Sunday, December 30, 2018

Walt Disney World

Ava woke up on Christmas morning to a note telling her to follow Rapunzel's tangled up hair to reveal a Christmas surprise.  She followed the path and found a Rapunzel doll in the Christmas tree along with a note telling her she was going to Disney World!



Monday, December 24, 2018

Snow Day & Christmas Camping

We wrapped up our last week of school with an awards ceremony, Polar Express movie day, and a snow day at our PBS Party!  Matt came to help out and we had a great day together :)



Sunday, December 16, 2018

Christmas Cheer

We decorated for Christmas before we left for Indiana so that when we got back we would only need to go pick out our tree.  Since then we have watched so many Christmas movies, been to our community holiday party, a friend's house, visited with Santa (from a few feet away), and last night was Ava's dance recital!  After her recital we went to dinner, then to Starbucks for hot chocolate and then we went out exploring the area neighborhoods for Christmas lights.  Today we are baking in our Elf pajamas and before we know it Christmas will be here!


Friday, November 30, 2018

November Books


I read Michelle Obama's memoir this month.  She is a great storyteller and I loved reading about her experiences growing up on Chicago's South Side.  The book is divided into three sections - her childhood, her relationship with President Obama, and her vision for the future. 



I love these two and thought their book was hilarious!  The book is set up as conversations between the two of them which can be hard to follow but there are also certain chapters/stories told by just one of them.  The pictures included with the book are amazing and so, so funny!



It took me awhile to get through this book but it was interesting to read about Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill.  They had many similarities and their rivalry/competitiveness was fascinating.

Sunday, November 25, 2018

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Sherman Fam hit the road for Indiana this Thanksgiving and had the best time!

Sunday, November 4, 2018

Big Cypress Natural Preserve

Big Cypress is one of our favorite weekend spots to go for a drive and look for alligators.  We didn't see as many as last time, but still saw 50 or so along with a lot of turtles, fish, and birds :)

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

October Books


I have loved Busy Philipps since watching Dawson's Creek and then Cougar Town.  She is hilarious on Instagram and a relatable, down to earth celebrity.  She is a great storyteller and I recommend this book.


This book feels honest and empowering.  I loved learning about the choices she has made in her life to find success.  I was also super interested in learning about life with Tom Brady :)


I was hoping this book was more of a lifestyle read with recipes and beauty tips.  It was nice to read about her path in life, just not what I expected.

Happy Halloween

We celebrated Halloween with Addy again this year!  Ava was Elena of Avalor (again) and Addy was Fancy Nancy.  The girls had a great time and were super excited to be together :)

Saturday, October 27, 2018

Fall Fun

Last week was our fall festival at school and yesterday was the storybook character parade!  Ava dressed up as Elena this year and had the best time.  After school we had some pizza, changed our clothes, and went to Lakes Park to pick out pumpkins and play.

Sunday, October 21, 2018

Boo at the Zoo

One of our favorite fall traditions is heading to the Naples Zoo to trick or treat in 90 degree weather :)  We love seeing pumpkins in all of the animal exhibits and Ava gets a head start on her candy collection.

Monday, October 8, 2018

Life Lately

Well, it's finally feeling like Fall in SW FL because today at car rider line I didn't sweat!  We have a month of fun activities planned including Halloween with friends at the end of the month.  Ava still hasn't decided what she wants to be but she has a drawer full of princess dresses so I'm sure it will work out just fine :)

This weekend we were outside and active both Saturday and Sunday and it was a major mood-booster!  I always say that nature is my church and getting up and moving first thing both days of the weekend felt great!

Saturday we were at FGCU celebrating Make A Wish at their Walk for Wishes.

Sunday, September 30, 2018

September Books



I loved reading about Reese Witherspoon's southern upbringing and traditions.  I'm also excited to try a few of the recipes.  This is the type of book I could read every day :)



This is a humorous book of essays about the female body.  It wasn't my favorite, but it was informative.



I re-read Love Warrior this month for the third or fourth time.  Oprah is turning this book into a movie and I can't wait!

Sunday, September 23, 2018

What A Weekend!

We had the best weekend ever over here!  Friday was Ava's Rainbow Run fundraiser at school and Matt came to run with her.  

Monday, September 17, 2018

Date Night!

Matt and I had a date night last weekend!  He has been traveling for work a lot and also went hunting two weekends in a row so he arranged for his friend to babysit Ava so we could go out.  I was very thankful :)



Monday, September 10, 2018

Weekend Update

We had another long weekend due to Rosh Hashanah and Ava and I had some fun outside!  We talked about how thankful we are for the beautiful weather because a year ago today was Hurricane Irma.

Sunday, September 2, 2018

Girls Day

Matt was hunting this weekend so Ava and I had a girls day at Coconut Point!  We had breakfast at Chick-Fil-A and then were off to shop!  

Friday, August 31, 2018

August Books



This book is written by the great-great-great niece of the man who bought the patent for Jell-O many years ago and is about the family history as well as the "Jell-O curse" of mysterious ailments that plagued the family.



This book is about a mother's journey to save her daughter from NXIVM.  I have read about the organization NXIVM, which many believe is a mind controlling cult, and can not imagine the pain of losing a daughter to a group that you initially believed in.  



After reading two books this month that I didn't love, I decided to re-read one of my favorites.  Jen Hatmaker is one of my favorite authors and is a great storyteller.  I am glad I re-read Of Mess and Moxie in August because while reading I thought my mom would enjoy it and was able to order it for her birthday!

Sunday, August 19, 2018

Weekend Fun!

We had hoped to spend last Saturday in the pool to celebrate our first day back to school but it was raining so we went to HeadPinz instead!  It was Ava's first time bowling and we had so much fun :)



Friday, August 10, 2018

First Grade!

Today was Ava's first day of First Grade!  She was super brave and said that it was a fun and busy day :)  She got to play with her best friend from last year during recess and said that she made some new friends in her class.  We are so thankful!


Tuesday, July 31, 2018

July Books

4 days in a car + over 2 weeks vacation = a lot of reading this month!


This book is about a girl who reaches her goal of earning a Rhodes Scholarship and the opportunity to go study at Oxford for a year.  I loved reading about her relationships with the other characters and was interested from beginning to end.  


I loved Elin Hilderbrand's new book.  It was her typical awesome summer read about Nantucket but the story line included a murder mystery.  


This memoir is about the author's experience growing up Mormon in a polygamist family in Mexico.  It is a tough story to hear but very inspiring and captivating.  I couldn't put it down.


The author of this book posts comedic videos about parenting online and her book was equally funny.  On her 41st birthday she decided she was going to live brave and stand up for herself.  She is hilarious, relatable, and encouraging.


This memoir is about a girl who responds to a job posting on Craigslist that ends up being for the position of President Obama's stenographer.  She tells stories about her travels on Air Force One, her interactions with the Obama Administration, and her relationships.  I loved hearing about her job and getting a behind the scenes look.


This book is about an event planner from Chicago who loses her job and moves to Lake Sackett, Georgia to work with the family business:  a bait shop / funeral home.  While the story line didn't seem completely believable to me, I enjoyed the characters and was rooting for the main character to find love and happiness.


This book was made up of stories about Kathy Griffin's celebrity encounters.  It wasn't as juicy as I expected, but a few of the stories were funny.



I also re-read two of my favorite books this month.  I consider August my "new-year" since I head back to school and always like to re-read a few motivational books that I have loved in the past.

Thursday, July 26, 2018

Chicago

Matt and I took the train from South Bend to Chicago while we were in Indiana. Two years ago we took the same train ride to Chicago to see Navy Pier and go on the architectural boat ride, but only for the day.  This year, we decided to stay overnight and had the best time!



Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Indiana Summer Vacay

We packed up the whole fam and went to Indiana for two full weeks again this summer.  We just got back last night and are so thankful for the summertime memories we get to make with family each year.

Ava said her favorite things about Indiana are her family, Indiana Beach, the tractor, the pool, and learning to pull the stuff off the corn :)


Friday, July 6, 2018

Friday, June 29, 2018

June Books




Emily Giffin is one of my favorite authors and I loved her new book about the lives of parents and students from a private school community.  It was told from the perspective of three very different characters and includes topics such as race, class, and social media.



This story is about Miranda Priestly's former assistant (from Devil Wears Prada) who is now an image consultant.  It was an entertaining, funny, quick read.



This story about a POW and his family was about survival, resilience, and loss.  I loved reading about the relationship between mother and daughter and the story line was unforgettable.



I recently started watching Southern Charm and when I found out that Patricia had a book I immediately wanted to read it.  She is the mother of one of the main characters and is known on the show for being a great hostess.  I loved reading about her past etiquette experiences and it was interesting to find out more about the southern culture/way of doing things.



From watching Brody Jenner on The Hills and seeing the Jenner family on Keeping Up With The Kardashians, I knew who Linda Thompson was but didn't know she was an award-winning songwriter who was with Elvis Presley for many years.  I loved learning more about Elvis and reading about her long-time relationship with him.  I recognized many of her song lyrics that she shared between chapters and also enjoyed the stories about her marriages to Bruce Jenner and David Foster.



This book was about life in your forties from the author's point of view.  I didn't love it but some of the stories were funny.  I felt like she focused on appearance/beauty and had a lot of self-doubt.

Monday, June 18, 2018

Summer Check In

We have been out of school for 2 full weeks now and have crossed a few things off our summer chore list and most importantly we have crossed even more things off our summer bucket list!

Monday, June 11, 2018

Hyatt Fun

Two of my favorite friends got married this weekend and Matt and I got a night out :)

Thursday, May 31, 2018

May Books

This month I read 3 books and they were all religion based.  I think with the end of the school year on the horizon I needed a little grace :)


This book was about loving all people, even when it is difficult.  The author is a great storyteller and shared his own life lessons throughout the book.  At one point he talked about resisting the bait to trade kindness for rightness.  I needed the reminder of the important difference between being kind and being right.  


I have read all of Candace Cameron Bure's books and enjoy her writing style.  This book is about staying kind and gracious in all moments of life.  In one chapter she talked about self-control and how we all have it, but it is our job to actually use it.  This is one of the things I am working on this summer.



This book was about pursuing your passions while loving your family.  I could relate to her stories of sacrifice when feeling torn between her career dreams and family life.  I always find comfort when I hear stories similar to my own and was reminded that we are all doing our best and that we all have our own version of "normal".