instafriday.

happy friday, friends.

we have had a wonderful, sunshiney, summer week. 

have you joined instagram yet?
it's such a nice little community. i like it.
it's quieter than facebook and twitter.
unless you accidentally click on the popular page.
don't do that. it gets weird.

this week has been pretty low-key.

sooooo nice.

i need weeks like these.

i crave these relaxed summer days.

it's good for my soul. :)

little sister is 10 months old.
hopefully i'll get her 10 month pics done this weekend.
she's ever so slightly starting to accept solid {not pureed} foods.
she had her first blackberries this week.
she mostly just played with it, but i'm pretty sure that some of it got down the hatch. :)

we have a garden!
we don't really know what we're doing but we're trying.
it is so fun to see our seeds become real plants.
i lovelovelove tooling around in our garden.
finley loves it too and gets just as excited about every little bit of growth.

there is a moment every afternoon when i get the little ones down and the big ones situated for quiet time and i take a deep breath and a sigh of relief.
like . . . i made it to nap time.
it usually feels like a marathon up to that point.
always a fun moment.
the boys have been doing alone time every afternoon for an hour right when the littles go to bed.
mama needs alone time too.
and bonus, we're knocking out the summer reading list!

i just love these sweet girls.

we all love the water.

ruby is a splashing fool.

meliyah is going to be a fish by the end of the summer.

she is coming along so well with getting comfortable in the water.

happiness.
new flavor of la croix.
taco salad.
valentina.
yummmmm.

j.o.y.
those cheeks.
i die.
ruby has been such a trooper hanging out in the 105 degree heat during the boys' swim lessons.

he's growing up.
my first born has seemed so mature this week.
nine and a half. craziness.
i'm crazy about him.

what are you up to this week? 

any big plans for the weekend?

i'm planning to get $1 flip flops from old navy. exciiiiiiiiiting. 

join the instafriday partay over at jeannett's! 

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shaving cream: fun for all ages.

do you do this with your kids?

this is one of our favorite, go-to activities.

it's not rocket science.

it's shaving cream.

my kids love it.

i gave them each a can in their easter baskets this year.

i always buy the cheapest can i can find.

that's a 97 cent can o' fun right there.

we've been doing this forever.

i first learned about the joy that is shaving cream when i was in the second grade.

we each got a squirt on our desks to write our spelling words in. 

before i had my own kiddos, i was a kindergarten teacher.

you better believe we did the shaving cream.

clean the desks and the finger nails at the same time.

plus if you use the menthol flavor,  you can mask the smell of little-boy-after-recess-stink.

in the winter we do it inside on our table.

it's even more fun outside. 

i set a few ground rules {i.e. no shaving cream in the eyes} and then let them go to town.

and the best part?

it cleans up with water. 

awesome.

water always doubles the fun.

shaving cream is really nice when you have kids of different ages. 

usually everyone is a fan.

unless your kids don't like a mess.

i can't help you there.

my boys specialize in mess.

this week was the perfect week to do it. {it's hot up in here}.

simple fun for a summer day.

time to buy more shaving cream. 

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today

this week we are spending in.the.water.

the big boys have swim lesson every afternoon this week, plus practice swims on 3 nights this week, plus it is 108 degrees.
truly.
that pool water feels RE-freshing right now.

i bought this snow sled for like a dollar at the thrift store a few months ago.
it did not snow one time this winter.
fine by us.
it makes a perfect water float/board/boat/pirateship/liferaft/pool toy.

she does not get to actually eat the icy pops.
she does like to play with them because they're cold and not a toy.
because what baby wants to play with baby toys?
not mine.

sawyer's bestie, simeon came over to play today.
friends make summer days fun.

sigh.
i want summer to last forever.
it is the best.

so i have a million projects i want to get done this summer.
okay ten.
but really, any ideas on how i am going to do that?
it's almost july.
how do you get big projects done?
i still have my winter clothes hanging in my closet and in my drawers.
my summer clothes are half hung up and half pouring out of a tub on my closet floor.
pitiful.

also, i need to deal with the eleventy billion papers that have piled up from mail/school/blahblahblah.

the problem is....when i have some free time...i either need to be doing basic household chores or i want to do something fun like spray paint something or craft something.
hence, the clothes situation.
any tips?
or just let it go and try again next year? :)

hope you're having a lovely summer day......




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Beautiful Favorites . . .

Summer is Beautiful.

Have i said that I love summer?

a time or two?

Same song, second verse.

I lovey love love it.

Its my favorite time of year.

I love every single thing about it.

It’s all I can do to not pine for summer all year long.

And the hotter the better I  say.

Bring. It . on.

Every season has beauty in it.

However, summer is particularly vibrant with color.

I love a fresh bouquet of summer flowers.

They are God’s artistry at work.

Brilliant.

I can't help but smile with a cheery bouquet of flowers in the room.
I love to pick up some from the farmer's market or even the grocery store.
Or when I'm low on cash, I hunt around the yard for some flowers/weeds/branches to do the trick.
I have been known to drive around with my kitchen shears in my purse in case i see some random pretty weeds by the side of the road.
I will put almost anything in a vase. :)

Speaking of beautiful things, do you love this vase?

It’s from dayspring’s redeemed line, which you know, I love.

Like triple love.

That’s my story and I’m stickin' to it.

I love the vase because it looks vintage, it’s a substantial size and it has really thick glass. 

And it’s just pretty.

Another favorite from the redeemed line is this pillow.

Hello gorgeous.

I have always loved French ticking so this pillow immediately caught my eye.

Love the verse.

I feel a sigh of relief when I read that verse.  ;)

I am crazy about the reverse side of the pillow.

Like Grandpa's shirt, right?
Favorite.

Okay, one more favorite.

I never met a chalkboard I didn't love.
This one is small and sweet and comes with a metal chalk holder.
"In Your presence is fullness of Joy."
perfect.

and oh happy day, Dayspring wants to share the love.

Would you like one of these items for FREE?
Sure you would. :)
This post will have three winners {one for the pillow, one for the vase & one for the chalkboard}!
Wooty hoo.

enter via the awesome rafflecopter below.... {don't be scared, the rafflecopter is simple & easy!}

a Rafflecopter giveaway

p.s. winner must reside in the u.s.
p.s.s. contest will run through the end of the week.

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instafriday

wow. it's friday already.
i never say that.
this has been a weird week.
to say the least.

aj spent almost our entire time in kansas in the hospital.
he was there saturday morning until wednesday afternoon.
the whole thing was really surreal.
but we felt God's loving care for us the entire time.
we are so thankful for AJ's family who were so flexible and helped us with the kids and let me drive their car back and forth to the hospital all week.

while we were apart, i texted him lots of pictures of the kids.
like this sweetie of our ruby girl eating her breakfast.

oh sigh. her smile melts me.

lots of crafting happens at grandma's.

she is so good at finding fun craft projects for the boys to do.

they love it.

one morning i took the kids to the little park near AJ's parent's.

it was so quiet and peaceful. 

the boys love running up and sliding down the skateboard ramp.

avery would reach down and pull sawyer up to the top so he could slide down.
sweet brothers.

ruby really got going with crawling this week.
it's always amazing to see your baby crawl after months of them laying and sitting around.
it's exciting and not exciting at the same time. ;)

i love this picture.
it's real life and i am so happy to be the mama of these four.
just the way they are. 
i like them.

then this happened . . .

finley and sawyer petted and petted this sad little birdie.
it never opened it's eyes.
it looked like it was on the brink.
they really wanted to take it home.
sorry, boys.
then finley decided that ruby needed to see the bird and he pulled her over to it.
and ohmygosh she grabbed that thing up and had a death grip on it!
i was screaming hysterically because i do not handle emergency situations well. at. all.
finally it flapped it's wings enough that she let go.
praise be to Jesus that she did not stuff it in her mouth as she does everything else.
whew.
that was stressful.  ;)

we were all so, so ready for AJ to be home.
we got the word on wednesday afternoon that he could leave and it was all we could do to wait on the paper work to get finished so we could blow that popsicle stand.

yes, he grew quite the scruff being holed up in the hospital for five days.
pretty cute, i say. :)

the boys were so happy to have him back.
they didn't leave his side when he got home.

aj is doing so great and recovering really well.
we headed home yesterday with me driving the whole way.
and now i realize how spoiled i am.
since we've had kids, aj has driven the entirety of most road trips.
i've been spoiled by sitting there reading, playing with my phone & snoozing.
although the passenger does get the added bonus of having to deal with the kids.
so, pretty much either way you're exhausted by the end of a trip.

the highlight of this trip, besides getting to have all six of us together again, was my newfound discovery of dr. pepper slushies.
oh my word, where have they been all my life?
a little touch of Heaven in a cup, i do believe.

anyhow, we are all safe and sound back at home and looking forward to having a few days all together as a family.

i am so proud of my rock star husband who is such a trooper through all of this.

i am also so thankful that God held us in His hand this week, as He always does.

we have been reminded of how quickly things can change in your life.

we are so thankful for our loving Father who is constant and who is for us.

thankful.

happy friday, sweet friends!

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