Magnolia Mamas : family time

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Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Lake Keowee Getaway

Last week we spent the week at gorgeous Lake Keowee in South Carolina. We used to have a house on this lake so it felt like old times being back there again. We love it because it isn't crowded, the water is so clear and pretty, and the views at the northern part of the lake are amazing with the mountains in the background.

We went with our very good friends who we have been vacationing with for over 10 years. My friend, K, and I met when we were put together as co-teachers in a First grade classroom.

We taught together for two years before each having our oldest girls! Just look at how cute they were getting ready to go out on the boat 12 years ago!!!

And now they are all grown up!

Our second girls were also born right around the same time and they have all been such great friends ever since.

They live in Florida so we only see them a couple times a year, but it always feels like we pick up right where we left off!

We spent the week have so much fun and making so many memories. We laughed a ton, went on lots of adventures, and relaxed a lot, too!

We made several visits to the waterfall and the kids climbed up to the top!

We love hanging out in this area because there is a shallow area for kids to play, the waterfall is obviously gorgeous to look at and there are usually a lot of boats so it makes it a fun atmosphere!

The kids loved tubing and all of them spent a lot of time wake-boarding this year, too!

We did a lot of swimming and splashing around!

We grilled out several nights, but our favorite things to do is get dressed up and head to The Lighthouse by boat. It's an amazing restaurant you can get to by boat or by car. So much more fun to go by boat though!

The food is AMAZING and the kids love the huge grassy lawn right outside. They have been playing on that lawn since they were toddlers, little kids and now as big kids, too! How sweet is this picture of them from 5 years ago and then now!

The week away was just what we all needed to catch up with friends, spend quality time with family, rest and recharge! We already planned our trip for next year while we were together and I CAN'T WAIT!!!!

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Weekend Getaway Close To Atlanta {The Ritz Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee}

This week is our Spring Break week and we decided that instead of heading to the beach for a week that might or might not be warm enough, we would plan a quick little weekend getaway instead and then have some downtime at home.

When looking at options that might be a good fit for us The Ritz Carlton Reynolds at Lake Oconee immediately popped in my head. I seriously LOVE this resort and have been lucky enough to stay there once a year for the past several years when we got to The Masters. Every time we go I always say I want to bring the kids and we finally made that happen! Jen and her family had gone during the winter a few years ago and I knew that this would be a the perfect way to kick off our Spring Break.

We had an event on Friday evening so made our way there from Atlanta after that. With it only being an hour and 1/2 from Atlanta it makes it SO easy to get there, but it feels like you are a million miles away.

Another thing I love about this resort is the understated elegance. There is no doubt this is a super nice hotel and obviously has the Ritz Carlton standards. A major step up for our kids who are used to staying at a Hampton Inn. Haha! However, it doesn't feel so nice that it's stuffy feeling and instead makes you feel welcome and relaxed. Plus, I love the southern nods like biscuits for breakfast and pecan pie for dessert.

It was dark when we arrived on Friday night so when we woke up on Saturday morning to this view, we were all excited to get out and explore!

We totally lucked out with the weather. It was supposed to be a gorgeous day.

After breakfast and while it was still a little cool in the morning we walked around the grounds and found the No Wake Zone kid game area.

They had everything!!! Bocce ball, ping pong, foosball, shuffle board, basketball court, playground and more!

We spent a few hours playing games, exploring, checking out the beach area and realizing on the swings and hammocks that are spread around the property.

We had promised the kids we would hang by the pool after lunch when it was just a bit warmer and they could hardly stand the wait.

The pool is heated year round so we could have gone ahead and let them jump in, but we had some friends joining us that day so we wanted to wait on them!

After lunch we couldn't get to the pool fast enough! I was actually surprised by how many families were there on their spring break also. Tons of kids everywhere and it just confirmed what I thought about this being a very family friendly resort.

The infinity pool that looks out over the lake is just gorgeous! There is also a kiddie pool and a hot tub. We spent the entire afternoon at the pool and probably could have stayed longer because the kids were have the best time!

The boys wanted to walk down to the beach area by the lake's edge and they entertained themselves by tossing sticks and rocks into the water. The lake water was REALLY cold this early in the year, but had it not been so cold we could have jet skied, done water bikes, swam out to the platforms and all of the other fun lake activities.

We got cleaned up for dinner and met our friends at my favorite spot on at this hotel, Gabys By The Lake. They have great food, but in a more casual atmosphere than some of the other restaurants at the hotel.

Black Maxi Dress//Pink Fringe Clutch

I didn't get any pictures at dinner or after because we were having too much fun. However, after dinner we let the kids make S'mores. They offer this every night at the fire pit on the property and they loved it! Then we went back to the game area for some serious competition before calling it a night and heading to bed.

The next morning we woke up to much cooler temperatures. It was quite chilly so we spent a little time indoors checking out the gift shop and playing chess and checkers in the lobby before we had to head out back to Atlanta.

It was the perfect weekend and the kids all really enjoyed it! One or two nights is perfect and we already have plans to head back later this summer so we can enjoy more that they have to offer!

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Braves Spring Training Trip {Part 2}

If you missed Part 1 of our quick Braves Spring Training trip post, you can find it here.

We were able to sleep in a bit on Saturday before getting ready to head over to the ESPN Wild World of Sports for the Braves game. It was St. Patrick's Day, so we all had green Braves hats to wear for the day. Before the game we were lucky enough to attend an autograph session with a lot of the players and my little baseball loving guy was in heaven.

Especially when he saw some of the big names like Ender Inciarte who he has a bobblehead of in his baseball room!

Then he spent a little time watching batting practice and warmups before the game started hoping someone would toss a ball up to him.

We got wind that another group of players were going to be coming to autograph, including his favorite, Freddie Freeman! He was so excited and nervous to meet him, but wanted to say "hey Freddie." Freddie Freeman was so nice to him and when I asked if I could take a picture he was so kind of said, "Of course!" His day was made right then and there.

It was a beautiful day for baseball and while watching the kids enjoyed ice cream, popsicles and just about every other ball park snack they could get their hands on.

After the game we took the shuttle over to Universal Studios!

We had a few hours to ride some of the rides and planned our time there strategically. We had a limited about of time and wanted to ride the ones they would enjoy the most.

Our kids love the thrill rides. Transformers was super fun, they enjoyed the Men in Black ride, but their very favorite was the Revenge of the Mummy because it was basically an indoor roller coaster.

We grabbed a quick dinner and then it was time for the main event of the evening...the Mardi Gras Parade. Now, last year Boo-Boo was too short to actually be in the parade so we took part as spectators and you would have thought we were in New Orleans.

They had the best time collecting beads from the parade and enjoyed it so much that I was a little nervous to be on the other side of things. However, so many people we talked to who rode on the floats last year said throwing the beads was so much fun so we decided to give it a whirl. We got costumes on, were given our instructions, and were ready to go.

I have no pictures from the parade because it went by so fast. Literally every second we were tossing beads to crazy people who thought they were in New Orleans and having the time of our lives. It was so much fun and neat to see it from the other side.

We went through tons of beads, but there were enough left for the kids to get some to take home. While waiting on our shuttle though, this kind hearted boy decided to pass some beads out to other people who didn't get any. So when someone would walk by he asked if they wanted some beads. He also gave some to our shuttle driver and you could tell it just made his day.

We all crashed that evening and were up early the next day to get ready to fly back home. It was a quick trip, but packed full of fun!

Magnolia Mamas

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