Must read if you are planing on visiting Hawaii, Maui
Hot Air Balloons At Provo Fest
Hey, you guys we have been insanely busy lately and I am going to try and play catch up this week. Last week we were so slammed with family things. One of the things we did was woke up super early on the 4th of July and went to what is called Provo balloon fest. If you live in Utah it is a must see at least 1 time. It was so fun to see all the hot air balloons. This happens every year during Provo City days. They do the hot air balloons every morning during Provo fest. It starts at 6:00 am. That is when they start to blow up the hot air balloons. Then they start to take off around 7:00 am. It was so fun to watch them blow up and then fly in the sky. Jo is not much of a morning person……… She would wave and smile and them then be angry and lay on our shoulder then would lift her head up and smile and wave at the balloons then be sad and put her dead back on our shoulder over and over hahaha poor girl could not decided if she wanted to be happy or mad at us for waking her up early. Beckham thought it was awesome and it is a must see for everyone! After all the bloons are in the sky they do a bean bag drop compations
So next summer you need to put this on your summer bucket list for the family!!
Diaper Bag Fawn Design
For those of you who were asking about my T-shirt it is from Zumies and its the most comfortable shirts. I got it in a small. Go here Mauve Henley T-Shirt
I love you all hope you have an amazing day!
XOXOXO,
Lauren
Cali Baby!!
So sometimes you just need a little break! I am huge on taking small vacations or mini breaks with the family. I think there is nothing better than being able to get away from the day to day shuffle. I love being able to talk a break and just enjoy each others company. No cooking no cleaning just everyone relaxing and going with the flow and doing what we want when we want. I LOVE it. So this last weekend we went to California. We LOVE California there is just something about the Cali air to us. It’s so relaxing and just the best walking along the beach and playing in the sand is so refreshing. One thing I love about Adam is that he loves to travel to we both find it important to getaway and love the ocean. That is one thing we will always do with our kids is travel. So this last weekend we went to Huntington Beach. Oh my gosh, we LOVE the Hilton on Huntington Beach. It is honestly amazing. The pool is nice a warm for cold days the hot tub is perfect temperature and the fact that your just steps to the beach are amazing. Also, they now have so many shops just down the road with lots of food choices and shopping to do. You honestly don’t even need a rental car when you are staying there because everything you need is within walking distance.
Oh my gosh you guys!! This is was the best burger it had this special sauce and grilled red peppers it was to die! As you all know Jovi and I LOVE to eat. I am just glad Adam got a picture of it. haha haha
Beckham wanted to keep holding Jovi in the pool. She love it until he dunked them both under trying to scare Jovi. All i herd was ok Jovi here we go and then down they went hahahah.We Also LOVE renting bikes along the beach! It always ends like this though someone’s tired and Adams holding one while I am holding or pulling the other larger child and his bike.
If you do stay at the Hilton they do offer a fire on the beach setup. They have a couple options we always just do the setup our self-option. It’s $15 a person and includes blankets, chairs hot chocolate, and everything for a fire and smores. We did this last time we were there and Beckham still talks about it so of course, we did it again. This time we had pizza delivered to the hotel just before we went out and took it with us so had pizza and smores.
The pink sweater is from Shop Stevie for those of you who keep asking! It is amazing as well its so soft and I wear it like every day….
I hope you all have an amazing weekend! We love you all!
XOXOXOXO,
Lauren
Marriott Beach Club Resort In Kauai Hawaii
So I have had a lot of people who have asked me about the Marriott Beach Club that we stayed at in Kauai Hawaii. So I put together a post for you guys about it. First, off it was honestly one of our all time favorite resorts we have stayed at especially with kids. It was just perfect. The hotel was nice the rooms were nice and the ground all around the hotel was amazing. We loved everything about our stay in Kauai. We also loved because we were in the middle when we went to do activities we would choose to go up and around the island or down. So we did not feel like we were driving forever to see things we wanted it was a central location.
We also loved how there were a lot of food around that you could go and eat at. You guys we were about 5 mins from Costco and Walmart. So when we first arrived we asked them to bring us a microwave and they did! So even though we did not have a full kitchen we were able to go to Costco and Walmart to get snacks for the kids for breakfast and lunches for them. So on a lot of Kauai the beaches can by more shelly and what was so nice was at the Marriott Beach club the beach was SO soft. The sand was just perfect for the kids and the pools were amazing. We honestly loved everything about this resort. Every morning at 9 they feed to Coy fish. There are hundreds of coy fish in a pond that they give you fish food so you can feed them. They will come right up to you and eat it out of your hands! Jovi thought it was fun to touch them, Beckham, not so much. He LOVED feeding them just did not want to touch them.
If you are looking for an amazing vacation and looking to go to Kauai I would highly recommend the Marriott Beach Club. I honestly can not say enough good things about this resort. I am dreaming of being there now. Adam and I honestly ate Fish tacos and a cheeseburger every day there. Best fish taco’s ever.
Let’s also just take a second to talk about their beds….. No joke I came home and called to find out how I could order their bed to have at our house. Most comfortable bed i have ever sleep in!!View from our room.
The man behind the sand sculptures 🙂
(This post is in no way sponsored by Marriott these are my true feelings and options on this resort) I love you all and hope you have an amazing day.
XOXOXO,
Lauren
Gaylord’s Plantation
Ok, so I am doing a post for you guys on our Sunday at the Gaylord plantation. If you go to Kauai we highly recommend you go there their Sunday Brunch. It was SOOOOOO Yummy! They do a tuna eggs benedict that is to die for! Also, the atmosphere is just amazing. On Sundays they do a live music with the sensory just makes it for the perfect brunch. What more can you ask for good food good music and good atmosphere! Oh my goodness, I could not love these little babies anymore. They were so adorable dancing for everyone. After we had brunch we also did the train. It takes you around the plantation.
After we had brunch we also did the train. It takes you around the plantation. We loved it because of course Beckham loves trains. They show you everything they do on the plantation. The food that is grown and all the animals. We even stopped to feed the pigs. It made for the most perfect sunday afternoon.
My dress in Casual Knot Front Midi T-shirt Dress I got a size 8 but for sure could have done a size 4 it is oversized. This dress also come is PETITE Casual Knot Front Midi T-shirt Dress that is on sale for only $16.54!
Jovi cute red dress is also on sale for $10.99! (Get it here)
Love you all hope you have a good Monday.
XOXOXO,
Lauren
Rad Swim Suit & Polihale State Park Beach
Ok, you guys! Today I am going to talk about one of our favorite beaches and my newest more favorite swimsuits! So if you are making a trip to Kauai a beach we recommend that was great is the Polihale State Park. You will literally drive as far as you can until you reach a dirt road then. You will drive on a dirt road for about 3.5 miles. You can make it even in a rental car you just need to go slow. If you have more of an SUV the better but you can still make it in a car. It has an Isolated white sand beach with rough waters, though. If you are looking for a beach with a beautiful backdrop and soft sandy beaches, this is it. We loved it. We had to keep a close eye on the kids though because the waves were insane. So fun to see and watch and play, though. We did not get deep in the waved just played with the ones breaking on the shoreline. The sand is so soft and the most beautiful backdrop. Jovi loves the wave and water. She would get mad at us when we would pick her up or I like to think to save her from getting pounded by the waves. We love it though it was amazing. There was a surfer that keep getting pulled in from a jet ski it was so fun to watch.
IMG_0462
Ok, let’s talk swimsuit! I got so many messages asking where this swimsuit was from. It is from Rad Swim Wear. If you are planning a trip or need a swim suit I would highly recommend this suit! I can honestly say it is the most comfortable suit I own. It is also the most flattering. I am obsessed with it. it fits in just the right place.
So I order the Breanne Floral Peplum Swimsuit. I got a Small top and a Medium bottom in the classic bottoms. If you want a high waist bottom they also have those as well for you who need more coverage for your tummy! It also has an underwire so great for all you busy girls! Also for all your mammas that just had a baby or are going to have a baby before summer this is the perfect fit to had that wonderful after baby belly! The bottoms are totally reversible as well!
Naked baby and top knot have me in love!
Here are some crappy mirror pictures of the suit. But you can see how it fits. The bottoms are also reversible. Also my room I mean………. it is trashed.
My swimsuit (Rad Swim)
Jovi’s Swim (Target)
Beckhams Swim (Target)
Adams Swim (Volcom)
I love you all thanks for following hope you have an amazing day.
XOXOXO,
Lauren
Hey loves! As you know we are in Kauai and loving every minute of it. We were in desperate need of a vacation. The last 3-4 months has kicked my butt. Having puppies and Christmas was a lot more then i expected it would be. I was just drained and in need of getting away. So this has been the most amazing break. Sometimes you just need to get away from the hustle and spend time with just your family. We love traveling with our kids. It’s so refreshing not to worry about cleaning the house or anything other than playing with my babies. Adam got put on a show here for work last min so we knew we had to come! It is honestly my favorite Island we have been to so far!
So if you are going to Kauai I would highly recommend the Kalalau Trail. The Kalalau Trail is a trail along Nā Pali Coast. The trail runs approximately 11 miles along the island’s north shore from Keʻe Beach to the Kalalau Valley. It is the most beautiful hike. A few things to know, though. bring bug spray! We did not and our poor Beckham got lots of mosquito bite. I am just on a roll this trip with mom fails. bring shoes you are ok with getting trashed. Do NOT wear flip flops. We actually went and got swim shoes just at Walmart because they have a lot of traction. The thing was they also have no support. So our feet were sore because of it but we did not slip one time. Also if it has been rainy it will be an even harder hike. The trail gets really muddy and slippery after a rain. Even when it has not been raining a lot there are still parts that are really muddy and slippery.
So most say the first mile in and out are the hardest. It honestly feels like it’s uphill bothways. 2 miles in there is the most beautiful beach. When we went though the surf was so rough and the tide was so high we could not even go on it because it was so dangerous. This is not a beach you would have out and chill on. Apparently, 83 people have died on that beach. The waved just get so massive and could just take you out. We just stopped had a snack and then headed back. If you don’t have kids with you and want to go more then another 2 miles into the hike is a beautiful waterfall. The hike is honestly so beautiful. It is a really good hike and one I would absolutely do again even knowing how hard it was with the kids I would still do it again. We knew it would be a good hike and we would probably be packing Beckham as well as Jo for a lot of it. We love our kids and we love to get out so we choose to do both and we just carry them 🙂 Yes it for sure makes things harder but he loved it and we did as well. We love them being able to experience things with us.
So we have 2 packs one is the Ergo 360 and the other is the Miamily Hipster. We love them both. Hope you have an amazing day. Love you all.XOXOXo
Lauren
Visting Santa at The River Woods
Hey you guys!!! Yes were alive crazy house the last little bit. We needed a break and wanted to get out of the house and do something fun for the kids. So we went to see Santa clause for family night. So nice to get out of the house. We have been so busy at home. Beckham was SOOOO excited. It was probably the cutest thing ever. He could not wait to tell him how much he wanted a motorcycle……. The Santa there was so great!! So sweet to Beckham took the time to talk to him and made sure I got a good picture. Then we wanted to get Jovi in there as well…… for the little girl who loves EVERYONE she HATED Sants hahahha. So we hurried and got a picture and rescued her off the strange man’s lap hahah.
You NEED to go to the River Woods shops to visit Santa clause if you are looking for a fun free family activity. It is all FREE! They have a cute little house set up down by called to surf. They have done an amazing job with lights. Beckham LOVED running around everything playing, going from fire pit to fire pit. Then going to Visit Santa. Everything is free when you visit Santa you just take your own photo. Then they also do a cute little train ride that is also free. So if you need a free fun night with the family go to the river woods.
We are also obsessed with caramel apples so we of course stopped at the rocky mountain chocolate factory to pick one up and then a doggie treat for our little pips. Yes Rocky Mountain Chocolate factory has dog treats :).
So Santa is there every night, except Sunday from 5-8. We got there right at 5 and there was only one person in front of us. Then there was no line for the train it was perfect! If you are in Utah county i would for sure put this on your family Christmas list of things to do.
You guys I can’t even handle Beckham lately, I become more obsessed with him every day if that is even possible.
Hope you all have an amazing day. Love you all.
XOXOXO,
Lauren
First 2 weeks with 12 PUPPIES!!!
Alright I know all of you have been asking about the puppies!!! So I decided to do a post of the last 2 weeks with the puppies.
Lets just start off with this is a lot harder than we expected hahahaha. I am actually supped embarrassed to say that. I like to think of my self of as a good planner and i am always ready for everything. Well I was not ready for this. So apparently with Labradoodles and her size the average litter is 6-8. A very large litter is 13 puppies and that usually happens on their 2-3 litters RARELY there first! So we though well 8 would be sweet but we expected about 6. Then when talking to my good friend Andrea we laughed and said heck what’s a couple more 6 would be like the same as 12……………. oh was i so wrong!! So Pippa had 13 puppies! 13!!!! one did not make it, it was not all the way developed and we tried everything to save it but there was really nothing that could be done. We also almost lost another one it is one of our runts. It took us a good 5 mins until we were comfortable that it was ok then the next week we worried all the time and had to keep and extra eye on this one. Glad to report today though she is doing really well and starting to fight back for milk hahahha.
You guys there are so many things you don’t think about when your dog gives birth. There were a lot of ups and downs during this birthing process……. I am supprised Adam did not just croke over from the stress it caused him. He was a real giant stress ball for the first 3 puppies. Then he finally camled down hahahaha. I watched more Youtube videos of dogs giving birth than him so I was more prepared and not as worried hahahha. ………. I literally keep laughing about it just thinking about the stress he was under hahahha. I do have to say though even for Pippa he still holds up as being the best birthing partner. He was always there for Pippa and made her comfortable.
Well apparently there are a lot of things we did not think about. Trust me we watched YouTube for helping dog in labor and all the things I need to buy and have ready for our new puppies. Everyone said that the first 3 weeks is supper easy the mom takes care of the puppies and cleans up after then and everyhing. Well no one tells you what to do if you have an extra-large litter. It is not supper easy……..
First!!! she only has 10 nips…………… how do you feed 12 puppies with 10 nips! It is straight survival of the fittest in there you guys its nuts. There whimpering and crawling all over each other pushing each other out-of-the-way. they wiggle their way to the bottom of the pile and come up like a shark out of the water pushing a pup off the nip and stealing it from their siblings. ITS NUTS!!!!!
So our first 5 day we were waking up every 2 hours trading off who had to go down. We had to let Pipps out to go potty because she’s eating and drinking 4 times as much. I am not kidding would get down there just after she had poop in the room every time on my turn to go down there. So I was always cleaning up dog crap at 4 in the morning. not fun! Then We had to make sure we were getting the little ones on eating properly. Then you would have to sit there for like 30 mins and push the other ones off until the little ones got enough to eat. Then we would supplement them and bottle feed them. After 5 days we were going down 2 times a night and as of the last 4 nights we have not been doing down.
They puppies still have not opened there eyes! We are anxiously waiting. They are now 14 days old now and double the size. Beckham loved every min of the birthing process. He though it was the coolest thing ever. He loved watching the puppies come out and wanted to hold and snuggle all of them. After a couple of day got jealous because they were taking so much time from mommy and daddy. We had to make sure to go out of our way to help him. I am not kidding it was like we brought home a new baby. He is good now though and just wants to hold them all the time. Jo was not sure what to do with them at first now I have to keep a close eye on her because she always getting in the puppy play pen and trying to snuggle all the puppies.
I have lots of our first couple weeks with puppies. Hope you enjoy them and nothing sweeter than new life.
https://youtu.be/TKNjVE39qSA
Well of course because we had these puppies at Halloween we HAD to dress everyone up for the them of 101 dalmatians! How cute are they though really??????
I have lots of our first couple weeks with puppies. Hope you enjoy these videos of new puppies and our sweet babies meeting them for the first time. there is nothing sweeter than new life. Hope you all have an amazing sunday
XOXOXO,
The Weekley’s
YOU NEED THIS!!! Not want you NEED!!!
Hey guys this is a more personal post. I keep having people ask me what I do for my work outs what I eat and things that I take. I am not one to share thing I am taking but I know a lot of people who are struggling as I was and this will help a lot of you out there. So I decided to post about it. This is for MEN and WOMEN. So about 5 months ago I started taking a product my mom gave me called Pruvit or Keto//OS full-time.
If you know my mom then you know she is amazing she is a nutritionist and is aways looking for amazing HEALTHY products. She her self has her own line of whole food all natural supplements that she has had for years. She is the most knowledgeable woman I know when it comes to health and nutrition. If she does not know it she will spend hours and hours trying to find an answer for you. This product is one that has been by far her best find for me! So for ME it has helped me with my energy, appetite control and anxiety. There is a long list of other things it will and is helping people with but this is just what the biggest things it has done for me.
So my whole life I have always been a worrier. I got Ulcers at a young age because I stress and worry about everything! As I have gotten older one thing that has alway stuck with me is my dad say “It is what it is” do the best you can do and that’s all you can do. So I have honestly said that phrase over and over in my head through out my life when I get stressed. This is why I also love to work out. It helps me to relieve stress and for me it is me time. I don’t like working out at home. Yes if I have to I will but I don’t get the same relief I do as when I go to the gym. There is something for me about being able to leave the house and take an hour just for my self and work out. When I have woken up early before the kids are awake is better but I am not good at doing that.
I am one who try’s to keep a healthy life style I work out and I try to eat healthy but man am I an emotional eater. I find comfort in food. I know I am not alone in this one. It is so hard!! Eating healthy ALL the time is just impossible for me. I do the best I can but I am sorry I can’t live my life counting calorie and feeling restricted I just can’t do it. I also hated the consistent yoyo I would feel. I have a sweet tooth like no ones business. I love anything with sugar in it. This Keto//OS is amazing for me because it takes away my sugar and carb cravings. It’s the weirdest thing for me. I can look at that food and just think oh i am ok with out it i don’t need that. It does not tempt me like it aways has in that past.
The problem is with being an emotional eater when I would eat those crappy food’s is I feel good while eating them but then after I feel even worse. No just my self-esteem like I should not of eating that I feel terrible I feel bloated and just like crap. What do you do though it’s a horrible addiction you have and it am sorry it is just to hard to not to fall in when you had a bad day or something is just not going your way. That’s the problem with junk food its the worst drug out there I say it is so easy to get.
So I started taking this product Pruvit or Keto//OS because my mom thought it would help me with my energy and other things. It has helped me in SO many way! It has taken my cravings away it curves my appetite and for me the most importantly it give me ENERGY, and not that glittery energy you get when you take a pre-work out. Or other weight loss products. It is a good energy like a normal energy. Energy I should be feeling. I feel normal I can get things done I have motivation I don’t feel like I am going to just roll over and DIE every day at 2pm.
When I got pregnant with Beckham I have had to get B12 shots. I was so low in energy I just felt like dying. I would always say I fell like a zombie. That has continued even after I had him. So I was having to give me self HIGH dose of B12 shots because I did not take well to the pills. The B12 made a dent in my energy and helped me that’s for sure but this product has not only given me more and way BETTER energy but so many other benefits to it. You can take it pregnant and nursing as well. I no longer take per-work out before I go to the gym and I no longer have to get B12 shorts I take my Keto//OS and I am good to go. I work out hard and longer then I ever did on anything else. You also do NOT have to work out when on this just do exactly what you’re doing now and you will still see lot of amazing benefits!
That being said if you want more information about KETO//OS go HERE and click on the table that says “How it works” it is a quick video to explain how Keto//OS works. If you want to try it my mom is doing an awesome deal for people. You can get a pack of 5 for $25 it has all 3 flavors in it so you can try them all to see what ones you like the best and decided if it is something that helps you for a minimal cost and see if this is something you want to buy. This is an awesome deal you guys because online you can get their trail packs and it comes with 3 for $25 and they are all 3 the same flavor. My mom has put together a pack of 5 with all 3 flavors! It is so awesome of her because it lets you try out each one so you can see what you like before you buy a whole moth supply. What else is awesome about this company is when you do buy your first container as well they do a money back guarantee if you try it and it’s not for you can get your money back with in 30 day!
My favorite is the Keto Max it has twice as much Ketones in it as the others. So I only take 1/2 a pack a day and that is enough for me. So a 20 servings actually last me 40 servings. I am not the brains behind all of this I just take it and know it works for me. My mom is though! So she is happy to help you with any questions you have and help you with anything you need to be successfully with what ever you are trying to accomplish. If you are interested in doing this PM me (Laurenweekley44@gmail.com) and I will get you to my mom and she can help you get started and try this amazing product. Like I said if you want to just try it out you will get 5 packs for only $25! That is a deal just my mom offers though so you will need to PM me for that one. If you want to just get started and have enough to last you a month just go HERE.
As I am mom I know we are all trying to do our best in life and for me if I have to pay for something that makes my life easier and better you better believe I will be paying for it. I am happier more energetic person for my kids and husband since I have gotten on this stuff and I will never stop taking it. You deserve to be happy and feel good and happy. I hope this helps some of you who are struggling. I love you all and hope you have an amazing day. If you have any questions feel free to email me (Laurenweekley44@gmail.com)
WATCH VIDEO HERE TO LEARN MORE Click on tab that says “How it works” in the middle of the page.
XOXOXO,
Lauren
Cali Trip!!
Ok now that i am doing this post it is making me wish we were back in Cali playing at the beach and building sand castles. I decided to take the kids last min to California because my family was there on vacation and Adam has a long weekend out-of-town for work. Oh am I so glad we went. Apparently I left at the best time ever because the weather in Utah was HORRIBLE I guess we even had a tornado!!
Also I don’t know what it is but Cali air it just does me good. There is just something about that beach air that is good for the soul. Anyone else feel that way????
My so if you are looking to say somewhere nice but don’t want to break the bank. Alway look on VRBO and Redweek. My dad got the Four Seasons Residence Club Aviara we stayed in a 2 bedroom 3 bath for only $200 a night for a week. I can not say enough good things about the rooms. It was supper spacious and the door are so thick that you can not hear a thing from anyone in the next room even. (That is a big deal when you have a crying baby in the middle of the night!) The beds are comfortable. The only thing was the pool is not supper kid friendly it is just a pool. a very nice pool though. Nothing special about it for kids. So we got there half way through their week stay so we were there for 3 nights. Then moved to the Grand Pacific Palisades Resort for our last night. The rest of my family is stay the whole week. Lucky ducks! He we was able to get that hotel on Redweek as well for $150 a night.
We loved the hotel and the rooms of the Four Seasons Residence Club Aviara . The Grand Pacific Palisades has a splash pad and pool that is great for kids though. Then they also have an adult pool with a lap pool that over look to the ocean. The rooms are not as nice but still great. Only thing is the beds are not the greatest. So its is a trade-off better amenities for kids and not as nice of a unit. The Four Seasons Residence Club Aviara had a beautiful Ambiance but no splash pad for kids. So they both have their pros and cons.
When looking on Redweek and VRBO the closer you are to your week of going you alway offer people less money and they usually want to fill the place and so that is how you get a much better deal.
Alright now lets talk favorite EATS! So everyone we come to Cali we there are a couple of restaurants we alway eat at. That if you are in the area you must try. Here is a list of you below.
Miguels Mexican Resturant
Knock Out Pizza (2937 Carlsbad Blvd, Carlsbad)
Swamis Cafa & Bar (If you go for breakfast you must get the Açai or Pitaya Bowl )
Islands Fine burgers and drinks ( I love the Maui burger. Also add an egg because egg on a burger makes it amazing)
VG Donuts (This was our first time here. They have so many special donuts that were so yummy)
Also if you want a good beach we love the Oceanside beach. There are a couple of reasons why. One you don’t have to drive around for an hour to find a parking spot. There is a blue motel called Beachwood Morel on Surfrider way at the top of the hill you can park behind it and its only $2 a day!
Two you can drop off your stuff right to the beach there is a road that goes right along th beach so you are not having to walk all your beach stuff so far down.
Three there is the pier that is so fun to walk down and if you want a fun stop to eat go to the Rubis at the end of the pier they have burgers and fry’s and milk shakes.
MOM FAIL………………Good thing she still loved it.
I hope everyone has an amazing day. Love you all.
XOXOXO,
Lauren
Its FRIDAY!!! I hope you all are gong to have an amazing weekend! We got home 2 days ago and just getting back into our routine. Still dreaming about our Seattle trip. Any time Adam travels there for work to places we love I always try to plan an go with the kids because why not! So we stayed at the Marriott Renaissance Seattle Hotel. We did LOVE our room I do have to say that. If you are planing to go there though right now there is a building on the West side that is being built and is under construction. So if you do stay there make sure you REQUEST not to be sleeping on the west side. They told us that construction noise starts at 6am!! So we stayed in a 1 bedroom on the corner of the North East side on the 18th floor. We had an amazing view and the room was AMAZING. If you are going to go Seattle and stay down town we also love the Hilton. I loved our room and our hotel at the Marriott but we also loved the Hilton that is a couple blocks closer to all the shopping.
It is funny because in Utah everyone has a million kids but when you go out side of Utah I feel like everyone looks at you funny if you are out and about with your kids. I had multiple people ask me are you doing everything your self with your kids? I was like UHHHH yeah. Life is no different when we travel from when we are home. I still get out and do stuff with the kids when Adam is working. The key to being successful with traveling with kids for me is planning ahead always having snacks and water and a place for them to sit when tired.
I take our stroller EVERYWHERE. Yes Beckham is old enough to walk but when you have those tiny little legs they are making 3 times as many strides as I am when we walk around the city. I can’t expect him to alway want to walk everywhere and be happy about it. Yes could make him but I like to make thing easier on my self and prevent tired melt downs because a child is tired. I also ALWAYS have a carried for Jovi. So that way I am hands free when chasing after Beckham and she is happy up agents me. I just got a new one it’s called the Mia Mily I am in LOVE with it. I will do a post on this in a few weeks with a discount code for all my readers!!!
Good Eats
Ok So there are 3 places that we LOVE and feel they are a MUST if you are visiting Seattle. First The Crab Pot. Ok this place is amazing!! They do bring you out the most delicious loaf of bread for a starter and then we also get the crab stuff mushrooms they are amazing. Then we get the King Crab Legs (One Half pound) It also comes with red potatoes and corn on the cob. It is enough food for us to share. It is so fun for the kids as well because they put the food right on the table. Then everyone gets a mallet to hammer the crab legs. Beckham was in heaven being able to hammer all the crab and get the meat out.
Second place you NEED to eat at is called Sea town sea bar and rotisserie OH MY GOSH you have to order the Crab BLT. I can not say enough good things about it. So this is a place Adam comes to EVERY time he is in Seattle and orders this sandwich. So i though ok I guess will get it. He talks as it’s the best thing ever and I did not believe him hahahahah man was I wrong! It is the BEST BLT you will EVER eat. Yes it is crab but no it does not taste supper fishy. (I don’t like sea food much) The bread is the perfect amount of softness to crunch. Also lets just take a min to talk about the BACCON mmmmmmm bacon they do not skimp on the bacon. It is the perfect thickness and taste delicious. My mouth is watering right now just writing about this sandwich this is no joke! Adam gets the homemade chips on the side that are delicious I got the salad and I can’t say enough good things about it as well.
Alright third place is called MOD Pizza. This place is awesome especially with kids. So it was just a couple blocks from us so we would just call in our order pick it up and eat in our hotel room. The pizza is perfect and there salads are also awesome. We got the Mad Dog and the Jasper Then Beckham got the cheese. All of them were delicious. So there is called the Mod pizza that is just the single crust more of a thin crust then there is the MEGA Mod That is a double up on the crust and it is Delicious as well! I would say get one of each! So any pizza you order you can do it Regular with the Mod or go for the MEGA Mod.
Then of course you must have dessert right????? So the most delicious ice cream is from Seattle Bay Creamery it is right next to the Crab Pot. It is delicious we got the classic mint chocolate chip because anything we get lately Beckham wants it to be green! Luckily for us mint chip is one of the best flavors 🙂 Beckham gave me kisses and it made it so I had an ice cream mustache and he thought that was the most hilarious thing ever.
Good Activities with kids.
If you got to Seattle in the summer you MUST go to International Fountain This thing is AMAZING. It is huge! So fun for the kids to play at. Beckham thought it was SO fun. Then just up a little walk away is the most amazing park that is any kids dream.
Pike street is way fun they have the Public Market there as well. There are just little shops along there with food and souvenirs. We alway like to get fresh fruit if you are there in the summer you MUST get the cherries. They also have the most amazing flavored apple cider. I am not a huge fan of apple cider but this stuff is amazing.
Then the Gum wall that is right next to the Market Beckham though it was cool he could not believe the entire ale was filled with gum.
Then You can also ride the Ferice wheel. We did not do that this trip we did it last and it was really fun we did it at night. Best time to do it would be at sun set. But we looked at it and Beckham and Adam were able to watch jelly fish below in the water. There is also the Ferry boat to ride. We did not do that this time because it was a hot week we were there and did not want to be stuck on a boat in the heat 🙂
Then we just loved going up and down the street and exploring everything.
I hope everyone has an amazing weekend. We love you all and thanks for following
XOXOXO,
Lauren
Ok so this is literally the longest post! I am so sorry but there is just so much to talk about and I should have broke it down a lot sooner than now. So we were lucky enough to go on a 2 week vacation to Maui. We were able to stay on 2 sides of the island. We stayed at the The Grand Wialia, The Marriott Ocean Club and the Hyatt in Lahaina. I have to say we loved them all. My parents also stayed longer than us and got a VRBO at the Kona Kai resort and it was a 2 bedroom room right on the water. It was not on a sandy beach though but if you want to go to Maui and save a lot it is a great option! It has a pool and a hot tub. There Condo had a great deck with an amazing view of the ocean and every night they went down and watched the sun set. They only paid $150 a night for this place. I will go through each place for you.
When you fly in If you can before you even go to your hotel (If you are staying somewhere with a kitchen) I would hit up the Costco because it is right next to the airport. I know it totally sucks that you have to be on a long flight and last thing anyone wants to do is grocery shop but its nice not get it over with and get tones of food so you can enjoy your self when you get to your hotel or home your staying at. There is also a target right there. If you are staying at a hotel and you have kids i recommend you stop even just at target and get granola bars bread and peanut butter just so the kids have snack for the beach and pool. ( I am weird I know but i alway have to have a tone of snack on hand anywhere I go)
So like I said we stayed in 3 separate hotels because of the dates we were going and the extended time we were there. Most of your VRBO go from Saturday to Saturday and we were flying in on a Wednesday. So we had a gap of 3 nights we had to stay somewhere else. So we started the first 3 nights at the Hyatt in Lahinia. They have a great resort everything is very nice! They have awesome pools with great slides for the kids. The rooms are beautiful and the views amazing. The balcony is what makes the rooms though that is for sure. We first stayed in a 2 bedroom it came with a full kitchen. I don’t have any complaints from this resort that is for sure. They are more expensive though. Also apparently the busiest time of year to travel to Hawaii in mid January until mid March The prices are sky-high and everything fill up fast. So if you can avoid going then I would. Especially if you use VRBO and you want to get a good deal they are harder to come by. We were lucky and honestly waited until 3 weeks out before we booked out hotel and flights 🙂 Crazy I know but we got our flights round trip to Maui for $350 and were able to stay in nice places because they had not been filled. (They tend to be more flexible on the price the closer it gets to your date) Start offering lower prices to them about 6 weeks out and then do it every week. The closer it gets to the time and if they still have not filled you get a much better deal! I have found booking our trips about 21 days out we usually get the best deal for flights and places to stay. So here are some of our picture while at the Hyatt in Lahinia. This is the view from our deck.
Our first morning we were there the kids woke up at 5! That is because back in Utah it was 8am. So needless to say we were up early. So I had to get the kids out of the place so that they did not wake everyone up. So we went for a walk to check everything out. There is so much to do at this resort.
You guys they have Penguins!! So every morning you can go and watch them feed the penguins and then they will give you fish food to feed the fish. The kids LOVED it.
This was Beckham’s favorite pool he LOVED this slide. I am not joking when i say he went down that side like 500 times in the 3 days. He LOVED that thing. He just did it over and over and over again.
You better believe we have some awesome video of this little stud :). He loved carrying the GoPro around with him. What is it with kids and goggles??? They are like the best thing ever they always look hilarious you can not smile at them when they have there goggles on.
The beach at the Hyatt was nice. the only thing was you could not body board, skim board or boogie board off that beach. There was coral right off the beach. It was great for snorkeling and there would be waves that would crash right on the sand. The kids loved it though because they did not go to deep. You would have to walk down about .25 mils to get to a beach that you could actually body surf it was just passed the Marriott that was next door. (That is where we styled next)
They did have this amazing grass area that we would do our work out on in the morning and just play. The kids loved it. We would also take dinner out there and eat as a family together.
This is the other pool the kids loved. They have a tunnel slide that is bigger supper fun for the adults as well.
Ululani’s for Shaved Ice is a must!! They have one right along the beach walk just past the Hyatt that we went to. I am a big resort girl I love nothing more than Laying out at the pool or beach and playing with the kids building sand castle or going down the slides at the pool. So not having to drive places for us is awesome. We loved where we stayed because there was lots of things to do that were close enough to walk to.
So here are some other things I would recommence to do while in Maui ( With Kids) We did not do road to Huna everyone says it’s a must but our baby girl does not do well in her car seat so we did not want to talk that drive. Depending on where you are staying if what i would recommend to do but i am going to give an over all things we did and loved. We stayed in 3 different hotels while there. The Grand Wialia, The Marriott Ocean Club and the Hyatt in Lahaina We LOVED them all. I have to say though we love Lahina side the most. We love the feel and things to do over there. We did do the whale tour because they were EVERYWHERE at that time of year (January-April). It was so fun at first but got hot we went on the later one that is from 4-6 so it was at the peak heat of the day. With a little baby not as fun i had to stay under the boat to keep her our of the heat and then I got sea sick. But it was fun to see the whales. We saw a baby whale breach 5 times!!! Beckham loved it. They have 4 hour tours I would have to say that 2 hours is MORE THEN ENOUGH! really though after an hour I was like ok let’s go back……..
So now lets move on the Marriott 🙂 We wanted to be at a resort where we did not have to leave too much just with the whole family we wanted to be somewhere everyone would have a great time and not have to drive a lot of places. We did just that it was a blast. We rented paddle boards, Swam in the pool built sand castles watch a TONE of whales. Went shopping at Whalers village just a mile walk up from us. Also went to black rock just a mile and a half walk up from us. (We went up and parked as well closer)
We loved the Hyatt but the only thing is though for the money we were able to stay in a 3 bedroom at the Marriott from VRBO for less. Yes the condo at the Marriott did not have all the bells and whistles that the Hyatt did (Granite counter and stainless appliances) but it was right on the water and WAY more space. It was really nice also had a full kitchen. We don’t love staying just at hotels we like to have a kitchen to be able to cook our own food. One its way cheaper that was but I actually HATE eating out especially with kids. It causes me so much stress. The thought of having to do it every meal makes me want to gag. 🙂 That was nice because we had 13 people, 8 Adults and 5 kids. The Marriott is an amazing place for kids as well. There pools were great and they also had great slides as well.
This is the picture from out deck at the Marriott. It was closer to the water so we LOVED IT!!!
They boys have Mt. Dew a death drink as my dad would say he had him self a smoothie 🙂
ALL along the beach there are hammocks!! I LOVED THIS!! everywhere out side you could go and lay in a hammock.
We also rented Paddle Boards from Boss Frogs. I highly recommend this it was so much fun. We paid $35 for 24 hours each board. If you rent them down by the beach it is $35 for an hour! If you have a rental car they will give you straps and you can strap them to your car.
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We had a guy come up to us and ask if we wanted all this fishing gear the bought while they were staying there and that was their last day. So the boys (Especially Justin my brother in-law) They would go out and fish off the beach and take the paddle boards out and fish in the water.
So early in the morning there were whale not joke just 2 foot ball fields away from the sand. So we ran and got out paddle boards and started paddling out there. I though it would be supper fun but when I started to get out there I was freaking out inside! You guys a while could pop up anytime! It was so fun though. We keep a good distance from them. We did not get as close as Adam wanted that’s for sure but good enough for me 🙂
Black rock we loved!!! So what is funny I came to Maui about 13 years ago. My best friend at the time her family had moved there so I went out to stay with them for a month. It is CRAZYYYY how much it has grown. When I went to black rock all those years ago there was nothing around it now there is a whole strip of hotels that line that beach. It is still really fun and a must. The just is not to high and just a lot of fun. There is also fun snorkeling right there as well.
So for as long as I have known Adam he ALWAYS has to do back flips off everything. So needless to say of course he had to back flip off black rock.
You MUST eat breakfast at the Gazebo. There eggs Benedict are my favorite and my dads is the mac nut pancakes with coconut syrup. Plan on a line though they are always busy. You can not make reservations you have to just show up and wait in line. They are worth it though. While we were waiting the kids were able to play by the beach in the rock and we saw a TONE of turtles. I am not kidding when i say a TONE, I have never seen so many turtles in one place. It was awesome to see the wave curl and just seeing turtle after turtle lined up in the wave before you saw the wave break.
Also pack or wear your swim suit to breakfast and spend the afternoon at the beach right there next to the Gazebo. We had breakfast at the Gazebo and walk over and spent the afternoon playing in the sun building sand castles and snorkeling. It was one of our favorite snorkeling spot because there were so many turtles.
I literally have the most amazing family I have the best parents and 2 of the best sisters i could ask for. So family trip are by far my favorite thing!
So on to the Grand Wialia. They have a beautiful resort. I will say that! to be honest though for the price i would rather stay on the other side of the island in Lahania in the Marriott. That is close to the water and the pools are just as amazing to me and the kids. The beach for me was awesome at the Grand Wialia but where we were staying in the hotel it was a walk to get there. That is the one thing we did not love. We had to take 2 different elevators and then walk out just to get to the pool or beach. Also as you know this is a HOTEL so we did not have a kitchen. Thank goodness we were there for free because of adams work other wise that adds up fast :). We did love our stay there though!
Our little princess got to come with us. This mamma just could not leave her behind. 🙂
One awesome thing about the Grand Wialia is they have an amazing spa. So we decided to do couple messages. So they are known for their grand spa. they were “Voted “Top 10 Spas in the United States” by Condé Nast Traveler and Travel & Leisure magazines, Spa Grande at the Grand Wailea is the best spa on Maui and one of the most luxurious resort spas in Hawaii. Spa Grande offers a wide array of treatments that reflect a balance between the traditions of the east, west and ancient Hawaii. Experience a harmonious infusion with one common goal – to unite one’s inner wellness and outer beauty. Spa Grande is a proud recipient of the 2015 Forbes Four Star Award.”
So before you go to your message they have you go to there termé hydrotherapy circuit is a series of thermal baths, showers and one-of-a-kind features designed to soothe and rejuvenate. They do a full-body loofah exfoliation. A cold plunge, a detoxifying dry Redwood sauna and a soothing eucalyptus steam room. They have baths with hot and cold plunges. Also three cascading waterfalls dropping from a height of 10 feet to massage your neck and shoulders, and two tropical showers with 50 invigorating water jets that massage your entire body from head to toe. There is also the island’s most precious water with five carefully designed soaking bath experiences created exclusively for Spa Grande.
You GUYSSSSSSS SO to be honest i did not love this. I am a more private person and seeing naked ladies dip in and out of these baths and then I was supposed to get in after them just did not sit well with me. I know that’s supper ridiculous. I honestly would have rather just sat on the balcony hanging out with Adam. I just wanted to be with Adam so the time went by so slow. Needless to say I got bored………. I know that’s horrible to say. So I only stayed in there for about 45 mins i even went in and shaved my legs hahahah. Then went up and waiting in the waiting room that was on a balcony with an awesome view and waited for Adam. I am thinking there is no way Adam is enjoying that. I thought for sure we would be meeting me soon. Nope he took him’s time. Apparently he loved being naked in the spa dipping from tub to tub 🙂 He walks out and says man did you not just love that!!! hahahah I was like no I was SO board. hahahah oh well maybe next time 🙂 But he surely loved it.
Then we got our massages and they were great. I did love that 🙂
We spent the last night before out 12PM flight at my parents new place enjoying the sun set. This was their place they stayed for $150 a night for 2 bedrooms. It is called Kona Kia Resort.
Well I hope if you are planning to travel to Maui this is somewhat helpful to you.
XOXOXO,
Lauren
Florida/Disney World 2016
Disney World 2016 So this is supper late post but better later than never right??? So This was our last stop on our long travel trip. Adam had a show for work there and so we decided of course we would go! We got to stay at the Grand Floridian right on Disney World. It is awesome that you can just walk out your hotel and hop on the tram and it take you right to any park you want within minutes. It comes with a large price tag though! Were talking $450-1000 a night for just a hotel room! One thing they do is give you magic wrist bands that can have your tickets and credit card on them. If you stay at the resort you get them for free. If your not staying there order them before had they are really nice to have so that you don’t have to take a wallet into the park. We went to Disney World 2 years prior and stayed about 1 mile away from Disney in a VRBO with a 3 bedroom condo with 4 pools and our room had views of the fireworks every night. That cost $180 a night so it was so fun each family just got a room. There are SOOOO many hotels right out side of Disney so make sure when you are planning a trip to check VRBO. We always use VRBO everywhere we go.
We went from Hawaii to Florida…….. That was a VERY long travel day. We left Maui at 11PM and got into Florida the following day at 6PM. Everyone did great for the most part. Once we finally made it to our hotel it was about 8:30 PM we ordered Room services and went to bed. We all woke up at 11:30am the next day. THANK GOODNESS everyone was able to sleep in and get the much-needed rest. That day we just spent relaxing.
We are lucky enough that they do separate Disney tickets for those who are there for conferences you can actually get 1/2 day passes for $60 each. So we do that half day for us starts at 4 so we meet Adam right after his meeting and head to Disney!
Can we just take a second to say how amazing this stroller is. Honestly if you are looking for a double you NEED this. It hold so much stuff. and we LOVE the boogie board that attached and pulls up so easy so when Beckham wants to sit he can and when he wants to stand he can. It really is the perfect stroller.
Can we just talk about how adorable Beckham is???? Oh i could squish that face all day every day. Jovi’s very first ride was Dumbo.
What is it with Disney they do the most amazing job of making it suck a magical place. Needless to say we all had a great time. Last year Beckham was not tall enough to go on a lot of rides His favorite ride was barnstormer He still remember it from last year and that was the ride he wanted to do over and over this year. That kid has a memory like no ones business! Adam and I would just trade-off on taking him on the rides while the other would stay with Jovi. Disney makes it nice that they give you stroller pass. So if you have young children that can’t go you go to the front and say i am staying back and they will give you a fast pass so that you can ride when they are done.
last year we got stuck on a ride that was broken and missed the parade! This sure we made sure we were not going to miss it! So we parked our self close to the exit here is why! There is a building where they say its Mickey’s magic it’s in the front of the park. After the fire works we rushed to so that Beckham could meet Mickey with NO LINE! You can meet the princesses and more as well! SO while everyone is watching the fire works we were able to walk in with no one and do a meet and greet with Mickey. We always make sure to bring 2 shirts for Beckham So that Mickey can sign his shirt. They won’t sign a shirt if you are wearing it and they won’t let you take it off in the room. So make sure you bring and extra shirt. Also we were able to still see the fireworks as well! because you are in and out for meet and greet so fast.
The rest of our days were spent walking around looking at alligators YES I said it we saw baby alligators on our walk!! A worker came by and said that we should not be over there and we need to be careful! UMMMM ok a this is right across from the hotel so ya you could say I probably could never live in Florida hahaha. Then we spend the rest of our time with lots of snuggle and some pool time and of course food 🙂
TRAVEL TIP!!! So I must say I have a huge travel tip when you are flying with a baby. So When we flew to Hawaii first, Adam was already out-of-town for work and meeting us there. So i flew with the kids without him. The flight there was ok. It’s a different ball game with 2 kids rather than just Beckham that’s for sure. by the end of the second flight I was handing my baby to random people because i don’t have 6 arms and can’t do it all. You try to wipe a kids but in a tiny little room holding another kid. it’s not an easy task I tell ya. So on our flight from Hawaii to Florida I decided I was just going to put her in her carrier my baby ergo (I am obsessed with I will save that for another time) It made my life SOOO much easier. She was able to sleep so much better and even when she was awake she was still happy because she was right agents me. I wish I would have don’t this the first 2 flights it would have made my life a thousand times easier. So if you are flying with a baby save your self the headache and bring your carrier and wear it the whole flight. The Ergo is amazing for so many reason it was easy to take on and off of my shoulders with out upsetting her and having to “pull her out” of it. I could just drop the shoulder straps and easily put them back on while sitting down.
HALLOWEEN, Huntington Beach and Beckhams Birthday
So we went to Huntington Beach California. Adam Has work over Halloween and Beckham’s birthday is the day after so we decide we were going to go so that Adam would not miss out on Halloween and his birthday.
We are so glad we did. We had the best time. The trip did not start off great though. Delta keep pushing out flight back. We were supposed to get in early on Friday so we could spend the day at the beach as a family. That did not work out We did not fly in until after 6PM. That is 6 HOURS later then we were supposed to be there:( needles to say we were very frustrated and disappointed. Once we finally got off the plane and got to the hotel we were able to relax.
Really though we were all so excited when we got to the hotel. How could you not be with this view. Beckham was just in heaven. He LOVE everything to do with traveling. He love flying on the air plane he loves staying in hotels. He thinks it’s the most exciting thing. He also LOVES that we get 2 beds and he gets to sleep with daddy while I sleep with Jovi. If you are wanting to go and stay in California and want to be in Huntington i highly recommend the Hilton water front resort. We had such a good time. We loved our room and of course the view. The service was great and everyone was very nice. The food is also great.
The best thing though is that we were right across the street from the beach. Beckham was in HEAVEN really this kid loves the water. He is fearless though it makes me nervous. We were out there at 9Am and he was trying to catch the waves! I say it all the time how i love my Solly Baby Wrap and i fell even more in love with it this trip. I had to be close to the water keeping an eye on Beckham and pull him up out of the waves a few times. I could not of done this without it. Our trip would have been a lot more stressful for me that’s for sure. Beckham is truly one of the funnest boys, I love everything about him. He is fun-loving and I hope he always things me and his daddy are his best friend. I love nothing more than taking him traveling and showing him new things and new experiences. I love that he loves to be with us. Being a mom can be hard at time. But I would not change a thing I feel so blessed to be able to be a mom. I feel there is nothing more I would rather be doing then playing in the waves with my buddy.
So it was Halloween!!! So of course we went trick or treating. Beckham this year decided to be Chase from Paw Patrol. He insisted that Jovi was Sky. Well they don’t make costumes for 3 month olds for sky. So I got a monkey costume and did some felt work and had a puppy hat and did some more felt work…. Then there you have it a sky costume. Are they not just the cuttest “Pups” you have ever seen???? 🙂
We were lucky to be able to go and see my wonderful grandma and grandpa and cousins. Beckham, loved trick or treating. Not much has changed with him though. We have come to know that he is the worlds slowest trick or treater….. really though this kid he is hilarious. We got to the first house and he of course says Trick-or-Treat then he drops his bag and says check out my robot dance……. and does this crazy dance. We were all dying laughing. We have no clue where he came up with this. He continued on to do that to every single house. He also wanted to look in his bag and check out all the candy he had gotten. he would walk so slow and just take it all in. He was done after just over an hour. He just wanted to go home and eat some candy.
So our buddy turned 4 while we were there 🙁 Sad day for me weird i know. I hate how my baby is growing up. We spent the day at the beach. Then we had lunch on the patio. We went back to the beach when daddy got off work. When we got to the beach Beckham say’s “daddy let’s do this!!! Lets get pounded!!” and they did, they ran into the waves and had the best time going under and over and through those waves.
One of the best things about the trip was that we purchased to be able to do a fire on the beach through the Hilton. It was SOOOO worth the money. They put everything together for you! So all we did was went to the lobby got a cart filled with chairs blankets wood matches, everything you need for smore’s and hot chocolate. They even included a foot ball. We had the best time being able to hang out on the beach and having a fire. I took Jovi back up to the room early and Beckham was so excited to be able to hang out with dad and got to throw the ball.
The morning we were leaving we decide we were going to talk to the pier. We ended up renting bikes and doing a family bike ride along the beach. Beckham LOVED it. He got to ride a tandem bike with Adam and i had Jovi strapped to me. Apparently i am a bad mom because i can’t even tell you how many times i heard “SHE HAS A BABY IN THERE”.
We had such a wonderful trip. I am so lucky to be a mom and wife. We are lucky to be able to take our kids to fun places and I hope they always look back and love the things we did with them. I remember all the fun trip my parents used to take us on. Those are the memories I love the most. I don’t remember any toy i had but i remember all the trip and things we did as a family. I think as a parent you want nothing more than to make you children happy. I hope they always know how much they are loved. We love to travel and love taking out babies everywhere we go.