Sun & Fun

We had a perfect 4th weekend

The weather was beautiful all 3 days

and we played in the sun and water ALL day

everyday

We had no set in stone plans

and played the whole weekend by ear

what a nice change!

It started Friday after work

with an impromptu trip to Meijer

for something for the back deck

Even Scott can lay down in it

and was a great deal at $20!

Wish they were this nice to each other all the time :).

There was even some skinny dipping that appeared

later in the afternoon

Then Saturday it was off to the Lake

to visit friends and enjoy more sun & sand

And then we all cuddled up for movie night

Tangled - so very cute!



A New Family Member

Well it's official

we have a new family member!

My brother's wedding was this past weekend

and it was amazing

It was a beautiful day

and the reception was held on the family farm

It was an amazing wedding

and so much fun

and we are all so happy that we can

officially call her "Aunt Brit" :).

Of course I have no pictures of the reception

I am so horrible at taking pictures

at occasions like that!

This little lady was up the next day at 6:30

And thankfully Lilly slept in until 7:30

Then it was time for clean up

I was so proud of my girls - they were great little helpers!

Lilly is pouring water out of the wine bottle "vases"...not actual wine

Then we all did this



Another Sun Filled Weekend

Happy Tuesday!

We are loving that summer is finally here!



Nolee 18 months 2 weeks and 5 days

My how you are growing so quickly these days

You are in 2T clothing and some 3T as well

You RUN everywhere

and you have one of the cutest litle runs I've ever seen

you look like a mini little speed walker

You are funny

hiliarious actually

you can mimick most any facial expression

and do so often to get us to laugh

You loved to be tickled

and repeatedly ask us to do it again ("gain")

You love to give kisses

any type of kisses

big smooches

slobbery kisses

blowing kisses

 and just making kissey sounds

Your hair is finally long enough to put

it up in a partial ponytail

which is nice because you still won't keep barretts in

for more than 10 minutes top

Your favorite word is NO

and "uh" means yes (even though you can say "yes")

You love playing with your babies

and your sister

You guys make believe for hours

and get along most of the time

You sleep in a big girl bed

and can now climb out of your big girl bed

and do so every morning at 4:45

with a very proud big girl smile

and come in and wake us up

so you can climb into our bed

You can swing in the big girl swing

and will repeatedly request a "poosh"

and scare the crap out of me

when you lean back

and giggle

You run to me when I pick you up daycare

shouting "Mommy!"

which is the best part of everyday

then you run away when I tell you it's time to go home

You have two of the cutest dimples I've ever seen

and can con pretty much anything out of anyone

when you flash those

You like being able to do everything Lilly does

You are part monkey and climb on everything

You are getting into books more and more each day

and have even taken to "reading" them to us

You love being outside

and like swimming in Nana's pool

You have some of the best dance moves

and some amazing hip action

I can't wait to see you in action at Grant's wedding

I'm so sad that you are no longer a "baby"

but I'm so happy and excited to see you grow and learn

every day

I love seeing your face light up when you conquer something new

or your sleepy face when you first wake up

We are so blessed to have you!



What do you want to be when you grow up?

So Lilly is like every other 3 year old

and "Why" is a very popular question in our household

especially when I'm telling her she has to do something

Most of the time I do try to explain

why I'm asking her to set the table

or pick up her room

or not pick on her sister

but there are times when I'm at the end of my rope

and I fall back on the tried and true response of

"because I'm your mommy and I make the rules"

which is only mildly better than "because I said so"

Anywho Lilly and I were having a conversation the other day

and we came upon the subject of what she wants to be

when she grows up.

Mommy:  "Lilly what do you want to be when you grow up?"

Lilly:  (typical answer) "I don't know"

Mommy:  "Do you want to be a farmer like Papa?"

Lilly:  "No."

Mommy:  "Do you want to be a teacher like Daddy?"

Lilly:  "No"

Mommy:  "Well then, what do you want to be?"

Lilly:  tilts her head and thinks for a second

"I want to be a mommy so I can make ALL  the rules

like you do"

Well I guess I asked :).

Dressing tips from an almost 4 year old

So this Sunday we were all over at my mom's

enjoying the nice weather

and getting ready to hop in the pool

Nolee, Lilly and I were in the guest bedroom

getting our swim wear on

when the following conversation took place

as I was getting my suit on

Lilly:  "Mommy you better put your top on

and cover up your muscles"

*as a side note - when I was breastfeeding Nolee

we decided to tell Lilly that I was feeding

Nolee from my "muscles" in order to hopefully

avoid very embarrassing public conversations*

Me:  "And why is that?"

already smiling in anticipation of what the answer

could possibly be to this

Lilly:  as she leans in and tells me in a hushed voice

"Because nobody wants to see you like that!"

I love that she gives me some of the best
belly laughs I have ever had in my life!

DIY Free Bedroom Decorations

Free decoration #1

We are still putting some finishing touches

on our bedroom renovation

and of course we are trying to do them

on a tight if not non-existent budget

So while browsing the web for inspiration

I found this

Via Craftberry Bush

and thought Perfect!

I want a coastal/beachy feel to the room

and I just fell in love with this

I love the color and the way the

sayings make me feel

So I went out to the garage and rummaged

through some leftover door casing

from our dining/reading room

board and batten project

and I had just enough

Next I printed off my words

and grabbed my supply of craft paints

After painting my boards a mixture of colors

I white washed the dark ones

and glazed the lighter ones

then lightly distressed them all

to give them that old worn look

(instead of the I bought them at HD 2 months ago look)

I played with the different pieces

to come up with a grouping that I liked

Then I painted on my words

hot glued the boards together

and added some twine to hang it with

and ended up with this

I love that it looks old

and that it adds just a few more pops of color

to the room

Free Decoration #2

While in the garage I also spied
and old oar that my husband has had forever
It was broke in two
so I glued it back together
slapped on some paint
and hung it on our plank wall
with some hooks

Free Decoration #3

Next I found some tongue & groove

boards that were leftover from a previous project

I glued the two pieces together

with liquid nails

Added some paint

I mixed two blues I had together to obtain

the beachy blue that was in my head

then I white washed it

and painted on my letters

And now it hangs above the oar

Total cost for these 3 mini projects - nada :).