Joyful!

Everyone likes to feel needed. Right? Well, you know how you always find yourself saying "If there's anything I can do to help let me know." or is that just a Midwest thing? But no one ever asks for help?

Well, yesterday I got to help my college roommate and I am really giddy over it, to be honest. My friend was in labor and her daughter came to my house. Now she and M are within months of each other so they play together so well, so it was basically just hosting an extended playdate but still.

It was such an honor to know my friend was in labor before most of the people in her life. And I have spidy-sense I guess because I sent a "your oldest is doing great--do not worry" text to my friend's husband. (Because you know, labor is stressful and while I wouldn't want to bother her phone with a text, if worry over how her daughter was doing was a part of that stress, an update may have been nice.) And I heard back right away that the baby had just been born! So exciting!!

And while it may be silly to be so excited about helping, it's nice to be needed and helpful. So there's that. :)

Whirlwind

Hello everyone and happy August! I can't believe it's Monday and I also am shocked that it's August 6 already!!

Let's do a quick recap of life here yes?

Swimming lessons are over. They were fun, but I am kind of glad we have nowhere to be today!

After swimming lessons were over, we dried off and changed the kids and got in the car and drove to Minnesota. 

My brother was in town from Washington D.C. so we went to see my family. While in Minnesota we did a lot of fun things. Like M went with me and my mom for her first real pedicure! 

She sat with me and loved every second of it. We let her pick our color so all of us girls have matching toesies. This is a terrible picture but it's still proof we all match. M got sparkles and flowers too because she's three. :) 

We played games and flew the drone. 

We even got to go have lunch at Chick-Fil-A! But it was a super fast trip because I had a show to review on Saturday night so we spent Saturday driving home. 

And I saw a show. It was good. 

Then yesterday we went to church. And then to lunch. (At Hardee's. It was very fancy.) 

And then we took the kids to see another show! Shrek the Musical. It was just okay. But Husband and I saw it on Broadway so... I didn't realize my favorite part was cut from the show that you can buy the rights to. Whomp whomp. 

It was M's first attempt at a full-length show and it did not go spectacularly. But it was a beyond sold out (they added chairs) performance so it started late, and then the intermission was extra-long. And she's watched the Netflix version of the Broadway show many times so once her favorite part was over, she was done. 

And today is Monday again. We already covered that. We are taking it easy after a whirlwind of adventure the last few days. 

Summer Goodness

Here are a few pictures that perfectly illustrate our life yesterday, and our summer in general. 

This piece of cantaloupe. M really wanted to help make dinner so she put herself in charge of cutting the cantaloupe. She did a pretty darn good job for a girl with a butter knife. Even if some of her pieces weren't even or cut all the way through. 

Our Honey Bunny is the sweetest. He knows that we are not scary and will sit and eat grass in the yard while we play outside as long as we aren't too loud and give him plenty of space. It's practically like having a pet since the kids put carrots and lettuce out for him. The kids say "hi Honey Bunny" when we see him and talk to him in soft, gentle voices. 

Ignoring the moppy hair that needs to be cut, this kid found this stick yesterday and said, "A pigeon flew by and left his foot!" (It looks like the feet Mo Willems draws for Pigeon.) 

Life is stereotypically summery here. Fruit, Nature. Swimming. And that's good. I'm not quite ready to give up the sweetness of summer just yet. 

Friday Wrap Up!

Hello! I know you are all totally sick of my awful swimming lessons pictures. (I am too if we are being honest, but these are as good as I can get and I am going to talk about swimming with or without a bad picture so...) Anyway. M can swim! I've been spending most of the lesson times watching C because it's a new level for me to observe. He's doing well. 

But I bopped back over to the little pool and I couldn't find M. Because she was underwater swimming.

I am so proud and she is hecka cute doing it! Yay little girl!

Last night I hosted book club. We read Flying At Night by Rebecca Brown. I have written about it before. But it's a beautifully written book that really looks at the power of change and forgiveness. It's fiction. Rated R for language. It spoke to me though and I enjoyed it.

In it, the character Fred turns 10 and they have a birthday party for him. So that's what I did for book club.

A bakery cake. (Because I love bakery cake the best and that's what they did in the book.) Some chips, salsa, fiesta dip, guacamole, grapes and water. Simple. Some random dinosaur toys, books and a little bit of fun with my diffuser and a banner really drove the point home.

I don't know if you can tell but the diffuser was on so it was "smoking" a bit making the "volcano" especially fun. It was an inspired moment to be sure.

 This morning we went to the library. The great stressor of my life. My kids love books and read a ton so don't think I am denying them literature. But the whole keeping track of a lot of books, keeping them well taken care of and bringing them back just raises my anxiety levels to a 10. Plus staying quiet and not running around when you're there? But we had to get our summer reading packets turned in for the prizes and the credit for the school.

It's always fun to get new books you can keep! (Plus kazoos and sunglasses!) We borrowed Lady and the Tramp from the library for family movie night. Which is a movie we have been meaning to try anyway and I am loving the free of it!

The weather here is AMAZING. With lows in the upper 50s and highs in the 70s it 100% does not matter that our air conditioner is acting up! (Whomp whomp. And heading into August, it just isn't going to happen.) But I am happy to enjoy this glorious weather while it's here! It's so nice to kick the kids to the yard when it's not super hot and you have to make sure they take water breaks and stay cool enough and all that.

I am wishing you a wonderful last weekend of July friends!

Sun and Sand

Well, here we are. It's Thursday.

Swim lessons are going strong. C is loving level 2. It's really hard to watch him, it's the level with the least direct viewing spot. He is in water that's up to his shoulders so that part is fun! He's definitely working hard. I know for a fact he will not pass the level but he really is learning, getting stronger and doing well so I am very proud.

Yesterday, I pulled out the kinetic sand to try something for book club. (Which is tonight.) I had no idea it was going to be the hit it was, but M sat in her chair and played for one and a half hours. I am sure it will never get that playtime traction again, but it was amazing to watch her play and enjoy for that long.

C played with us for a while at the beginning and then again at the end. Kinetic sand is so much fun! If you don't have any, get yourself some. It's fun for all ages (past the eating it stage anyway) and it's so relaxing! Seriously. 

Have a wonderful Thursday!

In My Own Little Corner...

You. Guys.

Look!

I am ridiculously giddy over THAT wall because it is the first time in YEARS I've seen it. I wish I was kidding. I wish that it didn't make us seem so unmotivated. So let's not focus on that and just recognize that out of sight is out of mind, and if your toddler, (C. It was C!) somehow makes a hole in your plaster wall, hiding it behind a bookshelf is not the way to go.

Years. Years. Then we got the bookshelves at Ikea on Black Friday. And so the hole has been hiding behind the Lego bin. And it was always something on the honey-do list that just never seemed as important. Because out of sight, out of mind.

But like two weeks ago Husband plastered over it. This week I moved the Lego to the basement just so we would have to see the plaster spot. And yesterday we finally got the matching paint and painted over the repairs and it just looks like a wall!! A bumpy 98-year-old wall true, but where the hole was is smooth as butter.

If you take a passing glance at the wall... you would never know. We have our Invest in Marriage group coming over this week, and book club too so I am super excited to debut our wall. Which will almost certainly go unnoticed and that is okay. Because I know! And I am going to be happy about it enough for everyone!

Looking Forward to the Weekend

Hello! It's Friday which is awesome.

I am seriously trying not to wig out about how fast this summer is going. Because we are only 33 days away from the first day of school!! Yikes!

Luckily there isn't too much to do beforehand. Our school partners with 1st Day School Supplies (not an ad) and so my kid's school supplies were bought and paid for in May. I know that August is one of our tightest months financially and I thought that not having school supplies to worry about would help us out. That was excellent foresight! Between car registrations, AAA, school fees and then just normal stuff, August will remain a lean month.

During the 4th of July Old Navy had uniform polos for $6 so I bought 6 and figure that's perfect. Then not two weeks later they had them on sale for $3 so... whomp whomp. But it was still a sale so that's good. Uniform pants and shorts have also been purchased so other than a pair of new shoes we are set. And I'm not a fool, I am waiting until right before school starts to commit to a shoe size!!

I've also got my eyes set on school starting because that weekend is the first free weekend I've had since the first weekend of May. (Not complaining because, for the most part, I am really enjoying this gig!) I have two shows to see this weekend, one to review and one just for fun. And guess what? Husband is going with me to BOTH! So far, we are 1/13 of the shows I've seen this summer, and it was when we saw Knuffle Bunny. So he just met us for an early lunch since it was during the day and not far from his work!

But tonight! We are going out! We are seeing Mama Mia. (The stage musical not the new movie though I wouldn't be opposed to that either.) It's at our local dinner theater and so we get dinner included. Which is cheap-y buffet food but whatever. It's FREE! (Because I am reviewing.) Plus it is big spender night at the theater, a special performance reserved for their subscription patrons and we will get a glass of champagne with dinner too. Snazzy!

And tomorrow we are going to see The Glass Menagerie. This one is the "fun" show. We have lots of friends who've worked on it and we are excited to see it.

Two dates in one weekend?! Who do we think we are? Don't worry, we will promptly go right back to not having dates or paying for babysitters real quick.

Next week swim lessons start back up again so that's fun. So there's what's up with us! I hope you've also got a good weekend ahead!