dinning room in progress

For my final post of the month, I thought I'd share our progress on the dinning room in our house. I was going to wait until I filled those empty frames with pictures and or art, but honestly that might take me a while. I'm on the hunt for something to go between the bookshelf and window for extra dinning storage or for serving drink/snacks on when we have guest over. Feel free to share ideas. I would have share more of this room however currently my husband is using the carpeted area as drum set storage and golf bag storage.  

June Reading

Corduroy by Don Freeman will always have a special place in my heart. My Mother read Corduroy to my sisters and I when we were little, and now I'm reading this book to my own kiddos.

It is a sweet story about a little bear who lived in the toy department of a big store. Day after day he would wait for someone to come and take him home. One day, a little girl came into the store and asked her Mother to buy Corduroy. Sadly, the Mother said no, and that "he's lost the button to one of his shoulder straps." Curduroy didn't know that he had lost a button, and this realization sets him off on an adventure to find the missing button.

Lisa, the little girl does come back for Corduroy and buys him. She takes him home and fixes his should strap saying "I like you the way you are but you'll be more comfortable with your shoulder strap fastened." I love this. The story ends with message of unconditional love, the beauty of home and family.

summer romper

It's an awful picture of me, but it was getting hot, the kids were fussing and I needed to wrap up this photo shoot ASAP before I melted. The summers here in Arizona are brutal! Comfortable, light weight clothing is a must for this desert climate. This little romper took longer to make then I would like to admit. However, I'm happy with the final product and know what to do different next time. 

I often get impatient with myself. It's hard not to compare my sewing skills/projects to what I see on IG, pinterest and from friends. This romper project was labeled "easy" and it still took longer than it should have. I have to constantly remind myself that I haven't been sewing that long, and it takes time to build up the skills necessary for more advanced projects. Until then...the seam-ripper has become my BFF.  

happy 3rd birthday to my sweet baby Alara

My sweet baby Alara, who really isn't a baby anymore, turned three today. We celebrated over the weekend in California with family and friends. It felt amazing to be back in California. The weather was warm, but perfect compared to what we are all experiencing in Arizona. Alara asked for a purple breakfast Sky party, and between Dadi and myself I think we delivered.

After brunch, the kiddos and a few grown-ups painted some beautiful art. I think everyone did a fantastic job. I loved watching these kiddos get creative with their art. Kid art is the best.

A big thank-you to Alara's Dadi and Dada for allowing us to host this party in their backyard. And to all that came out to help us celebrate our sweet baby Alara - Thank-You! It takes a village and I'm so happy that our village is strong and full of loving people.

On our drive home, Alara slept hard blessing us with peace and quiet for most of the drive home.

Until next time.

Last Day of Kindergarten & Summer Plans

Summer vacation starts today, and Mr. Lucas couldn't be happier! Our summer breaks in Arizona are short, so we plan on making the most of it before Lucas goes back to school. We do have a couple of California trips planned to visit family and a wedding later in the summer, and we are hosting family and friends on different weekends throughout the summer. However, other than that, our summer plans are simple...to relax, and keep cool by the pool.  

Look at this guy, this is the face of someone who rocked kindergarten and is ready for first grade. 

Bonus: I've been collecting some quotes from Lucas..mostly from on our drive home from school. I can't help but smile when I read these..I apologize for the randomness of this post. 

Lucas: Mama, for my next birthday its going to be Bible themed. 

Lucas: I'm 1/2 spider man, 1/2 aquaman, and 1/2 Captain America 

Lucas: My head is round, why don't people have triangle shaped heads? 

Lucas: (Alara hit Lucas with a pool noddle) Ow Alara, that hit my heart!! 

Lucas: (Walking into Bas Pro Shop) Oh my goodness, if I had all of these toys I'd be so inspired! 

I asked the kiddos what their goals for the summer are...or what they would like to do and or learn this summer. I feel that by asking the kids this question it helps me plan our summer activities. 

Lucas: 

1. Learn to Read

2. Playdates with friends

3. One on one time with Mama and Daddy

4. Learn tennis 

5. Go to the beach

Alara: 

1. Play

2. Learn to ride a bike

3. Learn to write my name 

4. Eat ice cream

5. Go to the beach

All of these things sound reasonable to me. Especially the one about eating ice cream... 

It's Graduation Day

This weekend we celebrated our oldest's kindergarten graduation! It has been a busy year for Lucas. He started kindergarten, moved to a new state and joined a second kindergarten class midyear. Everyone said that this year would go by quickly, and yes it has! From our first day at LSA, to our second first day at TCE, Lucas rocked his first year of school. My son's TCE family has been amazing, and supportive this year. Lucas was able to adjust, make new friends and succeed academically. His teacher, Ms. Gloria has instilled in him a love of learning and a love for Christ. I am so proud of my now first grader and I am looking forward (with many tears of course) to what this next school year brings.

Love you so much Mr. Lucas.

Forever and always,

Mama

a new podcast to share

It is no secret that I'm a huge fan of podcasts! Our daily drive to school and back is anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes often in traffic. I needed something to keep the kiddos occupied and from arguing about who knows what (once the kids fought over a ripped piece of junk mail). 

Enter the Circle Round podcast!

Circle Round is a story telling podcast for kids 4-10 years old. However, my two..almost three year old daughter enjoys the stories and often asks for her favorites.  The podcast focuses on folk tales from around the world, narrated by Rebecca Sheir and is brought to life by a variety of talented actors and actresses. The stories run anywhere from 10-20 minutes and each story covers such topics as kindness, sharing, and the importance of hard work.

In anticipation of the summer travel season, Circle Round has a couple of special two hour episodes. We have several long trips planning and will definitely be downloading the long episodes for the trip.