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.

splash pad

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

According to our girls, anyway...

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.

Angelina Ballerina

Did you know the beloved story book character, Angelina Ballerina, has movies on Netflix?



Lauren does.

a Tennessee weekend

lazy pajama mornings with play-doh
popsicles, naps, & smiles by the pool
boat rides at the lake









Oh Tennessee, we do love you.

no stroller, no problem

At about midnight on Friday {or Saturday}
it dawned on me that my previous strategy for successfully navigating the airport with two little girls may need to be upgraded.
Previously, I strapped Caroline in a carrier and pushed Lauren in a stroller.
But now that Caroline runs everywhere,
and sadly is bigger & longer,
I didn't know if this would work.
So I did some research and Matt i spent the weekend searching for an umbrella double stroller,
only to realize they were pretty much only available online.
Amazon guaranteed delivery on Monday by 8pm.
Sadly, USPS didn't make that happen.

Plan B consisted of an internal debate of whether to convince Lauren to walk,
despite her love for a stroller ride,
or carry Caroline in the carrier.
I decided to stay with what I know.

Except, *someone* forgot to load the single stroller.
To make a long story short, my anxiety was much worse than the actual experience was.

Both girls had a great flight
and in all our flights,
we've never been invited to the cockpit,
until today.


We've been looking forward to our time in Good Ole Rocky Top
and kicking it off with an afternoon in the pool was pretty perfect.
Especially in new swimwear.


And in case you're wondering, the double stroller arrived today.

December 2016

We are nearing the end of 2016 - an amazing year for us as we navigated the world as a family of four.

And like each year before this, December finds a way to fill itself up with tradition, twinkly lights, and the joy of family and friends
while making us pause to take in the pure magic of the moments with those we love.

I adore December for all of those reasons
and she was so good to us this year.

We kicked off December with all the things that make us giddy about the holidays...

advent calendars & letters to Santa

pajama walks to look at lights

Gingerbread houses




celebrations at school

christmas tree pictures

Matt's Christmas Party

Our visit to Santa was our most magical yet,
two little girls on Santa's lap at Disney World.

Lauren asked for a blue flashlight.

The day we returned from our Disney trip, we had another Christmas celebration...
Lauren's Holiday Dance Recital

It was so good - everything you would want from a 3 year old dance to Candy Cane Christmas.


And since it's Christmas in Texas, we still enjoy walks to the park and swinging in the backyard



We traveled to Tennessee for Christmas this year and decided to go a little early,
which meant we celebrated as a family of four
(or six if you count Char & Bella)
a little early as well.




Celebrating early also meant that Santa had to find us in Tennessee.
Lauren prepared some reindeer food at school,
so we decorated Papa & Grandma's yard just to make sure they would locate us.






Santa found us.

Lauren got her blue flashlight.

Santa brought both the girls new dolls.
Lauren and Morgan were fast friends,
wearing matching jammies and watching Polar Express in 3D.


The 3D was a big hit this year.

Christmas Day brought a traditional Christmas meal and a soccer game







{that run}

We spent the rest of our Christmas vacation
celebrating Caroline's birthday,
{& snuggling that baby while we could still call her that}

enjoying Tyler & Holly's surprise visit,


planning Caroline's birthday party,
and saying good night to 2016.
Old tradition meet new tradition.
Grasshoppers

followed by champs & Catan.