A Perfect Summer Day

What a beautiful week it has been! We went swimming at a friend's pool, played with friends at the splash park and visited Great Grammy and Grandad Barrett. The week ended like this.

The day started with lots of finger painting.

And from lunchtime to dinnertime, we did this.

I convinced Daddy that having entertainment in the backyard would be ideal for everyone. You see, we don't have a public pool in our little town and keeping these busy kids entertained in the heat is quite a job some days.

This was a good decision if you ask me.

A Scrumptious Knit and Yummy Yarn with Cables

Last weekend I got to spend an evening with my, oh so fabulous, sister. Not only is she the best friend a girl could ask for, she is a fashion guru and works for an amazing company that has many high fashion shops throughout the country. About twice a year, the stores have mega sales. When I say mega, I mean "Holy Cow this can't be for real" MEGA. My sweet sister thinks of me at these times and always hooks me up. Last weekend we popped into one of the stores to pick up this beauty.

This is a Stella McCartney knit. It is soft and delicious. I have already worn it multiple times. I will tell you that this sweater was originally $1100.00 (yes, I did mean to add all of those zeros). Lovely as it is, in my opinion there is no article of clothing worth that. I didn't even spend 15% of that amount. Linds, thanks for hookin' a sista up!!

As if that incredible score wasn't enough, she bough me this glorious skein of hand-spun, hand-dyed yarn from her local farmers market. The color is a happy color, you know, the kind that makes you smile when you look at it. I couldn't wait to get it on the needles. I was so inspired by this yarn that I decided to give cabling a go. I LOVE it! Can't wait until these little fingerless gloves are finished. Maybe I'll even start my Christmas crafting in July...now that would be something!

Zoo Trip Numero Uno

While we were visiting my family in Omaha over Memorial day weekend, we took our first trip to the zoo for the summer.

We love the zoo. My girlies especially love the reptiles and amphibians. I am sure you can imagine that the enormous frog hangin' with the snake was a real treat:)

Finny had the best seat in the house.

The Omaha zoo had this amazing swamp exhibit. We were so close to alligators and other creepy critters.

Takin' a little breather makes for a prime photo op.

Have I told you lately how much I ADORE all of these kiddos...sort of especially my big one? He is so sweet and good with the little people.

This was my favorite part of the zoo. The jellyfish were mesmerizing! Notice the poofy headed girl and her favorite cousin standing next to her.

So very fun! Stay tuned because the little ones and I have already made a second zoo trip. We are doing great in racking up the summer adventures!

Fun Summer Ruffle Pants

I had a request from a bloggy friend to create a pair of ruffle pants. She sent me a few photos of what she was looking for and I used my judgment to choose the style I thought I could best complete. Here is what I came up with.




After completing the pants, I wore them to pick the kiddos up from camp and they were a huge hit with the other mamas. I was even asked if I bought them at Anthropologie. Being that that is one of my favorite stores, I felt pretty good about these fun pants:)

This prototype pair is made from black and white seersucker. They are super light and airy and will be comfy even on a hot day. I will be heading back to the fabric store to pick up some more fabric to make Jen's pair. Too fun. I love a good challenge and I am glad that I could make a bloggy friend happy.

If you are loving the awesome hand-painted tee that I am wearing, stop by Jen's Etsy shop and pick one up. She is one SUPER talented woman!

Pattern: Vogue 8584
Modifications: I cut about 2" off the waistband (no one wants their elastic waistband pants to go above the belly button). I used the cropped pant pattern and then doubled the circumference of the bottom of the pant to make the ruffle.

Why is this So Hard?

Below is a picture of baby stuff. This is what we have accumulated over the last 12 years of parenting. You couldn't tell by this picture but I am a huge fan of purging. For some reason I have had such a hard time parting with these things.


It's is time to pass these intensely loved items on to another mama. I have given this a lot of thought and I have decided to donate it to a local crisis pregnancy center. Having had a crisis pregnancy myself, it seems like the perfect place.

I am ever grateful for all of the support and encouragement I was given when I became pregnant at 18. I would not be who and where I am without it. I want to give at least a little back.
I have to tell you though, this process is terribly bittersweet. Tears keep creeping in when I see the outfit I brought my Sammy baby home in and the quilts that covered my premature girls' isolettes. Parting with this means coming to accept that we will not have anymore babies. Parting with this means my babies are, in fact, not babies anymore. Most of me is OK with that but the baby nurturer in me wants to cry.

This is supposed to be a selfless and giving act but some small part of me wants to pack it all back up and put it in the closet. Then I remember that there are mothers and babies that need it. I don't need it anymore and shutting it in the closet to gather dust doesn't do me or anyone else any good. My hope is that these things will carry our loving memories with them and create more for others. I heading back in with a little more focus and a little less selfishness.

WW: School's Out for Summer!!

Visit Angie for a little Wordful Wednesday!

We are so excited for summer break. We hope to have tons of playdates, lots of fun camp days and many warm nights to stay up late and play. To finish up this 2008-2009 schol year we had a couple of awesome accomplishments.




Jack received 2 awards for this year. This one pictured is the most important. Some of you may remember a post or two about the struggles with my big boy. This 6th grade year has been filled with growing pains but ended in sweet success. He earned stellar grades and received Most Improved Student in math. He really pulled it out in the end and I couldn't be more proud. His other award was best dressed:)





Sammy graduated from preschool. My little guy will be off to kindergarten in the fall. I can't believe it! He had a wonderful year this year and made many friends.



Here he is with one of his best buddies.

Onward and Upward my sweet loves. Mama is so very proud of you both. Now lets go celebrate summer!!

Family

For years now, a good part of my family has been half the country away in Phoenix. It has been really hard for all of us to be so far apart. We have missed spending holidays together and watching each other's children grow up.

A few weeks ago, my brother and his lovely wife moved their family back to the Midwest. It is not my backyard but they are within driving distance which makes visiting much easier.

Just a few days after moving into their beautiful new house, my brave brother and sister-in-law hosted the 6 of us and my mom.

I was so wonderful to be near each other. The kids are over the moon to be closer to their cousins.

We are so very excited to spend more quality time with Ry and Jay and Luke and Finn.

If you ask me, there is nothing in the world more important than family.

Now if we could get Mom a little closer this way, life would be...well, nearly perfect. I love you all dearly!