It's A Wrap.

I said I was going to post one last time about summer and instead of writing about how I snuck in a summer concert and fair all in one, I decided I'd rather show the entire summer one last time.  Somewhere between the must do's and want to-do's, I got sidetracked with an it's fun to-do.  

Living in Michigan summer is always a little bit sweeter, making us want to cram as much in as we can in three short months.  Enjoy the recap!

XOXO

Aubrey

So Long Summer

Even though we have another week before school starts, alarms are being set and routines have started.  So, we made the most of the last unofficial week of summer.

Florida Friends

Beth and the kids were visiting for almost two weeks, but our schedules didn't mesh as well as we both would have liked (we both stood up in weddings a week apart).  As usual, her family was kind enough to let us crash a lunch and pool playdate.

 I love this little picnic table for the kids!

Her sister has a community pool and Lauren loved playing with Christopher and getting some personal swim lessons from older cousin, Meghan.

Playing Hooky

Meghan (not the little blonde above) took the day off work to hang with us.  Yes, Billy asked the same thing...is she suffering from some sort of head injury?  Nope, she 100% wanted a break from the 9 to 5 crazy to join our crazy.  

We lounged by the pool, had a picnic lunch, and while juggling Lauren and William, we still got to catch up.  My girl time is a nice break from the kids, but it was so thoughtful of Meghan to take the time to spend it with me and my two loves.

Roll Tide

I feel I should preface this by saying that even though we were dressed in red, the majority of us wanted Michigan to win on Saturday.  But only for personal gain, a win against Alabama would be good for the big ten, but more importantly it would have made our future win over Michigan look even better for MSU.  I digress.

Roll Tide has been an ongoing joke with my family so it seemed fitting to have them over to watch the Alabama vs. UofM game and wear crimson.

 We were feeling a little over chips, salsa, and guacomole...yummy antipasto was perfect!

Let's put another game night dinner on the calendar soon!

I've got one more post about summer.  I came really close to completing my bucket list, and I've got a few posts for some home projects we finally got around to tackling this past weekend!

XOXO

Aubrey

Backyard Fun

 I don't have a lot of words from our Saturday morning.  

It was warm.

And this is easy and entertaining.

 

Teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini

Lil dude's trunks just wouldn't stay up!

I probably said "don't drink the water" twenty times, before adding "if you do it again, I'll dump the pool."  Did they stop?  Nope.  Did I dump?  Nope.  

 

I'll be back tomorrow with a mini-project I did for William's room.  Tick, tock.


XOXO


Aubrey

Camp out and in

We have been busy enjoying summer this week with swim lessons, visits to the playground and a day at the pool.  All the fun has left little to no time for naps and even less time for me/blog time.  My posts will most likely always be sporadic as our week's are never the same, so I appreciate you continuing to check in and see what's up...especially those checking multiple times a day:)

When I was making the summer bucket list I asked Lauren what she wanted to do this summer.  And with no frame of reference she said "I want to sleep outside."  Her campin' lovin' daddy honed right in on that and started planning right away.

Lauren was so excited all day about camping outside.  Wondering when we were going to put the tent up and even packing a bag.

I know Billy was in his element and Lauren was loving the special time with just her daddy.  She wanted to help with the tent and sat a watched our tiny fire grow, as a true camper should.

The only thing I can take credit for is purchasing the ingredients for s'mores.  

Yep, those are peanut butter chips.  

An excellent addition to the s'mores, in my opinion.  

After dessert, she just loved going in and out of the tent while mom and dad enjoyed a drink...William was fast asleep, thankfully.  Keeping him away from the fire would have been no easy task.

As much fun as we all had, Lauren called it quits at 8pm.  Explaining to us that it was too hot in the tent and she wanted to go inside.  It's no secret that I'm not an outdoorsy kinda girl, ya think she might take after her mother?

Nice pic, Mr. and Mrs. Chins

XOXO


Aubrey

Strawberry Fields Forever

I never went strawberry picking as a kid and probably never gave it a thought until having kids.  Last year, three generations all went for the first time.

There was something poetic about it.  

Two, thirty-two or sixty-few...you are never too old or young to try something new.  

And since we had experience, we headed back for more.

Coming prepared too.  A "special" basket for Lauren and we all wore rain or garden boots because the dirt gets everywhere.

 

 Besides the threat of little shoes stomping on your freshly picked strawberries, this is a great place to take kids.  Lauren was really into the picking, while William just enjoyed a mid-morning snack.  

There was no running away, maybe because their eyes and hands were busy seeing red.

 

How do you like them apples strawberries?  

Thank you Middleton Berry Farms!  

You should really think about a scale to weigh the little ones before and after picking

What did we do with all our strawberries?

*Fruit Salad

*Topping a buttered english muffin

*Puree for bellini's (it's in my fridge, just need some friends)

*Strawberry Pie

Truth be told, I didn't make the crust.  But the rest was all me.

I used the recipe from the Brown Eyed Baker, but it seems there aren't many variations out there.  

Bucket list...check!

XOXO

Aubrey

Summer Lovin'

We've been going on vacation around Memorial Day the last few years and it always ignites this need to make this summer the best one.  I don't know if it's because summer is short and winter is long or having kids, but I never want it pass me by.  

We started strong this week.  We bought a zoo.  Membership, that is:)  Sadly, we never made it there once last summer (using new baby excuse) but plan on visiting a bunch this year.

It's five minutes from our house.  And dad has a pass too, so he can take the kiddies without me.  Bonus!

Never the less, I'm making a summer bucket list.  Wanna join in?

I've done it before and even carrying a few things over from years past.

We get busy.  And between vacations, summer camps, and swim lessons, I want to make sure I do a few things for me and for us.  I'm not just someone who picks up the kids and takes them strawberry picking because it popped into my head.  We'll go, but I will have researched it online and had it on the calendar for a week.  Not all the time, today I  surprised myself.  We took a long walk and stopped so Lauren could "climb trees," then dragged out all the water toys and had a backyard picnic lunch.  A+ for this mom!

I can get sidetracked with an open calendar.  Lost in my everyday responsibilities.  And while I'm rarely spontaneous, I'm gonna make it look like I am to my mini-me planner in training.  I'm finishing the list and will post next week.  

I'd LOVE to hear some things you want to do this summer.  Do share!

Trip photos?  They're coming.  We swapped memory cards and I just now have them all.  All 692!  Yeah, um, yeah.




XOXO


Aubrey