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Summertime is busy, busy, busy. Blogging has not been my top priority the past few months and I'm okay with that. Here are some pictures from the past few weeks. I think I am finally (maybe) caught up. Have a blessed rest of the weekend!
We were lucky enough to win a silent auction prize that rewarded us with four hours of labor from the Treynor wrestling team. Kevin used their help to put up the swing set.
Between the field corn and sweet corn. Luke is such a farm kid.
Claire and Luke on the train at the zoo. Luke loves trains, but the one at the zoo is a bit loud....and he will tell you about it.
This girl is on the move!
Why can't a trip to Home Depot be fun? Luke wanted to talk to Papa Gary and Daddy about a new mower after we left.
Chocolate muffins and car watching at Hy-Vee.
Luke isn't too sure about Lily sharing the car with him.
The swing set is up...Luke and Lily have a pretty amazing Daddy. It took around eight hours to put this puppy together.
Luke's first playdate on the swing set with Amelia.
Typical.
I was lucky enough to see this guy at his lemonade stand in Ottumwa.
Luke was chugging the lemonade (it was like over 100 degrees).
These three
Meet Baby Larry for the first time...such a sweetie!
Again...on the move.
Lily had a mini playdate with Tessa. Aren't they the cutest in their headbands and smiles?
This is the ONLY picture I captured on my phone from the trip to Cedar Rapids to meet Baby David. NOT OKAY!!
Surprise baby Shower for Miss Betsy and her sweet baby girl due to arrive in November. (Basically a mini M-side basketball reunion.)
Kevin's cousin, Phillip, was here from Germany and Lily just loved hanging with him.
A zoo day with Daddy and Momma's friends.
Kevin took some time off work, so we enjoyed a few hours ALONE at the Quarry. We are so lucky to have Diane right up the hill ready and willing to watch our kiddos!
How did she get this big?
Mommy and Luke had a mini date to the library and for some reason they were serving ice cream sundaes at 9:00 in the morning...awesome!
Slow down time...
Hi all! It's been awhile since I have put up some randoms, so here they are...picture overload. These are a few months old. I am hoping to get some more uploaded from my phone soon. Enjoy!
Our 8th wedding anniversary at V. Mertz
A fun morning at KANEKO
Luke loves the Old Market slides.
The cutest cousins
A close up of Lily's hair
He doesn't look happy, but he really did love this.
Father's Day
A special dinner with Grandma's china
A fun quarry day
Our sweet thing is 8 months old today. She is proving to have quite the bubbling personality, differing from Luke's laid back attitude. Here is what Lily has been up to this past month...
- Lily is finally eating real food...out of a pouch. She will gobble down anything out of a pouch, except for sweet potato garbanzo barley, but who wants to eat that? All the homemade baby food will have to wait, as she prefers sucking her food from a store bought pouch.
- Lily is still nursing five times a day and takes one bottle before bedtime.
- Lily is mostly sleeping through the night. She had a summer cold a few weeks back and woke up in the middle of the night for awhile. We are hoping she is back to her all night sleeps.
- Excitement spreads across her face when Lily sees Luke. She loves her big brother and enjoys watching all that he is up to.
- Lily can sit up on her own and has started to scoot around. Just yesterday she started 'crawling' a little backwards. This girl is going to be on the move before we know it.
- Bouncing is one of Lily's favorite things to do. She doesn't like sitting, but loves to be in your arms bouncing.
- Lily has started playing with toys in the bathtub and this is still one of her favorite times with Daddy.
- We started giving Lily puffs after she eats and she is a fan. Last weekend she even got one in her mouth on her own. Now, she thinks she is a pro.
She was definitely eating dirt here.
And she was excited about it.
I am a pretty 'Plain Jane' when it comes to decorating. My 'go to' colors are brown, beige, tan, and mocha. I play it safe and, therefore, my home is pretty boring. Don't get me wrong, I like color, I just have no idea how to use it, so I stay in the safe zone of the different shades of dirt.
Lucky for me, my sweet friends recommended The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith. It's one of those books you don't want to end. It's witty and inspiring and practical and real. It gives 'Plain Janes' like me a glimmer of hope.
Myquillyn talks about how a beautiful home does not have to be perfect. Really? Wow, whoa, s-l-o-w down. Did you write this book for me? Sometimes (okay a lot of the time) I get caught up in having everything put away: dishes done, counters wiped, toys picked up, that I forget that this house is for living. My home should be a safe place for me and my family to rest and make memories (and messes) and being perfect shouldn't be on the criteria list.
I needed this book... I needed it like I need an iced coffee in the morning, like I need snuggles from my two littles, like I need a kiss from Kevin after a long day. I needed to hear that my home is more than everything picked up in it's place. I also needed to hear that I can take on a DIY project and it doesn't have to be absolutely perfect. There can be a dozen nail holes in the wall behind the pictures hung on the wall and it doesn't matter. No one sees it. I can paint a piece of furniture without (don't read this, Mom) sanding it and it will be okay. I can shop from my own house and move items around from room to room. I can live without the things I don't love...I don't have to keep them on the shelf. These were 'aha' moments for me from this book.
I want my house to be a cozy, safe home for my family. I want it to be a place where we can make messes together. I want it to be a place where our friends and family feel comfortable and welcome.
I normally don't write about anything but kid stuff (with a few recipes here and there), but I am going to try and share some of my adventures in making our house feel more cozy and welcoming as well as adding some color here and there.
I hope you pick up this book. It is so enjoyable and the pictures are priceless. Oh, Myquillyn also has an incredible blog...http://www.thenester.com. Check her out!
