july in an instant

You start out with Utah, throw in a little heat and humidity in Iowa and end with Cancun. 

July was basically an Iowa sandwich with a really tasty bun on both ends. 

Throw in some swimming, star-studded golf, Nauvoo, neurology and GRANDMA and you've got a pretty great month. 

june in an instant

Summatime, summatime, sum sum summatime. 

Sunshine, swimming, sweat, strawberries, seizures. Almost everything about summer is simply glorious. I do tremble with fear thinking about long days that lead into long weeks with me as the sole entertainment for my children. But, I do love it. And I REALLY love it on swim days. 

In June we spent three whole days driving so we could run for two days straight. Really, we did. Good thing we love so much about Utah and the people who live there (and the people who visit there the same time we do). And lucky for the Laytons, they all put up with us and our bathroom-flooding shenanigans (that's a story for another day). 

These are a few of my favorite things

I co-hosted a seriously fun favorite things party with my good friend Jill tonight. It was so much fun! So many wonderful ladies + their favorite things + a rousing (and a little heated) exchange/stealing process = tons of fun.  And hopefully no hurt feelings! 

I, of course, wrapped my gifts in brown paper packages tied up with strings. 

Can't wait to do it again!

Frozen and some fabulous friends

Leah went to a fabulous Frozen birthday party today. I'll be honest: sometimes I actually dread the fact that Leah gets invited to birthday parties. I know. Horrible. But it is often such a glaring reminder of all that she can't be. All that she could be if it weren't for Rett. It's extra work for me and I'm pretty sure she doesn't want me hanging at her side at every party and get-together she goes to. It's hard to watch the other parents drive up, drop their kids off and drive away with a few hours to themselves. But, such is life. 

Today, though, was a different story. Leah has such an incredible group of friends. They include her. They help her. They adapt to her needs. They play with her. They talk with her, not at her. Watching these seven year olds adapt to her needs and joyfully include her in every game and craft makes this mom's heart swell. 

Don't mind me. I'll just let these girls take over, step back and snap a picture to remember this moment forever. 

a perfect snow day

Today was a perfect snow day. And I dare say we've earned it this year! 

Lots of snow dumping down this week + warm temps today (I took my coat off!) + a killer hill right in our backyard + great friends = a perfect combination for a great snow day.

So much fun hiking up and racing down, building snow chairs and men and just enjoying time outside without getting frostbite. Thanks for coming, Oakeses! I'll take another day like this, please, Iowa. 

Christmas in a nutshell

This holiday season was pretty wonderful. They just keep getting better! Kate is understanding so much more and Leah is still caught up in the magic. And with John Deere's mandatory shut down between Christmas and the new year, we have plenty of time to celebrate as a family. 

We enjoyed quiet nights in the glow of the tree lights, making yummy treats, bowling as a family, seeing the "Frozen" lights (Kate's favorite) and adorning our home with decorations old and new. My favorite decoration is still our Christmas card wall. We hung up extra ribbons in hopes we'd fill them all up this year and the love and holiday wishes that filled our mailbox each day did not disappoint. 

We participated in and enjoyed the second annual Christmas music night at our friends, the Davidsons. Such a wonderful evening spent listening to and performing so many Christmas, holiday and winter songs. I played Sleigh Ride again with my good friend Haley (we were each stand-ins for our own moms) and Kate was neither tall nor small like the rest of the snowmen, but at least she tried? 

Ryan and I got to go on a few dates, one to a local art museum for his work party. An open bar just isn't as fun when you don't drink, but it was fun to get dressed up! 

Kate was my great holiday helper this year. She helped wrap and address the gifts, made sure they were well adjusted under the tree and ensured we didn't miss a single chocolate from the advent calendar the second Ryan walked in the door from work. 

The Sunday before Christmas is always one of my favorite days. The aforementioned Haley was in charge of the program this year and did a phenomenal job. I was able to accompany the choir for a handful of pieces. I love getting dressed up in our new Christmas outfits too. When Kate saw my red tights, she decided she needed to match when we got home. 

On Christmas Adam, we had a family sleepover in the front room. I think it will be a new tradition. The girls were fans. 

Christmas Eve was filled with tradition and anticipation. We didn't get a white Christmas, but we did get a wet one. Pajamas were opened, stockings were hung (or laid out on the couch since we don't have a fireplace), treats were left for Santa and his reindeer and the Christmas story was recited. The girls giggled for about an hour before they finally fell asleep. 

Christmas morning was filled with laughter and excitement. Kate was our official gift dispenser and she took her job very seriously. Leah loved her new chair cushion and kicks and Kate loved her new-to-her crib. Little did she know it's 32 years young. I painted over my old doll crib and sewed new bedding. My favorite gift for Ryan was a Boston Marathon ornament. I spent hours scouring the internet and different stores in the area for a simple running shoe ornament, to no avail. A few days before Christmas, I decided to try once again and found a single Iowa Hawkeyes football cleat ornament. I snatched it up quick and took it home for surgery. I painted over the logo, making the black parts Boston Marathon blue (the yellow was already perfect!) and then added a Boston logo before mod podge-ing it all in place. It turned out perfectly and is a great memento of a big part of our year. 

Later in the day we had the sister missionaries over so they could talk to their families. The joy and laughter coming from our office was contagious. We then had the missionaries and two other families over for a mouth watering pot luck dinner. 

A wonderful season wrapped up by a blessed day with friends (and family from afar). 

Decades Date Night, the first

For awhile now, I've wanted to have a couples costume party where couples come dressed up as famous or well-known couples or things that just go together. But looking at the calendar for October, there wasn't a single weekend night that worked. I was chatting with a friend about it, asking her if a costume party on November 1 would be ridiculous. Her jaw dropped to the floor as she told me how SHE had wanted to do a couples costume party as well, but wanted to have the theme be different decades in the 20th century. 

So, we decided November 1 wasn't ridiculous and we threw ourselves a party! 

Ryan and I opted for 1920s. I had fun twirling the flaps on my dress while he spent the evening perfecting his 1920s vernacular ("hey there big cheese", "that's the bees knees", "hi dawl") and typing on his air typewriter. There were a handful of hippies (seriously hilarious in those tight pants), some great depression folks and a few 1950s sock hoppers. 

We had some last minute cancellations, but it still turned out to be an hilariously fun night! Good food, great friends and so many laughs. We spent the evening playing a trivia game with questions about different decades from the 1920s to the 1980s mixed with some minute to win it games. The dancing was by far my favorite. We got some wall flowers out on the floor! 

This will definitely be something I try to make into an annual tradition. Can't wait to see what costumes people come up with next year! Thanks to the Johansens for hosting! 

Johansens, Kriters, Davidsons, Oakeses

Flahertys, Laytons, Josies