Summertime bliss

What a lovely weekend! It was slow-paced, family-centered and altogether enjoyable. It was a little rainy on Saturday morning, so we stayed in our jammies a little longer and cooked a big breakfast. Then we went over to one of our favorite bookstores that was having a family event with a cake tasting, a little inflatable, crafts and a great stack of discounted books for kids. Perfect!

I have been wanting a clothesline since I moved into this house, but since it's a newer subdivision there are no mature trees to connect it to. But, I found a collapsable umbrella clothesline on craigslist (oh how I love craigslist) for $25 in perfect condition so we drove out to Nicholasville to pick it up on Saturday night. I am REALLY excited about my clothesline.

Last night our friends came over for dinner. They are a great family and they live just up the street in a neighboring subdivision two minutes from us. We all go to church together. Michael and John get along great. Cindy and I get along great. They have two kids. Their son is almost five and their daughter is three weeks older than Katelyn. The kids play together really well...so basically time with this family is really lovely.

We ate watermelon in the backyard. (A true picture of summer.)

The kids were filthy and happy and enjoyed running around in circles chasing each other.

Michael and John were awesome and kept the kids entertained. (I think it's because they're big kids themselves.)

I'm really thankful for a husband who's goofy and fun. When he's home he's 100% present and involved. We laugh and play a lot. Household projects are a team effort. He always seems to have enough energy to chase Katelyn around the yard. We are really blessed.

Finally everyone winds down. I should have taken a picture of John and Michael sitting in chairs on the back patio looking like they'd been run over by a train. :)

What a great weekend! And when everyone left I took our dry sheets and towels off the clothesline. When we crawled into bed last night, I laid my head on a pillow that smelled like a fresh summer breeze. It was pretty awesome!

It's a party

One of Katelyn's Ya Ya friends turned three and had a party at Bounce U. This place is AWESOME (especially in the middle of winter). A big room with kids music and huge inflatables that the kids can bounce all over. Then they had pizza, cake and presents in another room. Genius plan.

Katelyn ran and ran....

danced and danced....

bounced and bounced....

and laughed with her silly friends.

And then they loaded up on pizza and cake.

Bounce U rocks!!! Happy Birthday P!!!

(Katelyn was just about asleep by the time we got home. I put her in her crib and haven't heard a peep. Now I'm going to clean the house!!!)

Okay, we played in the white stuff already...

So...I don't really like to be cold. I think I've mentioned that before. I'm not opposed to playing in the snow...I think it's fun. It's just really cold out...so I've not quite embraced outdoor playtime as I should. But we got so much snow yesterday, how could I keep Katebug from experiencing this winter wonderland that is our front yard? I'm glad we went out...someone was VERY excited.

Me and the bug....

Would you look at all this snow???

Here's Katelyn and Holly...the best neighbor ever.

I love my girl so much I'm willing to freeze for her. :)

Holly likes Katelyn just a little bit. Can you tell?? Running and laughing while being chased. Katelyn's favorite activity.

We get much more snow and we might lose a kid.

See how happy I am? (This is before he threw me down in the snow.) Rotten guy.

We're supposed to get more snow tomorrow. The kids are out of school again! They've already called it! Yippie...another snow day.

A house full

My pastor and his wife had a conference to go to in Tennessee, so their boys came over after our kid's program tonight at church to spend the night here with Katelyn and I. These two boys are so sweet to Kateybug. They all love each other. Katelyn loved having "brothers" around. They drank chocolate milk, read stories and said their prayers together. Then they all snuggled in the boy's bed for a few minutes before everyone went to sleep. So cute!

I love having a house full of kiddos.

Night night!

Happy Birthday Holly!

Katelyn and I are SO blessed to have Holly and her husband Brandon as our neighbors. In the last year especially, they've become like family to us. Holly is one of the most genuine, thoughtful and caring people I know. It's really easy to celebrate her life~!

Katelyn loves Holly. Holly loves Katelyn.

Katelyn loves cupcakes...so Katelyn really loves Holly's birthday.

We all play and laugh together a lot. And someone spoils Katelyn a lot (I'm not naming any names...HOLLY!)

Silly girls.

Happy Birthday Holly...we love you!