Summer Bucket List-- Kids Version

 Good morning friends and happy Friday!!! We had a GREAT first week of summer. We splashed in our pool, had a couple play dates with friends, and spent a LOT of time outside. Devin even got to have a few "work from home" afternoons this week. Life was pretty darn good around here. I hope it was a good week on your end too 😊 

A couple weeks ago we were all outside drawing with chalk on my in-laws driveway and we decided it was a good time to make our summer bucket list. Lily Grace was already drawing pictures of herself at gymnastics camp, so it just kind of flowed into "what else should we do this summer?". As we were making our list, Devin and I looked at each other and said "we need a mom & dad summer bucket list!" So today I am sharing the kids version, and then in a few weeks I'll share the parent version.

I have a few pictures of Lily Grace's various drawings, and then made a written list so we could check the things off as we do them. Don't worry, I'm here to interpret the preschool chalk art. While I may think her art is wonderful, I'm sure the average person would be like "what is that?!" 😊

What's Up Wednesday

 Woohoo-- it is the first What's Up Wednesday of summer! We are already over here trying to live our best summertime lives. We have been enjoying some popsicles and water activities outside, have been to the library to grab some new books to read, and are getting geared up for summer camp when it starts next week. Let's see what else we've been up to:

A Saturday in the Life of Us

 Good morning friends and happy Monday! This past Saturday I took pictures throughout the day and documented a typical Saturday in our lives. Looking back on old "Day in the Life" posts are some of my favorites. It's so sweet to look back on a time when the kids were smaller (or not even born yet!). After looking back through them I realized I had never done a Saturday or a Sunday for a "day in the life", so this will be something new!

Anyway, let's get to it!

Friday Favorites

Good morning friends! Today I have a random hodgepodge of things I've been loving lately that will make for the perfect Friday Favorites roundup. I am linking up with Andrea and Erika. 

Last Day of 3's Preschool!

 Yesterday was Lily Grace's last day of 3's preschool! I cannot believe how quickly this school year went by... or that we were even lucky enough to have school in person the entire year. 

Photo Storage/Picture Books

 Good morning friends and happy Monday! I hope you all had a nice weekend. We headed to Wilmington for a few days to see Devin's parents and it was wonderful.

 

Monthly Goals: May

 Nothing like finally getting around to blogging some goals for the month on the 14th, right?? Better late than never 😉 I actually wrote these goals at the end of April and am noticing I have some work to do if I actually want to achieve any of these by the end of the month... so maybe a mid-month check in on goals is a good thing!

Let's Look: Outdoor Organization

Hi there! Today the theme for Let's Look is Outdoor Organization and I have to say... I can NOT wait to read all the tips. Finding a way to store out outside toys was a bit problematic at first. We live in an older house, built in 1972, with very little storage. Oh, and no garage. My house growing up had a basement and a garage... so referring to my usual "what did my mom do?" doesn't work in this scenario. We have done the best we can with what we've got... but I can't wait to see what you all do to store all of your outdoor items!

  

Our little arts & crafts lover enjoying the patio. 😍

Not Just a Mom: Concerts

 Hello there friends! I hope you all had a nice weekend and that you were able to celebrate either your mom or another special mom in your life. If you are a mom, I hope you were able to feel how loved you are by the people in your life. I was lucky enough to enjoy a peaceful-ish breakfast in bed complete with flowers from our garden.

Our Downstairs Den/Living Room

Hey there and happy Friday! As you know, we renovated our house last fall/winter and moved back into our house in February. We have been slowly trying to make our house feel like "home" again and are finally in a place where it's almost done-- woohoo! 

When we first started the renovation process our goal was to expand our kitchen by moving the staircase. An unexpected bonus was that it not only opened up our kitchen, but it opened up the space downstairs as well. Now we are able to maximize every square inch of our space unlike before, when we had some "dead" space we were unable to use. 

 

If you watched the video tour of our house pre-renovation, you would remember that our staircase used to be right smack in the middle of our living area. We shifted the staircase to the side and it opened up the living area both on the main floor and in our downstairs den/living area. Devin and I are both so happy with how this room turned out, and this is where we spend about 80% of our time as a family. I will try to link most things at the end of the post in case you have a question. If I missed something, please let me know!

Come on in! 

Happy Birthday Lily Grace!

Today is our sweet girl's 4th birthday. I know everyone says it, but I truly cannot believe how quickly the time has flown by. I swear I blinked and our girl went from this teeny tiny little baby:

Books I Read in April

It's one of my favorite posts of the month: book reviews! One of my favorite things about blogging is the group of like minded women it brings together, which especially comes in handy when we recommend things to one another. The books you recommend often end up being some of my favorites! This month I was able to get 4 books in, 2 of which were your recommendations. Please keep those recommendations coming!!