...When one of your favorite bands comes to Iowa, you road trip to Iowa City for a Thursday night date night! It was one of the most fun date nights we've ever had! One of our college girls stayed the night, so we had plenty of time and opportunity to be spontaneous right in the middle of a busy week. We sat in a cozy booth at the Mill, a historically divey bar and music venue in the heart of Iowa City, and spent a night with Wild Rivers. There were maybe fifty people there, so it kind of felt like we were all jamming out in somebody's basement together! We had pizza and beer, followed by apple pie and coffee, and spent a late night drive singing our favorite songs at the top of our lungs. And Beau may have become a groupie for the opening band, Whitacre. He bought a t-shirt, which he's known to do. ;)
...Can we take a moment to praise all the teachers who use Seesaw?! Both kids' teachers are using it this year and it brings me such joy throughout my days to have a window into their worlds. These are just a few of many sweet memories that have been captured thanks to Miss E and Mrs. Withers.
-Mila and her bestie, Kennedy
-Mila filled Miri's bucket one day in the gym. Miss E tells me often that Mila is very good at cheering her friends up. :)
-Mila and Ace at the car wash. I may show them this on their first date one day. ;)
-I believe this was sports' team day for Homecoming?! I don't remember exactly, but Mila looked pretty cute in Cruz's old panther jersey!
-Getting cozy in the reading corner!
...Turns out Beau cooks Magnolia, too! He took over the cookbook one night while I was at work and sent me a slew of pictures to document his process. And when I walked through the door, he greeted me with a tomato basil soup bloody mary, complete with a cheese wedge garnish! I love that his foot was also included in several of the pictures, for he always mentions that "women love posting pictures of their feet on Instagram."
...We got to double date with Nate and Kate one October weekend, and spent an evening listening to Ray Lamontagne on Iowa State's campus. The concert was great, but our late night around the table with two of our favorite people was even better. And so was the diner breakfast the next morning!
...The kids spent the night with Grandma Mary and Grandpa Ray in Hampton, which provided the perfect opportunity to visit Scott in the fields the next morning. The kids (and Beau and I) got to experience a quintessential Iowa fall atop a combine in the middle of a vast cornfield. In all my 34 years on this earth, I had never been this close to a combine! I'm sure glad our kids didn't have to wait that long!
...And then it was back home for all things Halloween. We carved pumpkins outside this year, always nice when you can make that happen!
...And we celebrated our newest outdoor development that will provide new character and some shade for our backyard patio. Looking forward to seeing this all come together in the spring.
...Late fall hangs with the neighbors
...The epic and adorable costume tea party!
...Fall snaps from around the house.
...Brains for dinner on Halloween Eve
...Mila's last Halloween parade at Blessed Beginnings
...Between daycare parades and school parties, trick-or-treating on Main Street, and a warm night for neighborhood trick-or-treating, the kids made out big in the candy department. We had an epic candy sort the following day, they took turns choosing their favorite 25 items, and the rest went to Candy Buy Back at Kimball and Beecher the following day. Their teeth and piggy banks are thankful for that decision!
...Off again, this time to Galena for a girl's weekend! We shopped, dined, hiked, relaxed, and spent lots of time in front of a big fire together. Man am I thankful for these beautiful women. We've been gathering in our homes and spaces for nearly three years now and I am so thankful for their love, their connection, their uniqueness, and strength.
...Now that the big stuff is done, we're knocking out some fun projects that add a little flavor to our spaces. This industrial desk, end table, and shelving unit was inspired by a very expensive model I came across on Restoration Hardware's site, and my hubby brought it to life for a small fraction of the cost. I painted a wall dark navy blue and the shelving unit turned out better than we expected. Cruz's big guy room is pretty cool, and now all we talks about are the posters he wants to hang on the wall. I'm in the middle of thinking win-win on that one!
...Post-church tacos at our favorite taco-truck-turned-taco-shop. We are big fans of the people and story behind Los Reyes and their street tacos are the best in town! I have a mad craving at least once a week!
...And goodbye fall, welcome all things Christmas season! We were treated to a morning at Marcus Theater for The Grinch thanks to our friend and financial adviser, Ryan! We sat in the new reclining (and heated!) seats, ate donuts and sipped hot coffee, and ushered in the Christmas season with the cutest of movies! And then we went for Grinchy hot chocolates at IHop afterwards!
...Harry Potter day at Barnes and Noble! The kids had lots of questions about the owls they brought in, and our name was called for the grand prize drawing, a huge 3-D puzzle of Hogwarts! Looks like we have a good snow day activity awaiting us!
...And last but not least, another date night! This time to Montage for dirty martinis and great seats at Gallagher for the 10th anniversary of Rock of Ages! Great music and a great night sitting nice and close with my man.
No comments:
Post a Comment