walked the neighbor’s dog.
  • Art Project: Hadley did complete an art project or two as well as some crafts (a hand scrub, a lava lamp, and she painted a Mason jar for her pens and pencils). She also completed some of the crafts from her camp box since camp was canceled this summer.

Hayden

  • Teach Homer some tricks : Yes! Hayden has been working with Homer some on “sit,” “down,” “come,” and “shake.” Most of those are commands rather than tricks, but he has fun with Homer. Seriously, I’ve never seen a kid love a dog more than Hayden loves Homer.
  • Take golf lessons: Well, once baseball started back, we didn’t have lots of time to schedule actual lessons, but Travis and Hayden went golfing a few times this summer just the two of them and then with friends this past Sunday. Maybe we can get him lessons once baseball is over. (Interestingly enough, he’s a left handed kid—but bats right handed and golfs left handed. So crazy to me!)
  • Get/play video games: I do not think we’ve bought any new games, but he’s certainly played on his Xbox this summer! Great way to cool off after playing outside.
  • Take Hadley to camp for a week: Unfortunately, for Hayden, Hadley’s camp was canceled this summer 😂
  • Baseball: Yes. All the baseball. Practices. Games. Backyard practices and games. Baseball lessons. On repeat.
1st base and pitcher
  • Go shoe shopping: With a delayed back to school start date, we haven’t bought new shoes just yet. BUT Travis did score a great deal on a pair of Air Max tennis shoes, but they were a bit too big. They will fit Hayden soon enough, I’m sure!
  • Play outside: We were just discussing with friends that this summer, for our kids, felt like our own childhood summers. Since we weren’t at the pool, there was more time for neighborhood kids to ride bikes and run around together. It’s been a pretty simple and sweet summer in that regard.
  • Draw things: Hayden loves to draw. Do you know when his most favorite time to draw is? BEDTIME! ugh!
  • Watch sports: Yes. He’s found the time to watch NBA games and Royals baseball!
  • Not get braces: Well, technically he hasn’t gotten his braces in yet…but he does have his Herbst appliance in for the foreseeable future. He’s definitely gotten used to it, and knows what to do if it gets stuck! haha

Family:

I will share some more for the family list details in tomorrow’s post but we were able to:

  • Go to the zoo, go on a couple of hikes, take a vacation to Florida, visit family in Kansas City, pick strawberries, and kayak/canoe with friends.

Other activities:

  • Lake: We never made it to a lake this summer which is a bummer because I do love the lake life.
  • Drive in movie: We had plans a couple of weekends ago to go to the drive in, but it rained all weekend. We haven’t re-scheduled just yet, but I’d love to take the kids sometime soon!

Overall, I’d say we did a pretty good job of using our list to guide our fun this summer. We were able to make memories and have fun together even if it was a quarantine/COVID kind of summer.

Posted in Activities

Shaker Village Hike

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Last Friday, Travis and I took the kids to Shaker Village to hike. I’ve been to Shaker Village a few times to explore the property, learn about the Shaker community, and visit the Historic Centre. That being said, I didn’t know they had hiking trails until a friend posted her family’s photos near a beautiful waterfall.

With Friday being my last official day of summer, Travis took the day off, and we headed to Shaker Village which is about a 30 minute drive from Lexington.

There are various trails, but we knew the Shawnee Run trail would take us to the waterfall. That particular trail is label “strenuous” and says it’s a 6 mile loop. We saw signs sending us to a different connector so after seeing the waterfall, we hooked up with the Chinquapin trail to finish our hike. All in all, we hiked about four miles in about an hour and 45 minutes. So, we didn’t do the complete loop of that trail, and the trail was very doable for all of us.

We hardly saw anyone on our trek, so it was definitely a socially distant activity with beautiful scenery.

I’m a sucker for a run down red barn. We parked right by this beaut, so of course I had to snap a pic.

and…make the kids stand in front of the chippy red barn!

The grounds of Shaker Village are so beautiful. Stone fencing like this always stops me in my tracks.

Off we go…

We probably only hiked about a mile to find the beautiful waterfall. We hung out in the water and by the falls for 20-25 minutes.

Hiker Boo:

Hiker Sis:

Such a pretty place to explore with the falls, the mossy rocks, and the cool water.

Parent pic:

After the falls, we continued on for the rest of our hike stopping every once in a while to let the kids splash in the water.

After the hike, these guys were waiting for us by the chippy red barn.

The horses have a great view!

Now that I know these trails exist, I certainly hope we make it back again soon. The kids are at a great age for hikes like this because they can keep up, and even sometimes lead the way!

I hope you have a great day!

Posted in Activities

Family Fun: Games

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

We were really on a roll playing games as a family in March and April. Then, I guess we kind of got burned out. Recently, we’ve added a few more games to the mix, and I took all of these to KC with us because I knew we’d have the downtime to play.

Presidents Game

Hayden has had this game for some time, but we’d never played it. There are lots of Professor Noggin’s learning games.

It’s definitely a quick game and great for learning.

A little info: It says this game is for ages 7+ and 2+ players are needed for the game.

There are 30 illustrated cards with “easy” and “hard” questions.

Before you begin, you decide which level you will play and then roll the die. The person who rolled the die asks the player on their right that number question. If the person answers correctly, they keep the card. If they don’t answer it correctly, the answer is shared and the card goes to the bottom of the stack.

Then, the person who just answered, rolls the die, asks the player on their right the question and so on.

Once all the cards are gone, everyone counts the number of cards they have. Whoever has the most cards wins!

It’s as easy as that.

Uno

I think everyone knows how to play Uno 🙂 It’s the game that I usually throw in my purse if I know we’ll have time to kill.

Uno is for ages 7+ and 2-10 players can participate.

We do love this game as a family because it takes some time to play but not too much time. Also, just when someone yells “Uno,” they usually have to draw more cards. haha

Qwixx

Andrea shared about this game in the spring. I purchased it, and we played it a few times. Then…it got #Homered. I ordered another set, and it’s one we all enjoy.

It’s a “fast family dice game” for ages 8+ and you need 2-5 players.

This game does have strategy involved and can take a few rounds to fully understand. The object of the game is to score the most points by crossing out as many numbers in the four color rows as possible without getting penalty points.

One of the main rules is that numbers have to be crossed off left to right in each of the color rows. If you skip a number, it can’t be crossed out later.

You can also lock a row by crossing out five numbers in that row. Then, that color die is removed from the game.

When the game is over, players add up their score to determine the winner.

Monopoly Deal

Monopoly Deal has definitely become a family favorite. Andrea shared it recently as well, and I purchased it before the KC trip to add to our game collection.

The game says, “Play in 15 minutes,” but we were never that quick! That being said, each game we played took about 30 minutes which is much quicker than the board game.

It’s a game for ages 8+ and you need 2-5 players.

When I bought it, I thought the kids could play it in the car…but that’s not the case. You want to have as many cards laid out on the table, so you can play them. You can’t play cards from your hand…only the ones you’ve put on the table.

There are three kinds of cards: money cards, property cards, and action cards.

Each player gets 5 cards. When it’s their turn, they draw two cards from the middle pile and can then play up to 3 cards. So, you could lay down a money card in case you need to pay someone, lay down a property card to start building on, and tell the other players an action like swap a property, pay you because it’s your birthday, etc.

Another rule is that players can never have more than seven cards in their hand.

The first player to collect 3 full property sets of different colors wins.

The instructions actually say, “Start playing and all will become clear.” That proved to be true 😉 We figured it out as we played, and it’s definitely a favorite game now.

What are some of your favorite games to play? I even love Solitaire (with cards! No my phone!) when no one wants to play a game with me!

I hope you are having a great week.

Posted in Activities, Holidays, Weekend Top 5

Weekend Top 5

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Happy Monday! How was your 4th of July weekend? We were busy. I’m so tired! Thankfully, this week we don’t have much going on besides a couple of ball games.

I thought I’d do a little Top 5 recap of our busy weekend.

Canoeing:

We are adventurous, y’all. We started our holiday weekend on Friday canoeing. Kayak/canoeing was one of the activities we had on our Summer 2020 Fun list!

We went with a few friends and got our canoes from Canoe Kentucky in Frankfort. While I was excited, I was a little hesitant because I didn’t know what to expect. Long story short, about four years ago we had a tense and sometimes scary creek tubing experience in North Carolina. I figured a canoe is more substantial and the kids are older, so the canoe trip should be fine…and it was! It’s a great outdoor and socially distant activity. Win win.

We all met to get our life jackets, instructions, and canoes and then we rode on the bus (while wearing masks) to the entry point on Elkhorn Creek. Then, we canoed back which was about 6 miles and took us about 3 hours. We did stop 3 times to let the kids swim and to kind of regroup. Altogether, we had 11 people in 5 canoes and 1 kayak….and we all stayed together! Of course, it was a hot day, but on the water, it was fine. There was shade and the water was cool.

When the instructor dropped us off he said we may see turtles, a bald eagle, deer, and more. We did see the bald eagle, deer, and even a little water snake.

There were a few rapid points that we could easily navigate and there were even times I wished the water would move more! 😂

The adults sat in the back of the canoes to steer while the kids paddled (adults paddled too)—but definitely needed to be in the back to steer.

We really had a great time, and I definitely hope to go again (or make this a summer tradition!)

Hadley was my co-pilot
The littles
They enjoyed swimming more than paddling 😉
Travis and Hayden
Our crew

After we canoed, we headed to one of our favorite spots for dinner…Wallace Station. It’s the perfect spot with picnic tables and shade…and easy to social distance from other diners.

I got the shrimp wrap with orzo side and it was so good!

Festive Food:

I ordered some red, white, and blue cookies from a local baker, L’oven Cookies, and picked those up on Friday. We enjoyed them throughout the weekend.

On Saturday, we had our traditional red, white and blue waffles. This year, Hadley made the waffles using a mix and our mini waffle iron. (I usually just use frozen waffles and the toaster ;). She’s become a big help in the kitchen. I put the toppings on!

4th of July:

We actually did have a relaxing day with not much on our plate on Saturday. We lounged around, watched tv, the kids biked with friends, I hung out and read in our pool and that was about it…until it was time for dinner.

The kids did oblige with a red, white, and blue outfit pic with Homer and his new scarf.

He’s good at posing for pics if he knows he’ll get a treat.

🇺🇸

Then we grilled out with another family in our neighborhood. The kids see each other pretty often these days to ride bikes and know they can play but to keep some space, and we keep up with the hand washing, of course.

After dinner, we set off a few fireworks before heading home to go to our favorite fireworks viewing location.

Sparklers are my fave.

The 30 minute fireworks display from a local country club did not disappoint.

Then, we came home, set off a few more fireworks (I had just bought a few things at Kroger) and then we headed to bed.

Netflix:

Friday night after we returned home from canoeing, I was exhausted. By 8:00, I was showered and in bed. I turned on Netflix, and The Babysitters Club popped up. I had forgotten that they were doing a series on the books. I swear, as a kid, I read every single one. I remember going to the book store to buy the books one at a time as they were released.

Hadley’s only read a few of them, and enjoys them. I knew she’d love the show and was excited to watch a couple of episodes, so we did. Then, we watched a couple more episodes throughout the weekend.

The show is an updated version that touches on modern topics while also including plot elements from the books.

Sunday:

Sunday was a lazy day mixed with a bit of productivity. We changed all the bedsheets and I made my grocery order for the week.

Hadley and I watched a couple more episodes of the BSC. I snuggled with Homer while the kids played outside.

Then, we met some of Trav’s family at The Stave for an early dinner.

Sunday ended with showers and early bedtimes for everyone. I’ve tried to make Sunday nights a good time to reset for the kids (& myself!)

Tomorrow is Trav’s birthday, so we have more celebrating to do tomorrow.

I hope you have a great week.