Memorial Day, 2014

Hello there? Ahem.  Yep, I'm still alive. 

~Life of course has been busy this month with tons of school stuff for Andrew, lacrosse, end of the year activities, my mom was here for a couple weeks, and regular life.

But the truth is, I haven't felt much like writing.  I have a couple heavier topics that have been trying to write themselves in my mind, but one subject is just a rehash of an exhausted story that remains stagnant.  That makes it super frustrating to me.  The other is about friendship.  The intricacies of such.  That one will happen when I finally feel I can get it just right.

~As you can see, the blog is undergoing a makeover.  I'm updating outdated info {like nearly 2 years old not updated whoa} and I've added Violet to the mix, finally!  I hope for it to be complete soon! I definitely am having the pictures updated pronto!


~Yesterday, we spent  a very low-key Memorial Day close to home.  Andrew marched in the town parade with marching band, so the rest of us went to watch, of course. While George and Violet went to find our place to watch,  Lily and I stopped into Dunkin Donuts to get her favorite "pink with sprinkles" doughnut.  The line was super long, but we waited and she got the very last one. Thankfully there was one because after waiting, that would have been no fun to explain. ;)

After the parade, the band played a couple songs for the VFW ceremony.  They performed The Star Spangled Banner, God Bless America, and a trumpet solo of Taps. 

When the marching band requirements were over, we went to lunch with our good friend, Amber, who came to watch Andrew. She's also the reason we were able to get a family picture. ;)  It was nice to just spend a little down time with her! 

The afternoon was very lazy at home and actually ended up in an unplanned family nap! I went to talk to Andrew in his room and found him asleep, I put Violet down for a nap in her crib like normal and then laid down in my bed for a few minutes...next thing I knew, Lily and George were in bed next to me and we all slept for a few hours.  I woke up when Violet let me know she was hungry around 4pm, but George and Lily slept until 6!  {I actually had to wake her up because I was afraid she'd never go to bed at night.}

No one was really hungry for the supper I had in the crockpot, so we decided on ice cream for supper! We headed to our favorite local shop and enjoyed our first of, I'm sure, many visits this summer.

Violet is eyeing up that ice cream...

It was a nice, laid back day!

To The Moon! Planet Bounce {Giveaway}

Last Saturday afternoon, we were invited to a preview day at a Planet Bounce Pittsburgh.   When I told my husband, it was in Canonsburg, he said, "All the way there?"  I said, "Yep. We're going and it'll only take us about 45 minutes. That's no biggie."

I think it's my Arizona roots that makes me willing to drive in this city and *gasp* even cross bridges to get somewhere! :)

Given that it is Pittsburgh, I should have known better than to take us out the Parkway West even on a Saturday.  We sat in traffic for about an hour which was not awesome, but I looked over at my husband, glanced in the back at my daughters and said, "Well, there's nothing we can do about it, so let's just enjoy the time together...the weather is gorgeous today!"  George was in agreement. We laughed and sang songs, talked about the Penguins' playoffs, and answered Lily's 23048230752 questions until we arrived at Planet Bounce.

The directions were easy, right off the highway which was perfect for someone unfamiliar with the area!

When we entered, we were greeted by the owners, Ryan and Megan.  My contact, Katie, came over to introduce herself, was ready to answer our questions, guide us where to put our belongings, and share the rules. We got settled in quickly and were off to play.

Coming from the North Hills, we have a couple options in our area for bounce play places, but there isn't anything available South of  Pittsburgh and Planet Bounce fits the bill. We're definitely willing to drive a little further for great treatment by staff, a friendly environment, and a quality, safe place to play!  Planet Bounce did not disappoint!

Aside from the fantastic, friendly staff, it's not overwhelmingly enormous, so it's easy to keep up with an energetic 3 year old who loves to run, jump and climb.  And the best part {for me} was...being able to play with her and not just watch from the sidelines!  Lily had an absolute blast!  She ran, jumped, climbed, slid, skipped, and shouted, "Woooo hooooo!" as she played.

We were treated to a pizza lunch in one of the party rooms as a preview to what birthday parties are like. The pizza was really yummy!  Even my pizza picky husband, {his parents owned and ran a pizza shop when he was growing up} really liked it!

 We moved into another party room for the kids to do some crafts. Lily loved this too. She's all about the glue, stickers, and drawing!

There are a lot of add-ons available for birthday parties, so you're able to customize exactly what you'd like when you celebrate!  One sweet girl modeled the face painting option. How amazing is this?!

Planet Bounce Pittsburgh is family friendly and family-run!  That's important to my family to support "mom and pop" local businesses!  We had a wonderful time and will definitely be back!

Lily was worn out! Thank you, Planet Bounce!!

Tomorrow, May 3rd, Planet Bounce Pittsburgh will be holding their Grand Opening Stellarbration from 11a-5p!  Admission is free!

For their ongoing business, they have open bounce where anyone can come and jump during any open hours.  Kids up to 12 are $10. Adults and kids who aren’t walking yet are free!  Plus there’s a military discount.  Check out their website for all the details:  http://www.planetbouncepgh.com/ {click on any of the "Planet Bounce" in this post and it will take you to their site, as well.}

And y'all are in luck...I'm giving away 2 free passes to visit Planet Bounce another time!!  The passes expire 4/27/15, so you have ample opportunity to use them!  Giveaway runs through next Friday 5/9! Good luck!  Winner will be contacted by email and will be posted here on this giveaway. a Rafflecopter giveaway