This & That

Summer has been all about having friends over -

For the kids and mom ;)

Chad jokingly told Vance that he was going to have cut the grass with scissors if he kept mouthing off...

Grandma's mother's day gift came a little late but we still love her shirt!

We finally set up the volleyball net we got for Christmas and we are LOVING it!!!

Sutton and Tison were in heaving when Dani let them play with her lipstick one afternoon.  I'm not sure orange is his color. Haha!

On nights that we don't have a lot going on we try to do family reading before bedtime. It usually ends up with all the kids piled on Dad and I sit peacefully reading my book next to them ;)

I made fried green tomatoes a couple different ways to see which way I liked them better.  Cornmeal wins (the one on the left!)

The boys wanted to earn Reward Bucks for exercising so they went on a run around the neighborhood. How cute and healthy are they?! (Side note- we live on a street that doesn't get much traffic and they had a phone. No worrying mom!)

Chad and Quinn were comparing whiteness level of their thighs one evening!

Vance wrote me this poem one day. The last line is my favorite it says "Y-You're favorite go to friend!" I hope he always thinks of me like that!

Keller doesn't get to have friends over as much as Vance since friends at his age are a little more work. He is in heaven when he gets to though!

How cute are these monkeys?!

Keller's soccer team played in a tournament. They didn't win a lot but they tried their best and played hard!

Vance helped make dinner the other night: ranch breaded chicken with parmesan green beans and baked potatoes. He was so proud of his dish when he was done and it tasted delicious! 

 After dinner we decided to make chocolate banana bread. So yummy!!!

I took the boys to the pet store and they bought a goldfish!

 The whole family impatiently awaited the release of Cars 3!!! Of course after the movie we had to go buy a few new cars.

The next week Keller couldn't find the "Cars 3 Lightning McQueen." I helped him get all our Lightning McQueens together.  Apparently none of them were the one he was looking for. Keller was so frustrated with me for not understanding that Cars 3 is very different: larger logo, higher spoiler, different lights. I still don't understand how we can have 30 McQueens and he knows the many ways each and every one of them are different. Heaven forbid you give him the wrong one!

 I had a girls' wine night with Stormi and Becca. It was amazing and apparently I forgot to get a picture with us in it!

 My sister sent me the cutest shirt and the sweetest card. She's the best!

 Dani and Gracie had birthdays so the girls went out to dinner! Love these ladies!

 A couple of friends and I loaded up the kids and took everyone to the zoo. It was definitely warm but all the monkeys had fun!

Reward Bucks

Right before summer Keller asked for a Reward Buck system. I told him that wasn't usually my thing but that I would think about it. Well he wouldn't let it go so I came up with a Reward Buck system.  

I printed out 100 Reward Bucks. Then I thought of all the ways I would like them to spend their time this summer. Depending on how important it is to me helped me decide how many bucks it would be worth.   Then I thought of some ways they could spend their reward bucks.  Anything with a time component is between 10-15 minutes. So if you want to earn $3 for reading, you have to read for 10-15 minutes, electronics are $1 for 10-15 minutes, etc.

I owe Keller a thank you. We are one month into summer and this system has worked fabulously!!! The boys are doing activities I can never convince them to do in order to earn bucks and they are reluctant to spend them on electronics.  That's a huge win!!! I hate keeping track of things so I was worried this system would drive me crazy.  It has been super easy and hasn't bugged me at all.

This has been our best summer yet!

Rad

Cars Deja Vu

All of our boys have loved the Cars movies and all the metal diecast cars.  It started with Vance and has continued with Sutton.  The bin of Cars is something I will never be able to part with. It will forever have a special place in my heart. 

The Cars 3 movie is about to come out and before it did Vance and Triston (he also grew up loving Cars) got out the Cars bin.  Watching them play with the cars just made my mama heart want to burst. It was like Vance was 2 or 3 all over again. Sometimes I forget that even though he is getting older he  is still a little boy who likes to play with Cars.

I tried really hard to take these pics like it wasn't a big deal because I didn't want them to stop playing. At first they weren't sure but then they resumed play and I was able to snap away. I wish you could hear the conversation and the giggles that were happening.

 

I love that they even set up spectators for the big race!

 "Let them be little, cause they're only that way for a while. Let them cry, let them giggle, let them sleep in the middle. Just let them be little."

Stormi's 30th!

When one of your best friend's turns 30 you have to celebrate! We got together with some of our best friends for Stormi's 30th birthday. We don't get this crew together without our kiddos very often so when we do it's kinda special. And it never disappoints!!! This night was full of LAUGHS!  I absolutely love this picture and think it sums up the night perfectly ;)

Now to rewind a little - we went to one of our favorite hangouts called The Rustic. They have good food, better drinks, outdoor seating, and live music. It is the best when you want to have a mellow night out.

The girls are some of my besties: Becca, Kate, Julie, and Stormi. We go to church with all of these women and it wasn't long after we started attending the church that we all became good friends.  These are the kinda people you know you can ALWAYS count on for whatever you might need. They are each amazing and have made me a better person!

Their husbands are all pretty awesome too!

 

 Happy 30th Stormi!

No More Crib

We said goodbye to the crib we have owned for over nine years. It was the crib we brought all three of our boys home to. It seems kinda crazy that stage is over, but we are SO excited to be in the next stage of parenting!

One glistening tear may have rolled down my cheek as I watched the crib get loaded into its new owner's truck. The emotions sorta caught me off guard! I think this moment will definitely mark the moment in my mind when it felt like we didn't have a baby anymore.

 Sutton has been sleeping in a toddler bed for awhile so he was used to being able to get out of bed.  The transition was smooth except for me not being used to how tiny he looked in his new big bed!

 Here is his new bed all made up -

 I am excited to redo his bedroom and have been searching the internet for ideas like crazy!

The big boys were all excited for Sutton too and had a sleepover in his room. I just love these three brothers!

 Sutton you may have outgrown your crib but you'll always be my baby!!!