Partay!

I've recently helped host several fun parties. I love to put special touches on fun events! So here's a look back at the events over the past 6 months.

Triple baby shower at church: this shower had a modern black and white vibe with gold, green and pink accents.

the feature wall

For dessert we did a pudding bar…one of the honored guests and several of the attendees are gluten free so this was a fun solution

Tables featuring black and white runners, gold dots, floral napkins and natural wood block centerpieces

Baby boy book shower at church:

feature wall using book pages and shabby chic garland

The table centerpieces featured burlap runners, mason jars with babies breath, books wrapped in kraft paper and a tray of cupcakes

vintage book garland

Hot chocolate bar

Friends 40th birthday

Table centerpiece

Little Man baby shower at church with a navy and green color scheme and a few bow ties thrown in

For dessert we had an ice cream bar

Table centerpieces

I also created these bow tie napkins for each table setting. It was a simple way to add some oomph to the decor, but they were also practical too

This was Nora's 1st baby shower and I think you can tell she enjoyed it ;)

Summer Swing

We are in the swing of summer...

School's out and we've been staying busy enjoying the warm weather and more family time

Family bike rides: We've been going on lots of family bike rides. I love that we've reached a season where we can all ride!

This was our 1st attempt on the trail near our house. We even saw deer along the creek!

This guy loves a family bike ride too

Swim lessons: another round of swim lessons. Sawyer still struggles with immersing his whole head, but he is making strides and getting there…we learned goggles help

Smelling the roses (or day lilies): our Nora LOVES flowers. She tends to all of them in our yard

Vacation Bible School: the kids went to VBS this week and loved it! It was Nora's 1st time going to "school." Sawyer memorized a verse each day…it always astounds me how fast kids can memorize. They got to play with friends. And they learned lots of new songs to shout praise to our Lord!

Impromptu barbecues with friends

Garage sales

This girl loves a garage sale! She loves finding "treasures"

An Elsa hat complete with fake braid…one of her garage sale treasures

And I don't know why, but people love to give her free stuff ;)

Homemade ice cream: eating homemade ice cream after a hard day of playing

Football camp: Malone hosts a kids camp each summer and this year Sawyer got to participate for the 1st time. He really enjoyed it! There were some much older kids, so he usually opted out of the scrimmages, but he did all the drills and listened well to the coaches!

my little guy running to the huddle

Father's Day: We also celebrated Father's Day by spoiling our favorite guy! He is such an awesome daddy to our kids! If you can't tell they adore him!

Zoo Night

One of the greatest perks of being an Akron Zoo member are the monthly zoo nights! Once a month they open the zoo in the evening (it usually closes at 5 pm) for members only. We love going at night because the weather is a little cooler, most of the animals are more active in the evening and Daddy gets to come with us.

Last week we took advantage of the June zoo night. The kids were excited!

Can you tell who our crazy kid is...that middle child is something else

Speaking of the middle child...I can't believe how much she has grown. She looks so big in these pictures. In the 1st one I love the way she is standing behind Sawyer, so he can "protect" her from the snake (the lady is holding).

my little penguins

Kolter was pretty content in the stroller...as long as we keep moving

As we walked through the zoo it became apparent that a storm was brewing (the thunder was a good clue :) But we decided to persevere because we were on a mission to find the free Dippin' Dots. After we got in line the sprinkles started and then the downpour. We were committed to the Dippin' Dots so we waited in line and then found shelter.

Kolter wanted in on the rain action so he did a little running in the rain and jumping in puddles. That pouring rain wasn't going to stop his fun.

After waiting out the storm we visited a few more animals and ended with a ride on the carousel.

Family Self

Yeah for fun family nights!

Playground Pleasure

The kids are truly enjoying their new playground (even more than I thought they would)!

Sawyer and Nora spend hours outside playing Paw Patrol, Handy Manny, Wild Kratts, etc. They use the fort as their headquarters and the swings as their rocket ship/trucks/any imaginable piece of transportation.

Kolter is small, but he is mighty. He climbs the TALL ladder (maybe 5 ft.) like a pro. A passerby or our neighbors are terrified when they see him ascend the ladder for the 1st time, but he is truly very adept at climbing (he literally climbs everything). 

It's when he gets to the top that I get a little nervous…there are lots of openings he can fall from ;) Thankfully, he doesn't typically stay up there long. 

He jumps on the slide and goes down in all sorts of directions (on his bum, on his tummy, backwards, etc). He adores the slide! He slides down all smiles and then runs back to the ladder over and over and over again!

We thankful for this blessing of entertainment (gifted from some friends at church that no longer needed it) and thankful for Daddy building it. It's a gift that keeps on giving to everyone in the family!

Watermelon Tales

This kid

loves 

watermelon!