I'm starting to prepare for another big summer road trip that will take us to the southeast corner of our country very soon, and one of my goals is to be completely through my phone photos and videos before we hit the pavement! I've been attempting to weed through thousands of phone snaps little by little since summer started, and am sure having fun reminiscing about so many sweet and silly moments tucked away on this tiny device. As much as I do love my dslr, these little handheld devices capture some of my favorite unplanned, silly, impromptu moments ever. Including a whole slew of fun moments from the past few months. Here goes...
|| Yes, I often dress Mila the way I would like to dress. And sometimes, she comes up with ensembles all on her own that give me a little glimpse into her teenage years. She's either going to be a lot of fun or make our heads spin - stay tuned... :)
|| We turned the calendar to May and celebrated Cinco de Mayo on a beautiful weekend. It also happened to be my last weekend of the semester, so I was ready to party! We hosted friends and served Beau's amazing fajitas and margaritas with homemade limeade and simple syrup. And Julie brought festive home-baked cupcakes - a churro spiced one and a margarita one. We had an excellent spread and enjoyed a perfect night on the deck with blankets and a toaste
|| Last push of school year means lots of projects, teacher cards and thank yous, piano practice, field day, cold lunches, etc. It's a race to the finish, but I do love savoring the last few bits of it all.
|| School pickup lines made fun on a Friday afternoon with the sunroof down and two ladies with lattes! Mila stuck her head out of the sunroof and completely embarrassed her brother. Wait until she gets to go with you everyday next year, buddy!
|| Flower shopping on a chilly Saturday. Turns out the greenhouse is a sauna for flowers and moms. I could have hidden in there all day long!
|| Being off work in the summertime means more time for things I love, like baking after school treats and prepping dinner and arranging fresh flowers in sunny spots throughout our home. Instead of racing the clock, I sometimes feel like I'm playing house.
|| Look how bundled up we are for a May soccer game! We have the weirdest springs in Iowa!
|| Our deck is one of my favorite spaces in our entire house. We use it often in the warm months, especially now that we can eat dinner around the table AND take a nap around the fire afterwards!
|| Some of my favorite moments as a family lately include the four of us around a table at one of our favorite restaurants. They almost always involve a few games of UNO, heated conversations around "Would you rather?" or "Guess the character," and Beau's daily dad jokes, of course.
|| May also includes closet clean outs, fresh linens on the beds, sell and swap overhauls, and newly organized summer wardrobes for the kids. It's a regimen I always look forward to as we gear up to be home for the summer.
|| I love finding little things like this while I clean rooms. Cruz has an eclectic and hilarious mix of tunes here!
|| End of the year surprise lunch dates and lots of giggles trying to match the 3rd grade's portraits of Aldrich teachers and staff! Some of them were a dead giveaway, others... ;)
|| She's got her own style, that's for sure!
|| Soccer practice with Mila and Julia
|| End of the year fun with Mila as she finished up preschool. A kindergarten roundup self portrait and sweet parent breakfast at Blessed Beginnings.
|| We got Mila a fun hammock chair for her room and she's already fallen asleep in it twice. It's a sweet sight to see since I rarely have a napper in the house these days.
|| Pretty colors and textures on the back deck
|| A super fun date night with my hubby. Tucked away in a cozy table for two by the window at Basal Pizza, where we sipped bitter old fashioneds and smooth red wine, and celebrated their well-deserved "Best Restaurant Experience in the Cedar Valley" with all the other regulars who love this place a lot. And buttery cake from Milkbox Bakery to follow!
|| Sometimes all you need is a Saturday night movie night. The rain hadn't stopped all night and after our movie ended, we all ended up on the front porch with Beau's guitar and Mila's umbrella. They sang their favorite duet, Mila splashed in a few puddles, and we went to bed with wet hair and full hearts.
|| You are looking at Mila's first ever shiner, received exactly one week before preschool graduation on the first nice day to be on the trampoline! I swear she was out there ten minutes and already had a black eye! That's what you expect from being outnumbered by a whole lot of boys in this neighborhood! She handled it like a champ, and thus inspired a four-person limit on the trampoline from now on. And her shiner was gone just in time for graduation!
|| Post Sunday brunch with the Shaws! Bryan rolled out the bean bag boards for the kids, but they still ended up bellied-up to the bar, giggling at the TV and requesting pickles and pop.
|| Post-baseball hangs
|| I had a fun week with just my girl while Cruz was finishing up his last week of 2nd grade. We had a big morning of errands, including one full fledged Target summer stock-up, so we celebrated with bagels and yummy cold drinks outside afterwards.
|| The first of what I hope are many summertime bouquets in our house! Those yellow peonies were amazing!
|| Sidewalk chalk art by Mila. This is Great Grandma, Mila, and Kennedy!
|| My kayak buddy, Cruz
|| This girl must be growing! She's been sleeping until 9:00 most mornings, completely throwing off my plans for summer routine and morning chore time before we adventure out of the house. I sneak in multiple times during the morning, though, and love to watch her sleep. But we are in for a very rough transition if she decides to keep this up until August!
|| Beau is always willing to nap with her!
|| Cousin time to start the first official week of summer break.
|| And this is my only picture from VBS week! It's always such a fun way to kick off summer and these generous kids of mine were completely into the mission project this year, especially the part where the boys competed against the girls. Mila cleaned out her savings jars and didn't think twice about throwing in the bucket.
|| Beau and Cruz hit up the baseball diamond early one night and I told Beau to pick up a snack for Cruz on the way there. Chicken wings and mac n' cheese for a little pre-game snack. This is the way of Beau.
|| And lastly, a rare morning when both kids were up, dressed, and ready for the day by 9! I put them to work in the kitchen, washing and slicing grapes in half for chicken salad, mixing up salad dressings, and cutting the stems off strawberries. We had so much fun that morning.
