Sky Zone

Brandon and I checked out the new Sky Zone Pensacola last week. I wanted to do something fun with him before he started Pre-K and with all the wet weather we have been having thought this would be a good option. Oh man, what a blast this was.

If you aren't familiar with Sky Zone, essentially it is a huge indoor trampoline park with different areas for different things. They have open jump which is just a large area of trampolines for jumping, a dodgeball area, jousting, foam pits, dunk zone, and even a toddler zone. Sky Zone's are located all across the U.S so the chances are pretty high that there is one close to you or coming soon to your area.

The closest Sky Zone for us is in Pensacola, about 45 minutes to an hour from our house depending on traffic. I didn't jump this time as it was out first time there and wanted to make sure Brandon had a great time but next time I will definitely join in on the fun. He loved it and event at only 4 years old, had plenty to do and enjoy. We mostly stayed in the toddler zone as that area has plenty of trampolines, basketball hoops and even it's own foam pit to enjoy. We did venture out to enjoy the larger jump area as well as the larger foam pit. Brandon really wanted to play dodge ball and didn't understand that he just wasn't big enough for that area. However, if Nick and I ever go then we will definitely enjoy some dodgeball and even the jousting.

Sky Zone is definitely a place to enjoy for all ages and I can't wait to go back and neither can Brandon.

Book Binger

I don't know why but when I decide to read I tend to binge on it. I won't read for a few months because life, but then all of a sudden I can't put books down. Does this happen to anyone else or just me? 

I ended up reading six books in July. Part of this binging I think happened because I ended up getting a refund of about $50 from Barnes and Noble from some settlement they had with regards to their nook books. I took full advantage and purchased a boat load of books for free that I had been wanting to read. Here are my thoughts on each of those books that I finished in July without spoiling anything. 

Me Before You - If you enjoyed A Fault in Our Stars then you will enjoy this. I had planned on reading this months ago but didn't get around to it until recently. I would definitely recommend reading the book either before watching the movie or even in place of watching the movie. The movie left some important details out about why Lou stayed so close to home which I really think helped explain more about her. You definitely will get much more from the book and you will almost surely need a box of tissues to finish this.

The Nightingale - Definitely my favorite read of the month. Such a beautifully written story about two sisters and how they survived and lived during WWII in France. I tend to really enjoy historical fiction so this was right up my alley. It was pleasant to get the viewpoint of how women were able to live, survive, and sacrifice during such a turbulent time. Great read and yes, another one that will require tissues. I am excited to see if this would be turned into a movie.

Big Little Lies - I just wasn't impressed with this book. I've seen reviews and heard people say they loved it but it just bored me. The end was the only saving grace as there is a bit of a twist that I didn't see coming but other than that the book just wasn't that great. 

Night - How I never had to read this in college or high school I don't know. It's super short, you could probably finish within an hour or two, and really gives a stark reminder to how terrible the conditions were for Jews in concentration camps. I will make sure that Brandon reads this when he is a teen as I think it's so important to share with future generations.

Everything I Never Told You - This is another 'eh' book for me. I just couldn't get invested in the characters. Nothing about then made me want to care. Also, it was pretty obvious what happened. The story was just mundane and sad and read more like a pity party than anything else. Maybe it was supposed to read that way but that just isn't what I want in a novel. 

All The Light We Cannot See - Loved everything about it except the end. This novel is very well written and you definitely want to know what happens next. I just think the end kind of dragged on and just didn't give me the same feeling that the rest of the book did. This is definitely a must read though as the story itself is amazing. 

Disney On Ice

This was our second experience with a Disney type show. Last year we did the Disney Junior Live Pirates and Princesses Show. It was a hit with the little one's so I thought, what the heck, they are back in town, let's try it again. This time it was Disney on Ice Let's Celebrate. I was able to get much better seats, front row floor seats right next to the ice, so that was a plus. It also made me realize that I will always pay extra for great seats for shows like this. There was room for Brandon to stand up and he got to see each character up close and wave and have them interact with him back. Well worth the extra money per ticket. 

We had a wonderful time, even without a nap, and this show definitely kept Brandon entertained for the full 2 hours. The only part he wasn't too excited about what the Halloween part with the villains. There was a lot of smoke and creepy music with the guy from Nightmare before Christmas and Brandon wanted no part of it. Other than that, the show was wonderful. I think Brandon likes Stitch from Lilo and Stitch the best. He was laughing and dancing the most when he came over. I guess we will have to watch that movie soon. 

All in all, if you get a chance to see this in person then definitely go. It was just as entertaining for the adults as the kids. 

Atlanta Braves

Our last stop for our Atlanta Trip was an Atlanta Braves game. It was important to me to watch a game this year as this is the last year they will be playing at Turner Field. Next year they will be opening their brand new stadium that will be located on the Perimeter. 

We went on the Braves opening weekend to the Sunday afternoon game. Before this game, the Braves were 5-0. Now, the Braves are 10-12 with a losing record. I think we started the trend as they lost to the Mets that day. Even with the loss, we still had a wonderful day and Brandon got to enjoy his very first professional baseball game with some excellent seats.

So, excellent in fact that only 4 rows in front of us were a few players from the New York Knicks who we ran into again after the game in front of the Hank Aaron statue. They were in town for a game the next night against the Hawks. Knicks won by the way. 

The Braves have pretty much overhauled their roster and traded away most of the big name/big salary guys. It's a young team with young talent, they just need to learn to play together. Really, the only BIG name guy left is Freddie Freeman. I don't expect much from them this year but you just never know. We shall see as the season progresses. 

Legoland Atlanta

If you are following along, our first stop for our family vacation was the Georgia Aquarium. Our next stop was Legoland. This was a definite spur of the moment decision to visit here and I'm so glad we did. I was able to purchase tickets online for $15 a person so we essentially got 3 tickets for the price of two as they were $5 off online. We spent a good portion of our afternoon hanging out in Legoland. Brandon LOVED it. Like, was so mad we had to leave loved it. 

Unfortunately, he wore flip flops instead of tennis shoes so he didn't have any socks and was unable to play in one of the areas but that didn't stop us from having a blast. We tried to watch the Lego 3D movie that they had but Brandon wasn't having it and we had to leave about 5 minutes in. It was too scary for him as he said so instead we went back to the main area and built some tall buildings and raced lego cars down some ramps. 

Nick was able to get Brandon on his very first amusement ride, Merlin's Apprentice, and Brandon seriously enjoyed it. You were supposed to peddle to make the seats go higher in the air but Brandon's feet didn't reach the peddles so you just saw his little legs moving in circles in the air. It was adorable. Luckily, Daddy was there to help and got them as high as they could go. We also took a ride on the Kingdom Quest Laser Ride and each got a laser gun to shoot all of the bad guys and save the Princess. 

This was a excellent way to spend a rainy afternoon in Atlanta. If you are planning to go, make sure to purchase your tickets ahead of time online as they do not always have availability if you just walk up to purchase tickets. 

Next Up on the Atlanta Trip: Braves Game

Georgia Aquarium

2015 was the year of our First Family Vacation. We wanted to wait until Brandon was out of diapers before starting a yearly tradition of doing something, just the three of us. We plan on correlating this with his birthday each year if we can. This year we made a plan to spend a few days in Atlanta and our first stop while there was the Georgia Aquarium. 

Nick and I had been to the Aquarium before so we knew Brandon would love it. He was completely mesmerized with all of the fish, animals, and sharks. He really liked the sharks!!! We visited each exhibit and spent about 3-4 hours just walking around and taking it all in.

We were able to make it to the Deepo Undersea 3D Wondershow which was very well done. It is located in their 4D theatre which means you get some interactive special effects with the show (hint: we got wet).

The only experience we missed was the Dolphin Tales show. It just means we will have to make another trip soon to catch it. 

Stop by on Monday for more about our Atlanta family vacation.