Dallas Dart

(To our moms, don't freak out...we lived.) 

Raise your hand if you have ever used the Dallas Dart system? No? No one? 

That's right. No one uses the Dallas Dart system. Let me tell you why I thought it was a good idea and why no one uses it. 

We stayed at the Hyatt attached to Reunion Tower in Dallas. Very nice hotel, downtown, easy access to the interstate. While I was researching our trip we planned on going to Fair Park on the 4th. For those of you that don't know, Fair Park is where the Texas State Fair is. They open the park for the 4th and have a giant firework show. Neat. 

Well, the hotel has a tunnel that leads to Union Station which is the hub for the subway system. It would have been awesome not to have to deal with parking at the park. We assumed it would be very crowded. 

We fed BC, got all of the kids ready and loaded and started our trek to the Dart station. I stopped by the concierge desk and got a map from them and everything. Not a typical move for me but hey, I just wanted to double check.  

After struggling to find the down button on the elevator (it's hidden for a reason) we wondered why the tunnel was COMPLETELY empty. As in, no one was in this tunnel but us. 

We finally made it to the platform and there was a dad with his two sons. They looked normal and then there were some homeless people that were mumbling to themselves. We have traveled in several big cities and this is not a big deal to us. 

The ticketing screen was all scratched and we couldn't read it. A really nice man (that we thought worked for Dart) came up to us and helped us with the ticketing box. Very helpful and chatty. 

Here comes the twist.  He turned out to be a homeless veteran and helps people with the rail system in order to get tips. We thanked him for his service and gave him a $20 bill because that's all we had. He told us that God would put a blanket of protection around us and the girls. (I'm pretty sure he did!) Again, so nice but a little strange. 

We wait 15 minutes for the next train, hop on to a dirty rail car with a few scattered passengers and go one stop to switch trains. We probably rode a total of 5 blocks. 

When we stepped off the train, we joined a gnarly crew on the platform. We stuck out like a sore thumb. A man that I like to refer to as "One Eyed Charlie" had his eye locked on us. While I'm standing there I google "Dallas Dart" and an article about a mysterious death TWO days ago is the first thing that pops up. I'm sure my eyes were popping out of my head and I looked crazed but I looked at Andrew and he knew. We calmly walked down the platform, passing a drug deal, and basically sprinted all the way back to the hotel threatening Addie that if she tried to get out of the stroller she would get in serious trouble. 

Never once did we see a police man in this whole span of time. It was the 4th, maybe they were all at the Park? I'm not sure but they need to be on those rail cars. 

It took all of me not to go all crazy mom on the concierge when we got back to the hotel. (I at least waited a day.) But we got in our car and fled to Highland Park. More on that later. 

Our kids should turn out well rounded right?! 

Happy Fourth

Happy Birthday America! I wish I had gotten invited to this girl's party because she looks prepared. 

I hope you all find a body of water to play in this weekend. We will be sporting our American flag tattoos and hopefully not having mental breakdowns over fireworks. See y'all Monday! 

Ballet

Just to state the obvious I am not a ballerina. Like every little girl I took ballet and was in a couple of recitals when I was about Addie's age. 

There is something about the ballet that really interests me though. The dancers are so poised and proper. And they are all so thin. Maybe I envy ballerinas and at one point dreamed of being one when I grew up? I don't know. I don't remember that. 

Obviously my life took a different turn. And so did my figure. 

Addie has really gotten into ballet this year so I took her on a big girl date (twice) to watch the IBC. The International Ballet Competition is held in Jackson every four years. It's a big deal. Was she old enough to sit through the whole thing? No. Were there other children there, you ask? No. 

But she loved it for the time that we were able to stay. And I really enjoyed it. 

We got all pumped up and signed Addie up for ballet this year. Real life, big studio ballet. There is a handbook and everything. Don't worry I'm not going to go all Dance Moms and audition for a TLC show. But if Addie really wants to try something new, by George I will learn how to do a proper bun and she will be there on time. 

Just call me the taxi driver.  

Fifth of July

At the Edwards house we celebrate the 4th and 5th of July. Andrew's birthday is this Saturday and it's the last birthday before he hits the big 3-0.

While I have a list of 20 things that I am dying for on my birthday, he is selfless and doesn't ask for anything. I'm sure there are things that he wants but he would rather us surprise him. Great.

In theory this is a good idea and I love to surprise people. In real life, he doesn't get excited when we surprise him so it's not that fun. We are still working on this.

One year I planned out this whole surprise birthday trip. I told him to pack his bag and put it in the car before he went to work but I wouldn't tell him where we were going. When he got home, we jumped in the car and headed to an antebellum plantation called the Dunleith in Natchez.

GPS gave it away. I clearly didn't think that part through.

The Dunleith is gorgeous. And it was a good idea. Except that I was pregnant and VERY sick. I don't remember much of the trip but I think we ended up making it to dinner one night so that Andrew could eat a meal. 

Happy Birthday honey, can you get me some sprite? Natchez is still on our redo list. 

Hopefully this year will be better than that one. Addie and I have a few surprises up our sleeves. Muahaha

Pepper

Meet Pepper.

Pepper is a cavapoo. That means he is half cavalier king charles spaniel and half poodle. They say that it is a wonderful breed because their temperament is more like the cavalier but their hair is hypoallergenic like the poodle. One of these is true about our dog Pepper.

I am a huge animal lover but Andrew is not so much. We have gone the "Puppy pound" route before and it didn't end well. (I will blog about that one day.) The expense of a rescue paired with the weird mannerisms was too much for Andrew. Maybe later in life we can but right now we need a fur baby that will be great with kids, not jumpy, and is fairly low maintenance. Baby steps people.

This go-round we wanted the chance to start with a dog from the beginning. How hard can it be? So we found a breeder in Missouri and my parents were even on board to get another puppy from the litter after they lost their amazing dog. Long story short, we had these dogs flown in.

Cute right?!

Baxter and my brother

Even Andrew couldn't resist

Fast forward to today. We have had Pepper over a year now. He has been to "boarding school" and sometimes has follow-up visits but we all need a little work don't we? This about sums him up:

Never leave toys unattended on the floor. For one second. He will go all stealth mode and shred whatever precious item that was into a million pieces without you even realizing it.

He can make socks ninja vanish. Even if they were on your feet.

If a paci falls on the floor, it is fair game. He will eat the entire thing and then poop out "crystals" later. We have seen this many times.

Because my dad and husband are brilliant (I believe that is the exact word Andrew used) and cut holes in the fence so the lawn mower would fit through perfectly, Pepper cannot be left unattended in the back yard. He may end up INSIDE the neighbors house at 7 am on a Saturday. True story.

Without Pepper there would be no one left to clean up after Elle. He cleans up food waste that she hurls down from her high chair, licks up spilled drinks, and he is even helping wean her from the paci. (Pretty soon there will be none left.)

We love him dearly. He provides a lot of laughs (and even sometimes tears) to our house that clearly needs more action. Let me point you to the title of my blog: One Day Closer to Crazy. Because that's what we are...

Summer sanity

If you follow me on instagram you know that the Edwards love a pool day. Our neighborhood pool closed before the summer started which prompted me to go into panic mode. The girls love the water and we have to have some relief from these stifling temps. It's our happy place.

I went on a mad search to find a pool membership that wouldn't break the bank and would be convenient for our family. After asking around and doing some research I found one! We ended up joining Whisper Lake partly because of the pool but partly because of the golf course. Andrew can occasionally play golf and, of course, we can swim as much as we want.

With all of that being said, getting to the pool is quite the challenge. There's always a diaper changing marathon that takes place before we leave. One of us changes Elle while the other changes Bentley Claire. By the time we get bathing suits and sunscreen on, lo and behold, someone's diaper has to be changed again. Our goal is always to have Bentley Claire fed before we go so that we have a full 4 hours before she needs to eat again but that doesn't always work out perfectly.

This little breakdown doesn't even include our packed lunches if we are going during that 10:00-2:00 window. We look like a hot mess when we finally walk up to the pool. Let me just tell you. We have the double stroller with BC's carrier on one side and Elle wrestling with the straps on the other side. Addie (probably shoe-less and complaining about her feet being hot) has her noodle or whatever animal she has to have that day and Andrew and I alternate between carrying the pool bag and pushing the stroller.

You may be wondering why we go through all of this just to go wade in some community water.

It. Is. So. Worth. It.

The girls splash and play together on the shallow pool deck. There is constant giggling and we get to watch them make new friends. I know that lots of fun memories are being made on these incredibly time consuming and sometimes hard trips to the pool.

Do you love the pool as much as we do? What are some tips that make it easier for you to get out the door?

Too good to be true?

Now that my maternity clothes didn't sell in the garage sale are neatly packed away, it's time for me to build a wardrobe. For the past 5 years I have been in and out of maternity clothes. Ahem, let's be honest. I've been in maternity clothes for 5 years. You know you like those stretchy pants too! It's time for me to turn over a new leaf. I know this may be shocking to some of you but I would like to dabble in fashion for a little while. Note the word dabble.

This is my weekend/summer look:

Well maybe I'm late to this party but I just discovered Stitch Fix. It's a site that assigns you a personal stylist and he or she mails you clothes as often as you want. There is a pretty in-depth survey on their site that you take as you complete your profile. You can set the shipping dates and your stylist will send you 5 pieces of clothing. There is no obligation to buy but there is a $20 stylist fee. If you choose to buy any of the clothes, that $20 goes towards your purchase AND you get 25% off the total. This sounds too good to be true. Click the links below to see their blog.


Beach bag packing tips:

How to wear white denim:

Do you understand how hard shopping is with 3 kids under 5? Addie wants EVERYTHING while Elle "rearranges" things. This means that I can get new clothes without actually having to go into a store and try on a bunch of things. One day I will be able to shop again but for now this sounds pretty amazing.

You also get a $25.00 credit for referring a friend. Click this link if you are interested. I scheduled my first shipment for next week. I'm hoping there are some good things in this box! I will let y'all know...