Summer 2016: slow + simple

Oh this life, I love it and I want it to slow down just a teeny bit more so I have time to just bask in each moment before we are on to the next one. I really do feel fulfilled though, even in the ups and downs, the rushing from one thing to the next. I have learned a lot recently just by reflecting on what God is doing in our lives and discerning what He wants me to do with what He has given me. I've been looking at screens less, reading the Bible and just being with my people more. Doing my best to slow down and simplify life. On "paper" it doesn't look very slow or simple but it can be just by way of shifting our mindset, letting the Lord lead the way and really just saying "no" more often.  

The last two months have been very busy but it was followed by Ben going on vacation a couple weeks ago and it was 9 days of intentional laziness. We just enjoyed each others' company and only allowed a handful of social interactions outside of our household to keep it slow and simple. It was the perfect way to wrap up a very full summer. We are also intentionally kept the rest of this month as quiet as possible as well as we head into a new school year. Malakai just started 2nd grade and Desmond is now in full day Kindergarten. 

Desmond doesn't turn 5 until the beginning of October, just missing the September 1st deadline by 5 weeks. We decided to go through the process of petitioning for him to start school "early" and see how it went. We didn't put any pressure on him or even tell him about it. When it came time for the mandatory IQ test in early July we just said that we told the school how smart he is and they wanted him to show them what he knew. He had a blast doing the activities and answering the questions. I really enjoyed listening to his answers from the back of the room. He had to score in the 90th percentile to qualify for early admission. We didn't get results until a month later. While we waited to hear back we continued to be prayerful over the situation, that if he got in it would be what should happen and if he didn't that we were meant to keep him home for another year of Pre-K.  We were excited for him when he was accepted for early entrance but also a little sad to not have him at home with me all day. I will miss the easy hours of play with Desmond while Aurelia napped, and watching him run across the street to help our neighbor with yard work. I know he has been craving a structure that has been increasingly difficult to provide with baby sister in tow. Des is so ready for school, he has shown it with his eagerness to go and his excitement about it when he comes home.


Aurelia and I have 6 hours to ourselves 5 days a week. I keep saying I won't know what to do with myself. I mean it because it will be a lot of free time opened up during her naps, but also because I have so many things I'd like to accomplish I'm not sure where I should start! Most of all I am just excited for some quality one on one time with my girl. The boys however, I will have to be more intentional about quality time with now. We plan to really slow down weekends when October hits. September is full of family birthdays, or what I like to affectionately call #SeptemberBirthdayFrenzy -Between Ben nearly half of the immediate family birthdays fall in September. When you start counting our extended family that number just gets bigger, which makes for quite the busy time! 

The next 6 weeks are also going to be quite full now that both boys are in fall soccer. We have back to back practices twice a week and I don't even know the game schedule yet but there will be 14 games over that time. I was unloading our minivan at our first double practice earlier this week, filling up the wagon with chairs, waterbottles, toys and a picnic dinner while the boys changed into their cleats and I thought to myself...I have reached official soccer mom status. It cracks me up because it's not really my thing, but it's theirs...so it gets to be mine now too. I love watching these kids discover what they like and what they're good at. 

So I bid a fond farewell to the long days and late nights of summer and hello to the bustle of fall!

Summer 2016: Mid-Summer

Two months ago I declared to my husband that I wanted this summer to be as slow and leisurely as possible. He laughed a bit because we were already deep into wedding preparation. It was such a joy and privilege to be part of my sister's big day as she married her high school sweetheart at our good friends' house; but having such a large event behind us definitely felt freeing. It was a bit fleeting though because we just moved on to the next thing and the next thing both mentally and then physically. After Amanda + Kyle got married we started planning for our yearly 4th of July camping trip with my family. We were also mulling over whether or not Malakai's upcoming tonsillectomy was necessary or if we should wait and see (more on that later), and preparing for Malakai's birthday celebrations. Remember the part where I said we were going to have a slow and leisurely summer? Well, that hasn't happened yet and we are more than halfway through! I had the best of intentions but life with littles never seems to slow down. We have made efforts to not overschedule ourselves and despite all the big stuff happening we have had a lot more little moments and relaxing evenings to ourselves than in summers past.

I've written several blog posts over the last couple of months (that I had alluded to in my last post) but none of them are quite done. I keep thinking of photos I need to take (and upload and watermark and position perfectly) to finish off each post and thus they sit unpublished. Again, I had the best of intentions. I do think those posts will be shared some day, but who knows when. It all really depends on what happens next. I'll back track a bit to recap our summer...

Starting with May, even though it's technically spring. I have to say that May is one of THE busiest months we've had over the last couple years. It's so full of end of the year activities at Malakai's Elementary school, at our church for the kids' programs and we started swim lessons at the end of the month. There was Mother's Day, Ben went to a Hillsong concert in Portland with the worship band and a guy's night out with our church life group, Desmond had a gymnastics party, Malakai had a limo ride and choir performance (back to back), a jog-a-thon, a skateworld party and we had 3 kids' birthday parties to attend. Plus the weather here was very warm and dry so we started packing in house projects and I got my garden going. I threw my sister her Bridal shower and then got to planning her bachelorette.

In June we started swim lessons and wrapped up church events with a volunteer BBQ, we went to Kid's Garden Club, I woke up at midnight to get my kids registered for VBS (yes, that's a real thing), took Malakai to the dentist for what we thought was a broken tooth (oh no problem, just part of his jaw bone as his 7 year molars came in...), continued swim lessons twice a week, Malakai went on a very long field trip to Wildlife Safari that Ben was able to attend with him, I threw my sister a Bachelorette party that consisted of laser tag, painting and hot tubbing, We attended more back to back events for graduations, camp opening and Father's day, I took a treat to celebrate Malakai's birthday in his classroom, we gathered together with our huge life group, we had a fairly quiet Father's Day that Ben thoroughly enjoyed, then we went through the whirlwind that was my little sister's beautiful wedding day, Malakai had his first friend sleepover at our house, his pre-op that got us wondering if he still needed surgery, I cut my hair off after having grown it out over the last year for the wedding.

At the beginning of this month we took off camping and we started it with Ben having a day off at home to help prepare and that worked out so nicely that I may insist we do that for every trip we ever go on because preparing on my own is pretty much hectic and no fun, we played at camp and the let the kids get dirty and eat too much junk, we watched fireworks from our culdesac with the neighbors, the next night Malakai had an impromptu first overnight at his friend's house, he also came down with an ear infection so we had to go back to his ENT doctor and ultimately decided to have his surgery, I kept attending a Bible study that had started in February and is wrapping up at the end of the month, Ben and I celebrated 9 years of marriage, we went to a garden party that night which was basically a double date with my parents, the next day I got the stomach flu and the rest of the family went to my nephew's 2nd birthday party, we had birthday party 1 of 2 for Malakai with just his school friends which was the rainiest day in July I can remember, then Desmond and Malakai attended a week of VBS, I prepared our house for Malakai's upcoming surgery and planned out the details of his 2nd party, we celebrated Malakai turning 7, took the boys to their first theater movie (Finding Dory), had 2 doctors appointments, a play date and swim lessons and then Malakai's surgery. The one thing his surgery did for us (besides the health benefits for him of course) was force us to slow down. I have had tunnel vision on my sweet first-born for the past 5 days. All my energy was focused on making sure he was healthy and comfortable, and that brings us to today...whew!

Wow, look how slow our summer has been... 

Summer always goes by entirely too fast. For August we have a camping trip with Ben's family, then Malakai goes to day camp, we go to Portland for a weekend trip and then Ben has a week of vacation where we have ZERO planned and I am convinced it will be the best week of the summer. No house projects, no long drives, nothing. Just being together and laying low. Then just two weeks of summer before my baby turns 2 and my big kids are starting school again. If I'm not careful to intentionally keep slowing down I'll blink and it'll be mid autumn! 

Swim Zip Feature + Review

If you caught the episode of Shark Tank that I mentioned a few months back when I reviewed Freshly Picked, you'll likely remember another company that was featured that night, SwimZip. They make amazing UV protectant swimwear for the whole family and the tops all feature a zipper.

In creator, Betsy Johnson's words-

SwimZip is the UPF 50+ clothing brand people trust to keep themselves and their children sun safe. We feature our signature full zipper down the front of our rash guard shirts- they are so easy to put on and take off! Our swimsuits, swimwear, bathing suits and accessories are made with the best materials to our unmatched standards. SwimZip styles are one-of-a-kind, and we include a number of innovative design features. 

Head over to their about page for more about Betsy and how she started up SwimZip. 

SwimZip's clothing has been featured in a number of places, including the Today show. Everyone has rave reviews and I'm right there with them! Not only are their designs adorable, but the swimwear is functional.

We took his adorable set that SwimZip sent for a test run out in our backyard recently. Malakai is the ULTIMATE test of any type of clothing when it comes to comfort. He is very picky about what he will wear. Normally I can't get him in any shirts with buttons, zippers or collars. I had myself psyched up to talk him into putting on a shirt with a zipper, but he put his SwimZip top on with no hesitations and played without once complaining. I was totally shocked!

Goodness sakes, doesn't he look cute (and way too grown up) in the Surfer Dude set that SwimZip sent over?

{he has been so camera shy lately!}

I've struggled in the past with getting rash guards on my kiddos. My boys have been blessed with rather large noggins, so pulling something tight fitting over their head was always a chore. It's even worse trying to get them off when wet! When Malakai was still a baby we even had to cut the back of one of his swim shirts so we could get his head through! Zippered rash guards are genius! Malakai was able to get the shirt on and off by himself the first try!

This is a 5T set and is generously sized, but fits well. Unless he has a massive growth spurt I could see him wearing this next summer as well. Kai was able to move freely and comfortably even after the suit was wet. It didn't stick to him or become heavy after getting saturated like other suits do.

As I mentioned, after getting thoroughly drenched he was able to get the entire outfit off himself, no trouble. I wish I could say the same for Desmond. He tried to get his top off alone at first (he's in the "I'll do it myself" stage) but he could barely peel it off his belly. Once I got his arms out, we got pretty tuck at the head. It was difficult because of the tight fit, but also because it was sticking to his wet skin. It took us longer to get Desmond's rash guard off than it did for Malakai to get completely undressed and into the tub! I even tried taking photos to document my struggle with Desmond, but it was impossible to do both.

I adore SwimZip for their ease of use and the peace of mind with the UV protection they provide. I also can't get over all the adorable choices they offer. I think the Hang Ten set is perfect for Desmond and I would love to get the Ruffle Me Pretty suit for little sister next summer!

And now for the exciting news that I'm sure some of you are hoping for... Breaking New Ground will be hosting a SwimZip giveaway! Be sure to check back here next week!

Quick + Easy Fruit Cobbler Recipe {using cake mix!}

I'd like to come back from yet another inadvertent blogging hiatus (such is summer-time) with a delicious recipe that you should probably go ahead and plan on making tonight...which is right now. 

There are a few versions of this on the internet, but this one is the easiest in my opinion. It's not SUPER quick in terms of the baking time, but good things come to those who wait. 

My Great-Grandma's blueberry cobbler was always one of my favorites growing up. Buttery + sweet, perfectly delicious. Imagine my surprise when I asked my mom for the recipe a couple years ago and it ended up being this easy...

Ingredients:

• 1 box white cake mix (I'm sure yellow would work just fine as well)
• enough fruit to cover the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan. 
• 1 stick of butter

Seriously, that's it. 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread fruit across bottom of 9x13 pan (this recipe can be halved as well, I use an 8 inch pie pan)

Sprinkle cake mix evenly across the fruit. Slice butter thinly and layer on top of cake mix. Don't stir, just let the layers mix when the butter melts. 

Bake until brown and bubbly. The edges will brown first, but don't take it out until the center is golden brown, even though the edges will darken. For my oven it takes 30-45 minutes. 

I've made this cobbler 4 times this year using blueberries (even straight from the freezer), fresh picked plums, fresh picked peaches and tonight's is a combination of peaches + blueberries. 

{blueberries + peaches}

You MUST eat it hot, topped with vanilla ice cream...unless you're having it for breakfast, then it's perfectly acceptable (and delicious) to eat it cold, straight out of the fridge. I'm all about desserts for breakfast. 

Enjoy!

every July

Every summer July passes us by in a whirlwind of events. I find myself thinking once we get past a certain event, things will calm down...but they never do. This month we went to the coast for Independence Day, celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary, we had a handful of informal get togethers and playdates, Ben was promoted at work and had his 1st vacation in 2 years, Kai turned 4 and we had a party to celebrate, Ben's company celebrated a big anniversary so we've attended several celebratory gatherings (BBQ, formal dinner, baseball game), I chopped my hair shorter than ever, we visited a camp at Triangle Lake and Ben got to wake board after missing out last summer, we took the boys to a "Touch-a-Truck" event, Kai had his 1st dentist appointment, and we attended a rehearsal and wedding for my cousin at which Kai was the ring-bearer.

{last night at my cousin Valeena's sunset wedding}

There hasn't been much space between events to blog about what we've been up to in much detail. I'll do my best to break some of it down and post some pictures. Maybe. But the best place to keep track of our goings-on and see pictures we take is on Instagram. You can find me at ShanLeAnn, Ben at bensonpeculiar, and he also posts Malakai's quotes and things at KaiThoughts.  I rarely use the DSLR anymore, but do want to remedy that if things ever slow down enough. 

So, is it just us or is July crazy busy for the rest of you as well? I suspect it's easy to fill up with events when you're an Oregonian with only 8-12 weeks of relatively dry and warm weather. 

Happy summer, hope you're enjoying it as much as we are!

mystery ailment + a cleaning challenge

I've lost count, but  it's been close to 10 days or so that I've been waking up to terrible cold/allergy symptoms. What's odder still is that each morning is worse than the previous. I've never had an illness where I get progressively worse over such a lengthy period of time. It's miserable. It's also really obnoxious trying to figure out what is wrong with me so I can treat it and move on with life.

First I assumed allergies, all the discomfort was in my sinuses and the Willamette Valley is literally the worst place in the U.S. for seasonal allergies. I've lived here all of my life and didn't begin to suffer from pollen allergies until 5 or so years ago, but even still it was fairly mild. These symptoms are not at all mild. 

A few nights ago I woke with trouble breathing, my throat felt like it was closing up. I woke Ben up and we googled strawberry allergies. I'd been handling and eating fresh strawberries every day since I had gone picking 9 days earlier. I noticed that day I went that my mouth felt tingly after just a couple berries, which was uncomfortable enough to make me stop. I hadn't thought too much about it as I ate strawberries in my smoothies and ice-cream and made strawberry jam and sauce, until I woke up feeling so weird. 

Turns out strawberry allergies (like most food allergies) have a lot of symptoms and "levels" of allergic reaction. Some people get that slight tingly feeling so they limit their consumption but indulge once in a while, others break out in hives, and then there's always the extreme cases where you go into anaphylactic shock. It was hard to determine if I was having a mild reaction from too many berries, if I had developed a worse case of seasonal allergies, or if I was (am) just suffering from the worst cold I've ever experienced in my 30-something years. 

My awesome husband woke up the next day to scrub down the entire kitchen and freeze the remaining fresh strawberries. He's some kind of wonderful, that one. I've avoided strawberries for the last 3 days and haven't really felt any respite. In fact, I've still been waking with additional and/or worsening ailments. 

I'm now suffering from sinus pain/pressure, running and stuffy and dry nose and sinuses, headaches of varying types and severity, swollen glands and tonsils, sneezing, watery/itchy eyes, a sore throat (dry, scratchy, burning, tight) that has been worsening each day over the last 10-ish days, on and off ear pressure/pain, hot flashes, fatigue... and the list goes on.

{smiling through the discomfort b/c my boys were snuggly for 5 seconds}

Now I'm certainly not trying to whine about this, but merely communicate that I'm truly confused by what is wrong with me. In an effort to find some relief I've tried apple cider vinegar, local honey, Claritin, Benadryl (at night), tea, lemon, tons of water, resting, not resting and more. Nothing helps for long, or at all. I'm totally stumped. So I guess I'll just do my best to wait this out. Although if it lasts past 2 weeks I'll be sure to get myself into the Dr. to make sure it's not tonsillitis or anything that I should be taking antibiotics for. However, from what I've heard from friends it could be seasonal allergies and I could suffer this way into July! Say it ain't so!

I have been able to get a little bit done around the house in addition to the normal day to day. I'd been inspired by the Summer Simplify Decluttering Series by Ann Marrie over at White House Black Shutters. I did the first week's list of "what is good and what needs to change" and then took up a little decluttering each day.

On the first day, I started very small and just went through the kid clutter on the fridge...

Then I went after our desk, which is ALWAYS a problem...

I do admit, I still need to go through the "in process" and "to be filed" boxes you can see to the left. Another day's project for sure.

And here's what Ben did with the kitchen, which I affectionately refer to as "the galley"...

{He's a smarty and put away our coffee maker since we only use it for Small Group meetings, which are on summer break. I use a french press for my own morning coffee. }

Our BIGGEST project will be the garage. It's FULL of random projects and our laundry room is also in there. We had a garage sale a month ago and while we immediately go rid of 3/4 of the stuff that was left over, there is still quite a bit to be donated, stored, and otherwise reorganized. Then we also put in a new door from the garage to the garden area and that project isn't quite finished so all the tools and such from that are spread across a ginormous table. It's pretty scary in there and unfortunately I have to go through it to get to the garden, and in the midst of it while doing laundry each day.

Sadly I haven't done anything since Friday because I've been feeling so crumby and we kept pretty busy on Father's Day (I'll share our gifts to Ben a bit later). Tomorrow my mom is having surgery (yes again- nothing to do with her cancer, but please say a prayer if you think of us) so Ben is working from home to allow me to be with my dad during that. I'm hoping to feel better for that of course, and to get on with the decluttering starting Wednesday.

July: "Touch-A-Truck"

Yes, I'm still catching up on July events...this one was on July 11th. We found out the night before at a small group barbecue that there was an event called "Touch-A-Truck"that would be free to the community. Trucks from all over the city are cleaned up and available for kids to sit in, "drive" and touch.  I'd heard of it once before but we missed it so I was excited to round the boys up and go. It was right in time to get Kai about his upcoming construction themed birthday party. Unfortunately it was our first hot summer day and it took place on an asphalt parking lot, it was so uncomfortable and we didn't stay long.

While we were there Malakai saw an ambulance and fire truck, then sat in a tractor...

We tried to get him in the bucket with Des, but he wasn't interested. It's actually a miracle I got a photo of him sitting in the tire with how quickly he hopped out.

Once we showed him a couple big trucks that he could honk the horn on, he got pretty excited. He did great waiting in line despite the heat and was really in awe over being able to get up close to the big rigs.

I think his favorite was the garbage truck, since it's something he sees every day but never gets to interact with. For all you local families, I THINK they do this again in the fall, but I can't be sure. I like to keep up with local events like this through a fun website called Go Mom, Go! 

won't stay fixed...

Our a/c went out in early July and thankfully it was fairly cool so we weren't suffering too badly. Unfortunately it cost us $850 and that was with a generous discount on the service charge, but it was worth it. Then earlier this month it decided to go out again, for a different reason. The people who installed our system 10-15 years ago took a few too many little short cuts with things that didn't matter until now. Another $35 after a very generously discounted service call, plus Ben doing a little bit of work with the repairman on the phone, and we were set once again.

After lunch Malakai grabbed me by the hand to drag me into his playroom. One of my favorite things that he does. On the way over I walked by a vent and the air blowing out was a bit stuffy. I poked my head outside to listen for the pump running, and it wasn't. These were the same indicators that something was wrong the last 2 times. So I called Ben and after a meeting he'll be heading home to see if it's something he can fix.

Meanwhile Kai and I found relief in the kiddie pool out back (more so me than him really) and now we're waiting for daddy to save the day. Sadly for him he has to climb up into the very hot attic to assess the situation. It's highly likely that it's upwards of 120 degrees in there. Pray for him, that he doesn't get too hot or have to be up there long, and that he can figure it out so we don't have to call on our repairman as I'm thinking we've probably run out of favors.

Stay cool + happy weekend,

photo friday: summer is upon us.

If you live in the Pacific Northwest you know that this summer has been even more mild than usual. While other parts of the country were experiencing epic heat waves, we were sitting under grey skies that would occasionally burst forth with rain. We'd get a glimmer of summer weather for a day or two and then the clouds would roll back in for the rest of the week. It was kind of strange. I liked the break at first. It was a nice excuse to be inside get things done in the house, but then it got old.

The past week the weather is finally starting to look like our typical hot July/August weather. We really only get about 6 weeks of "hot" weather so we've really been looking forward to being able to swim in the afternoon and be out back late into the evening.

My only complaint, and it's the same every year, spider-town. That's what I call our yards when those little brown spiders set up camp everywhere and there are dozens more every single day. They also get huge insanely fast. It's gross. We've only had one week of sunshine and I'm already tired of knocking down webs and squashing creepies. It's especially bad when Kai runs into them face first, which happens at least once a day. We tried a mixture of vinegar + coconut oil that I read is supposed to keep them away, but it hasn't done a thing. We'll be purchasing citronella next this weekend. If you have any tips on natural spider repellents to keep our patio and Kai's outside toys clear, I'm all ears!

Anyway, here are some photos of our week of sun, hopefully it lasts at least a few more weeks.

Last week Malakai was fighting nap. I went in to check on him after a fit...he had fallen asleep like this.

 

Last night a friend of ours from church dropped off a new-to-us toy. I love second hand stuff and generous friends.

{Thanks Miner Family!}

It was such a warm evening we sat out until 7:30 while Kai explored the stairs, slide, swing, and "car" (the part with the steering wheel) of his new play structure.

Afterwards he had a much needed bath to rinse off the layers of sunscreen + dirt. Ben routinely does bathtime but I sat in with him for a bit to snap some pictures of the fun he was having...he just looks so cute in the tub.

Today we didn't get outside until 11am and it was already close to 80 degrees. After playing in the sun for a few short minutes all Kai wanted to do was sit in the shade on the deck and mess with the dirt and spiders. Then he actually asked to come inside.

{nevermind the can of air on the table...I was fighting off spiders}

So I grabbed a new toy from his birthday stash (we bring things out one at a time). This is the Melissa + Doug stacking train, one of his gifts from us. He enjoyed taking it apart and putting it back together and saying "choooo" while I watched for a bit and then got to making lunch.

I'm ready to break out the kiddie pool and wade with my toddler, have more friends over for backyard BBQ's, sit out on the swing later than usual, take walks as a family at dusk, and just enjoy the outdoors before we get shut in by the cold weather and the responsibilities of a newborn babe (don't get me wrong, I'm so looking forward to meeting little brother).

Tonight Ben + I are headed out for our 2nd date in less than a month...it's like a miracle or something! It will also be the first time we've gone to a movie together on opening night. We are moving on up in the world! If you think of us tonight, pray Malakai will go to bed for Grandma + Grandpa at a decent hour, as he's been zero to...I've lost count. Basically, he doesn't do it...ever.

Happy Weekend!

wedding weekend

This adorable couple is now enjoying wedded bliss as of their lovely wedding on Saturday.

{Megan + Michael 7.23.11}

Ben + I were blessed to be a part of their ceremony and can't wait to see the rest of the photos. Unfortunately I didn't get a single photo of Ben, myself, or Malakai from the day with my own camera so we'll all have to wait for the professional pictures to come through.

On Friday night we headed to the Oregon coast  for the rehearsal with my mom + sister along for the ride to help us with Malakai. We checked into our hotel and were off to the dinner and to practice for the big day while Kai got incredibly sandy and refused to eat Taco Bell (that's my boy!).

That night sleep eluded us all in our shared double-queen hotel room. Malakai was not a fan of sleeping in a strange place. It took me by surprise after how well he had done camping just weeks before, but many factors played into the different outcome. He wasn't as dead tired as he was while camping from running around all day long, and he didn't have an enclosed sleeping space, free of distractions. He kept trying to climb out of the bed and over to my Mima + Aunt Nans. Then he insisted on sleeping on top of me, or he'd scream at the top of his lungs. So for as long as I could endure, I lay on my back, 6 months pregnant with a 30lb toddler on my stomach. I thought if I could lay there long enough to let him fall into a deep enough sleep I could roll him over. Despite his snoring, he still screamed when I tried to move him! It was a rough night...

The next day we got ready, packed up, and were dropped off at the church once again by my mom + sister. They headed to lunch and for more sandy fun at the beach. We figured if the came to the wedding ceremony Malakai would just call for me when he saw us walk down the isle, so they waited til the reception.

I came with my makeup ready, got my hair done by one of Megan's talented friends, and wrapped myself up into my bridesmaid dress with the help of my fellow bridesmaid Angie. The ceremony was beautiful and the reception was the shortest I'd ever been to. After barely any sleep, I was thankful for the brevity.

{I did get a photo of their fabulous cake!}

We ate cake, mingled as much as we could, took a few more photos with the couple and then sent them off in a rush of blue + purple balloons before packing ourselves up and heading back to the valley.

Kai was overtired from not napping. He spaced out for most of the ride, it took him 45 minutes before he passed out. We came home and all napped for an hour even though it was 5pm- we needed it! The rest of the weekend we spent some time recuperating and visiting with family a bit.

We survived our busy July...a quick recap:
Camping
Our 4th wedding Anniversary
having a garage sale
Malakai's 2nd birthday
Bridesmaid + Groomsman

Whew! August, here we come. Here's hoping for warmer weather and a few lazy afternoons by the pool.

Mima

Somehow I missed posting about our last "swim" of the summer on Mima's birthday {my mom}, which was September 25th. The weather was beautiful, just a week after our rainy lake weekend. It got up to 80 degrees, but unfortunately the cold weather prior to that day made the inground pool a little dirty. So we broke out the kiddie pool... for Mima to cool off in the sun.

Then Malakai joined her. And G'Pa came out to play too.

Later we showered my mom with her birthday gifts.

Then we ate dinner. And someone was VERY tired. He spaced out like this, even while the family was having a very loud conversation in the kitchen a few feet away. 

It was a fun day of celebrating my mom + enjoying the last day out by the pool.