Still wrapping up the vacation posts!

Moosey had a stomach thing this week due to eating pizza, so it is back to gluten free for him!  His stomach issues have caused a minor set back in the vacation posts but they will all be up very very soon!

So, I thought I would list some of the great things going on around here!

• Ty started his second grade Calvert curriculum and we are both enjoying it!
• We are getting the preschool and Pre-K programs all set up for Moose and Ally
• Today is my older brother's 34th Birthday!  Yes, we have a decent sized age gap...
• Ty and Moosey started T-Ball this week!
• I have lost 2 lbs this week!
• I tried out a new chocolate chip cookie recipe from Brown Eyed Baker and it is a huge hit!
• We went to Publix last night and they have a great Gluten Free selection for Moosey!
• This weekend we get to continue unpacking this house and work on making the front of the house look pretty!  There will be a picture tour of the house once we get it complete!
• I get to spend this weekend with my family!!!

What great things are going on in your world this weekend???  Whatever it is, I hope that you get to enjoy your weekend with the ones you love!!!

Our Getaway Dixie Stampede Style!

Disclaimer: I was not asked to review the Stampede and was in no way shape or form compensated for this review.  I just love the Dixie Stampede so much that I wanted to share it with all of you!!!

Onto the Dixie Stampede!!!  We purchased our tickets the moment we got to town to be sure that the show would not be sold out!  Dixie Stampede offers a Military Discount, group rates, and package deals to make it an affordable option for clean family fun!
As you walk in, there are Southern Belles standing outside to greet you.  You are then ushered in and your picture is taken with your group.  Once you are inside, you will sit in the Southern Belle Saloon for your pre-show!  The kids loved it!  They were dancing around to the music and enjoyed drinking their special drinks out of their boot cup.

After the pre-show, the curtains opened and we were ushered into the main arena!  We paid for preferred seating so that we could sit in the front row since we have little ones, but there isn't a bad seat in the entire place.  We sat on the South side and the boys enjoyed cheering, stomping, and being allowed to be loud.  Ally was mesmerized by the horses and their stunt riders as well as the costumes!
J was most excited about the dinner portion of the show.  Here is their dinner menu:

Included in your meal:

• A Mouth-Watering Tender Whole Rotisserie Chicken
• Delicious Hickory Smoked Barbecued Pork Loin
• Dixie Stampede's Original Creamy Vegetable Soup
• Scrumptious Homemade Biscuit
• Hot Buttered Corn on the Cob
• Tasty Herb-basted Potato
• Dixie's very own Specialty Dessert
• Unlimited Pepsi®, tea or coffee

The meal is phenomenal and the soup is to die for!  We love the soup so much that we even buy the soup mix!  There is also a vegetarian menu option available which looks equally amazing!
The show has a great mix of horse tricks, singing and dancing, comedy, games for the audience to join in, and a wonderful patriotic feel.  There is also a new lumberjack portion which is so fun to watch and was one of my favorite parts!  We have been to Dixie Stampede several times and each time it is a little different!  I just LOVE LOVE LOVE this show!
After the show, the kids were able to meet some of the horses and the riders.  The kids had so much fun and couldn't stop talking about it!  We are big kids as well and LOVED the show and were in awe of everything as well!  We can't wait to go back!!!

Shakeology and getting fit

Sooooooo the time has come, yet again, that I need to lose this baby weight!  I am frustrated with how incredibly slow it is coming off!  I have joined the Brazil Butt Lift challenge group and am drinking Shakeology!  I am praying this helps kick start the rest of the weight loss!  I am also eating primal again which should really help.  I will be posting embarrassing progress pics to keep myself accountable!  Stay tuned! In the meantime, why don't you join in the fun with my amazing coach Megan???

Our night away part 1

On a whim, we decided to get away for Mother's Day to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, TN.  Saturday morning we woke up bright and early, packed up the car, watched Ty play his final soccer game of the season, picked up our Bountiful Basket, and then hit the road!  

(Excuse the blurry picture.  This picture is of Ty scaling the fence before his game because he didn't want to get his cleats muddy.)

We decided to keep the destination a secret so that the kids would be in complete awe when we pulled into town.  One of the first things the kids saw was the HUGE ship which was actually the Titanic Museum.  They couldn't believe their eyes!  The kids started ooing and ahhhing at all of the amazing sites and were practically jumping up and down by the time that we arrived at our hotel.

We stayed at the Bearskin Lodge in Gatlinburg, TN.   Our room was wonderful!  They offer a nice military discount as well.  Our room had 2 queen beds, a mini fridge, an in room jacuzzi tub, a fireplace, and a balcony overlooking the river.  The location was perfect because it was a quick walk to the strip, but far enough off of the strip that it was peaceful in the evening.  

After checking in, we got the kids dressed and ready and headed out to Ripley's Aquarium.  Ripley's gives a great discount to Military families on all of their attractions!  I highly recommend going to their attractions, they are worth every penny!  My favorite is the aquarium!  The kids LOVED every bit of the experience.  The boys' favorite part was the dinosaur exhibit.  They thought it was so cool that there were real dinosaur bones in the exhibit and the animatronics fascinated them!  The kids were able to use brushes to dust away the sand from buried bones in the archaeology table and Ty was over the moon about it.  Ally loved the little play area where you could climb into the tubes to see inside the different fish tanks.  The aquarium is also featuring a penguin experience that is too cute for words!  

After we finished up at the aquarium, it was time to get ready for The Dixie Stampede!!!  Stay tuned for more!!!

One night Getaway!

We just got back from our one night surprise trip to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg!  Saturday morning, Ty had his last soccer game at 8am, we picked up our Bountiful Basket at 9am, and then hit the road!  We didn't tell the kids where we were headed, they just knew we were getting away for Mother's Day!  I'm going to write a full blog post about our trip tomorrow and Wednesday, but let's just say that we packed a whole lot in on our little 27 hour stay!  I will also be posting a review for the Titanic museum this week (check out the museum here)!

MilSpouse Link up

Hey everyone, I am the Mrs. in Stilettos. I have been married to my soldier, J, a little over 8 years now!  We have 4 BEAUTIFUL children (Ty, Moosey, Allygirl, and LJ).  J joined the Army way back in 2002 as an enlisted Infantryman and LOVED what he did.  He decided to finish up his degree and commission last year through OCS.  It was a long long long and trying road, but he/we made it!

We have been stationed in Texas, Germany, Ohio, Georgia, Arizona, and Kentucky together.  In 2006 J took a blast to the head and suffered from mild TBI and so we still battle daily with that, but have learned to adapt!  We are crazy in love with each other!  We met March 7, 2005... Started dating March 30, 2005... got engaged April 16, 2005...and eloped April 19, 2005 on his lunch break!  We could not stand the thought of being so far away from each other, so we decided why wait!  Ty was born in late July 2006, Moosey came along right before Christmas of 2008, Allygirl arrived late August 2010, and Little LJ came into the world Early December 2012.

While J is off doing his Army thing, I homeschool our munchkins, cook, blog, clean, and try to pursue my entrepreneurial spirit!  We live a busy life between the demands of the Army, sports, homeschooling, playdates, co-ops, dates, and everything else... but we wouldn't have it any other way!

I am excited to see what the future holds for us!

~The Mrs.

Homeschooling Leaps and Bounds

I ordered Ty's 2nd grade curriculum yesterday!!!  We get to start him in Second Grade MONDAY!!!!  I love love love that he can go to school year round at his own pace.  Homeschooling has been such a blessing for us!  Allygirl and Moosey are going to start their preschool and preK programs this coming week as well!  Life is so good!!!  Happy MilSpouse Appreciation Day everyone!!!