weekend project

this weekend matt and I finished up a little backyard project.
My parents had a little hammock that they weren't using,
so we hauled it to Texas,
cleaned it up and bit, put some new stain on and sewed a new cover.

Today the girls and I broke it in and read some books together


But Caroline had the best idea...

I'm already carving out a spot in the calendar next weekend to do exactly this.

weekends are hard

Weekends are hard with fevers,

but a four hour nap in mom & dad's bed isn't so bad...

Saturday Night Dance Party

bracelets & workbooks

that pretty much sums up Lauren's summer loves.
She can't get enough of the jewelry
{she just brought up the idea of earrings}
and her love of learning.
She has been all over letters, numbers, shapes, and projects.
The other day she told me it's taking a really long time for school to start.
My Laurno...

Dr. Caroline

Lately, this girl is all about the check-ups.


And I can't get enough of that sweet smile and stethoscope.

Summer in Iowa

Our summer trip to Iowa looked a little bit different this year.

We decided to change it up and rent a house on Lake Rathbun with all of Matt's family,

which ended up being an absolutely wonderful long weekend of fun!

By house I actually mean hunting lodge turned vacation home.

Caroline was immediately drawn to the taxidermy wall art.

The home was huge, 

housing all 16 of us 

and giving our littles lots of room to spread out and run - inside!

On top of that, there was water, swimming, boats, and games.

Fishing, food, sun, and relaxation.

It was a vacation enjoyed by all, big and small, with memories made that will bring smiles for years to come.

nineteen

At nineteen months, this sweet independent soul...

...continues to amaze us with her BIG personality, independence, and fearlessness. She gives us a near heart attack almost daily and then sends us in to heart burst mode with the huge smile.

... is learning new language skills all the time. She is beginning to learn all of her animal sounds and can still answer any question you give her. But not 'yes or no'... it's still uh-huh or uh-uh.

... stands on everything. Please see the part about heart attacks. She also runs. Everywhere. And typically is holding something is one hand while the other arm is pumping to increase her speed. It's a sight.

...is beyond sweet. She is always up for a kiss, a hug, a cuddle, a giggle. She has been known to give random hugs. She really is a true joy to be around.

... is working on all 4 eye/canine teeth. She's got a mouthful.

... still loves books, puzzles, baby dolls, her sister, our dogs, snacks, and her bunny. We just can't seem to get enough of her.

home again

which means popsicles on the front steps.

And with a  3:30 am wake up call, we may be having multiple popsicles.
Because anything goes today...

splash pad

A summer vacay isn't really complete until you've visited the splash pad.

According to our girls, anyway...

sick smiles

We had our first experience with the flu.

Lauren woke up on the top bunk, right above us and got sick a few times.
There was some middle of the night laundry loads.
Then again at breakfast in front of the entire 16 person McQuinn clan.

Strangely enough she was fever free,
happy,
smiley,
and playful.

Then it happened again the following night.
And the night after that.

We're not exactly sure what was going on,
but I am thinking those daytime smiles had something to do with time spent with Grandma

lake memories

fish

Lauren caught
AND
touched this fish.

That's two things her mama didn't do on this vacay.

personal pond

Our Lake Rathbun adventure was so amazing,
but I think both our girls thought this was the best part.
The pond right out back,
with a sandy beach,
where hours were spent and memories were made.

builder

Guess who added magna tiles to their Birthday wish list?

That little builder.
And her mom made sure she wrote it down,
because they provided hours of entertainment.
And made for some great princess castles.

Papa & Grandma's Visit

This one was a special treat for all of us.

The girls got some extra time with Papa & Grandma

and they treated Mom & Dad to a night out

dinner

cocktails

&

Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit

Fun had by all.

Lots of it.

3 years 9 months 15 days

fancy

When Grandma arrives with fancy dresses...


we wear them.

a common scene

painting

this mornings painting project

lead to a bath before lunch.

sisters

Neither of my girls took very good naps this afternoon.
Caroline's was short lived.
{those eye teeth}
and Lauren's was pretty typical as of late,
a 'rest' time, no actual nap.

So I invited them into my room,
while I finished folding laundry
for a little snack and some books.



Lauren offered to read to Caroline and let her pick the story.
Then Lauren told a story while Caroline snacked and listened intently.

These are the moments.
These sisters have my heart.

zoo day

I felt brave today
& took these two monkeys to the zoo.

We saw the giraffes and the longhorns.
We wore our swimsuits and played in the splash pad.
We ate a lot of snacks.
We rode the carousel.
We brushed goats in the petting zoo.
And I got to see a lot of smiles out of these two sweet sisters...

I also learned that mid-week dead of summer is a pretty good time to go to the zoo.

sprinkler

How to Babysit a Grandma

our family of four

In February, we had Caroline's one year/family photos taken.

With a day after Christmas birthday,
it seems like everything gets pushed back a little bit,
but in this case it worked perfectly.

We worked with Shalonda from Chubby Cheek Photography,
our magic fairy photographer who we can't get enough of,
on a gorgeous and warm Houston, Texas February day.

I won't share every picture,
but I could.
That's how much I love this session.





Every picture makes me smile.
And while I will mention that the girls outfits
arrived in the mail the day of the shoot,
which caused us a near panic meltdown,
that's not what I see.












I see the love.
And those smiles.
And the little girl details.
And the sister kisses.
And a sweet little family of four.

I see all that and more.