4th of July

4th of July has always been one of my favorite days to celebrate! Family, food, fireworks and freedom...what could be better!! We spent the day, just as we do every year, down at Moms house. The crowd is a little different each year, but we always have a great time!! Porter loved getting to be the center of attention and put on "shows" for everyone! Quite hilarious! Savannah wasn't the biggest fan of playing in (or anywhere near) the mulch, but she swang and played on the porch. They even both managed to stay awake for fireworks! We had to sit in the car for the last few, but overall, they did really well for being up so far past bedtime! Another great celebration for the books! 

Ok, so we tried to get a cute family picture. It didn't happen! Oh well :)

Porter

Last night, I got to spend some special one-on-one time with just Porter. With having multiple children who are so close in age, and another one on the way, I really, really cherish quality time spent with each child. It was nothing super planned out, but he and I took a trip to the grocery store to return a movie and ended up sharing a juice in the deli. He loves juice and time to talk without having to wait his turn. Needless to say, he was elated. This sweet boy talked my ears off and I loved hearing every single thing he had to say! I wish I could record or write down how many funny, witty, smart, perceptive things he says in a day. He amazes me! He is so precious and has such an amazing, compassionate heart. Particularly towards animals. His bedtime prayer last night: "Thank you God for horses and cake and Texas longhorns and for letting animals sleep in their barns. Amen." I mean, really?! I adore him! I could go on and on about how special he is to me and how precious he is but at 3 years and 4 months, some things id like to remember about him are:

*He loves putting on shows and being the center of attention. The shows are usually rodeo or clown shows.

*His favorite thing to eat is roll-ups: string cheese wrapped in deli meat and dipped in mustard. He will eat any fruit and loves all of them. Veggies, not so much. He loves baby carrots and will tolerate green beans.

*He thinks the baby is a boy and wants to name him Cowboy Tex. 

*He is wildly passionate about horses, cows and bulls. He says he wants to be a horse farmer when he grows up.

*Watching a show with mom and dad on our bed before bedtime is still one of his favorite parts of the day.

*He absolutely loves being outside, but doesn't love getting dirty.

*He has days where he has a certain shirt in mind, but usually he couldn't care less what he wears and isn't picky about clothes. Except for socks. The kid has socks on at all times and hates for his feet to be showing!

*His daddy is his best buddy and he thinks anything dad does must be cool enough to do also!

*His favorite movies are still the Toy Story movies and he watches them any chance he gets. Jessie the Cowgirl and Bullseye are his favorites.

I adore this boy and am so thankful for each day that I get to be his mama!

Buddies

When Porter and Savannah were smaller and had such a close bond, I wondered if it would last as they got older. So far, it has. I love watching the two of them! Porter is a lot bigger fan of physical touch than Savannah is, so he frequently kisses her and wants to hug her. She doesn't always appreciate it, but usually lets him. The two of them wrestle like teenage boys! Sometimes I stop them, sometimes I laugh. It's quite hilarious! She wants to do everything he does and be right by his side. He likes having his own time, sometimes, and doesn't like when she messes up a project or something he has been working on. They argue, for sure! But they have remained best friends, and for that, I am so thankful! Whenever we are at the park or with friends, they always play together and stay close by each other. I love it!! I hope their bond can survive another sibling and eventually  (in a looooooong time) teenage years! 

S'mores

There are certain foods that are just special to summer. One of them is s'mores. We found some giant marshmallows at the store and decided last night would be the perfect night. Well, that was all until we realized the grill was out of gas and we needed to move the s'mores making inside. But it was still perfect and I'm so thankful for fun family memories. 

I told you they were huge!

Waiting patiently on his s'mores. I mean I know I'm his mom, but is he beautiful or what??! 

Try to clean her up and I promise you'll get this reaction... 

Pool Time

One of my favorite parts of summer is, and always has been, being able to go to the pool. So much so that a neighborhood with a pool was part of my "must-have" list when house hunting. There's something so simple and fun about spending the day in the cool water with a break for a PB&J. And I'm all about simple, fun, and free!! Porter and Savannah both still wear their puddle jumpers at the pool, but are getting so much braver and really learning how to control their bodies in the water. They love to jump in and "swim" to get things. They have had a blast! And seriously is this not the cutest picnic you've ever seen??! 

Side note: they aren't mad, they're chewing. And this wagon has been the greatest "kid thing" we have had! It has made the pool, beach and lots of walks much easier and more enjoyable!

And seriously, this girl is just almost too much sas for one picture! I adore her! 

Creeks, friends and pancakes

We are really, really loving this nice weather and a break in our schedule to give us some time to play with friends! Today, we went to play with Roman and Cecelia at their house. The kids rode in the Jeep, played with water guns, walked through the creek, played with chalk and bubbles and lots of other fun things! I am so thankful for the handful of good friends that we have made since moving back here that give our kids good play buddies to grow up around and mommy some much needed and encouraging grown up conversation! 

For dinner, we decided that breakfast for dinner would be a fun treat. Chocolate chip pancakes, eggs, grits and fruit. Yumm!!! It's the little things around here ;)

And since it's baseball season, some baseball with Daddy... 

 

Happy Fathers Day

Today, we had so much fun celebrating what a wonderful daddy Sean is to our sweet babies. He is such a good example of a father, husband and hard-worker to our family. We are so thankful for all he does to serve our family in so many different ways.  

We started the day off at church, followed by brunch at Rockys Hot Chicken Shack. Chicken and waffles. Yumm! Seriously! It was such a fun lunch. 

We came home and went straight outside, daddy's idea. The boys dug in dirt and unclogged a drain, while Savannah and I enjoyed the swing and some nice fresh air. Porter has always been extremely skiddish about bugs and getting dirty, but lately he is starting to come out of his shell some and try new things. He has loved digging in the mulch lately and hasn't seemed to mind getting it on him and today he touched and held his first worm. Big accomplishment for my otherwise OCD child! He carried it over and laid it under the tree where a mommy bird is sitting in her nest. He has such a kind, compassionate heart for animals and I adore that about him! 

After all that playing, we all came in and enjoyed a Sunday afternoon nap. We then enjoyed dinner out, a special late-night ice cream cone and lightening bug catching party, and finished the day with a story on the couch. What a perfect day!

I am so thankful to be married to a wonderful man that loves to spend time with our kids! He said the only thing he wanted for today was to spend a day all together. I hope one day our kids realize what a sweet, loving daddy they have. Happy Father's Day Sean, we love you and are so blessed by your heart for your family!