August wrap-up.

It's hard for me to believe we're already almost half through September. Fall is my favorite season for many reasons; football, pumpkin spice everything, boots, and sweaters just to name a few. 

August wasn't too crazy around here. It was a pretty subtle month, and was pretty low key. We kicked the month off with Clete's 10 year high school reunion. That was a fun filled weekend spent with his friends from HHS and former classmates. Mac and Honey went to my parents' place at the lake that weekend, while mommy & daddy had some adult time. 

Other highlights of the month included; Mac's second hair cut, the Campbell wedding, Mac bringing home his first artwork from school, lots of time playing outside, Mac's first school pictures, a VIP lunch at a new local restaurant's grand opening, and at the end of the month we found out Clete got a promotion at work! 

Overall, August was a good month! We're looking forward to the cooler temperatures September should be bringing. Until next time, that's a wrap.  

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

I was recently searching Pinterest for some new clean recipes since I've burned us out on grilled chicken and veggies. I came across this one and snapped a screen shot on my phone and put it in my recipe folder. It was a huge hit at our house, and with the response I got from my insta-pic of this delicious dinner I decided to share here. I'm not certain where the original pin came from but the actual recipe I followed was slightly different. I always like to add my own twist to things and can never fully follow a recipe verbatim. We had this meat mixture as lettuce wraps in butter lettuce and also over the top of brown rice. It was tasty both ways, and it will be making an appearance on our menu again.

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

ingredients

1 lb extra lean ground turkey

1 package broccoli slaw

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1/2 cup teriyaki sauce

1 tsp black pepper

2 tsp garlic salt

1 head butter lettuce

reduced sodium soy sauce to taste

instructions

1. In a skillet brown turkey until cooked through.

2. Once turkey is cooked; add broccoli slaw, chopped onion, 

and teriyaki sauce to skillet. Place lid on top of mixture 

and let simmer (occasionally stirring) until broccoli slaw and 

onion are soft and tender.                                       

3. Serve in butter lettuce or over the top of rice. Enjoy! 

Life with a 16 month old.

This week our little nugget turns 16 months old. He's growing up right before our eyes, and some days it doesn't seem possible that over a year has gone by. Mac is Mr. Independent! He is so much fun, but can also be quite the handful at times. Getting to watch him learn new things, and grow is one of our greatest blessings! He is in to everything, eats like a big boy, and can say lots of words. At his 15 month check up, he was in the 90% for weight and 95% for height. He is a growing, busy boy!

Being a mama to an active toddler some days is just flat out hard. At 16 months, he knows exactly what he wants but just doesn't know how to always tell us. This little boy can have quite the temper at times, and knows how to throw a mean fit when things don't go his way. He understands everything we say, but doesn't always make the best choices. Discipline has been challenging, but we're learning what works. He tests his daddy and my patience almost daily, but is the funniest little. He runs fast and screams loud. We've had to fully "child proof" our house, as he is in to everything. He's now tall enough to sit things on the counter tops, and just recently learned he can open doors; so he keeps us on our toes. He is quite the ham, and is ALL boy!

Mac, we love you to the moon! XOXO

July Wrap-Up.

HOLY MOLY! Is it just me, or is 2015 literally FLYING BY? It's now AUGUST, which means that this year is more than half way over and we're getting closer to Christmas. ;) WOW! However, I am just about over these 100+ degree temps and I'm getting the itch for fall to get here! But enough about all of that... let's talk about what happened in July.
July was a busy and exciting month around our house. We started off the month with our first annual McGriffey family vacation. We spent a full week in Seagrove, Florida and we're all already looking forward to going back again. Lots of great memories were made, and we all had tons of fun! You can read the full details of the trip on this post.

After we got home from vacation, Mac started a new school (daycare center) closer to our house. It was a little bittersweet leaving his previous daycare, but he's now in a class with several other littles his age. The friends he's making now he could go to school with once he gets older, and we feel like it's in his best interest for the years to come. The first couple of weeks were definitely an adjustment, but he's adjusting well and really likes his new friends and teachers.

It's been HOT here in Oklahoma this summer, so we've spent a lot of time around the water this summer. Mac enjoys the water, and when it's so hot you might melt the only way to be outside is in the water.

Mac completed his first year of ISR swim classes at the end of the month. I cannot say enough good things about ISR, and would highly recommend. Our instructor, Marcy, is awesome! It was dedication and commitment for 8 weeks of lessons, 5 days a week, but I now am completely comfortable with Mac being around the water. If something were to happen and him fall in, he knows exactly what to do!

That's a wrap on how July went down around here!

A Letter to Myself...10 years later

This year, 2015, marks 10 years ago we graduated high school. Tis the season of reunions, so I wrote a letter to my high school graduate self. 

Dear Lyndi,

You just finished high school, and you feel like you have accomplished one of the biggest goals in life. Yes, you have as graduating high school is major milestone. There were days you thought you'd never not have to see the walls of Muskogee High but those days are now gone. You're on the verge of opening a brand new chapter. The days ahead of you will bring home sickness, sleepless nights of studying, and new friendships. On the days you want to move back home, just listen to your mother. You're getting an opportunity of a lifetime and you should cherish every minute of it.

If you knew today what I know now, you would be way more appreciative than you are today for the opportunity you're being given. There are other 18 year-olds that would give anything to be your shoes.

In 10 years you'll look back and think about how fast the time went by. You'll be in at a place in life you never imagined you'd be in just 10 years. You and Clete are married for over 4 years, you have a beautiful home, and the most adorable little toddler boy. Your heart and home are filled with joy, and lots of love!  You earned your degree from OU in less than 4 years and now have a successful career in the world of accounting, I know it sounds bizzare.

There will be days that you ask God, why me? And there will be some decisions you make that you'll question if they were the right ones. But you'll later learn that someone out there is always fighting a bigger battle than you are, and heartache and hurt are just a part of this life.

There isn't anything we would change. All the things we've gone through are what have made us who we are today.

So when the days get hard, hang in there! There are better days ahead, and great things in store for you. "You can do all things through Him that gives us strength."

XOXO

McGriffey Vacation 2015

We spent the first week of July in Seagrove, FL for our first annual McGriffey Vacation. Who's McGriffey you ask? It's a collaboration of my parents', ours', and my sister & her husband's last names. I came up with the name when we first started planning the vacation as a joke, and well it just kind of stuck! This was our first family vacation since my sister and I have been married, and the previous family vacation we had was when I was in college. It was Mac's first road trip, and his first trip to the beach. My mom had been planning the vacation for close to a year, so we'd been looking forward to it. Now that it's come and gone seems almost crazy!

Our days were very chill, and mostly spent hanging out on the beach. We'd usually come in mid-afternoon for Mac to nap and then we'd shower and head out to an early dinner because if you waited too late the wait was forever. It was over all a relaxing trip. We all had a fantastic time, and so many great memories were made!

June wrap-up.

Holy Fireworks! Can you believe 2015 is already half way over? June was a busy and exciting month around our house. Mac started swimming lessons, had his first haircut, and took his first trip to the zoo and the Oklahoma Aquarium. We went to a local craw-fish festival, bought new living room furniture, spent lots of time playing outside, and the mr. & I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary.

It was a busy month filled with lots of new memories. We're looking forward to July! We're headed on our big family vacation in just a few days, and Mac will be going to the beach for the first time. Until next time, that's a wrap!