Brother for sale

Right now our little guy is very mobile and that means he can (and does) get into his sister's things. This bugs her to no end



Of course that frustrates sister to no end. And our little man still just grins at her. There are moments like this that I love stumbling upon...





And then there are moments that our little girl acts like this:


I am sure this sibling dynamic will change as they grow and change, but I'll savor the sweet moments whenever I can.

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The Stump Becomes a Table

You may recall that I found this beauty while on a trip last summer. I had plans to use it in my house but wanted to leave it as close to its natural state as possible

It has been drying out for months since it was quite water logged and I made feet for it to elevate it off the ground a few inches. I sanded it so the top was smooth and with a wire brush, removed all the sand from the crevices.

Then I stained it to enhance the color of the wood and now we use it for a coffee table.

~Angela

Little Free Library

I love to read and I love to pass books along. I've been visiting Little Free Libraries when we travel for several years and thought it would be fun to make my own. And recently I have discovered several of them close to my home, as these libraries are located all over the world. The idea is you can take a book or leave a book or both (exchange a book for a new one).

Our little girl has also gotten into them- she likes to be the first one to spot them as we try to find new ones we have not visited....and she has picked out some interesting books for herself:

I downloaded the plans from the Little Free Library website and I've been working on this for MONTHS. And I have had a lot of help for this project- it has really been a labor of love...I took a woodworking class where I did most of the work.  Our friend and next door neighbor helped me a lot with the door and gave me all the wood for the project. Another friend gave me the the shingles for the roof.  My daughter helped me paint the Little Free Library and my husband helped me with the handle and attaching the door. When I put it that way, it sounds like I hardly had any part in this project, but I assure you I did!

I've been stocking up on books:

And put on some finishing touches. Since the library will be at our dental office, I thought it only fitting to have a toothbrush for a handle.

Summer days

Our long awaited summer has finally arrived... And we are soaking in every minute of it!!

We've been swimming (someone refuses to admit she has outgrown her little pool).

And just hanging out in our swimsuit because we can...



We've been running races as a family, something my husband and I have always enjoyed and now we share with our kids.

Keeping it real, here are some post race pics- I bent our little girl's sign which was a major catastrophe, as you can imagine:




And we took a much anticipated trip to the zoo. It's hard so say who was more excited- the little kids or the big kids (my husband, brother, his girlfriend, or me!)

And the full day led to two happily exhausted kids (and some tired parents- but sleeping adults aren't nearly as adorable as sleeping kids):



We look forward to many more adventures to come!

Dance Recital

I have loved watching my little girl grow from dance all year. From the timid first day of dance class, spent mostly checking to see if mom and dad were still watching her and watching herself twirl in the mirror, to the confident performer at the recital this weekend, she has blossomed. There were times we had to practically drag her to class and there were days she insisted on wearing her fairy costume to dance, but we stuck it out and think she is adorable…all the girls are. Our little girl is 2nd from the left- the one picking her nose.

with her Yaya

with her Mom

We didn't think Dad would make it back from his business trip in time for the performance, but he did!

~Angela