July Happenings

July is halfway over. We are still social distancing, and we have officially surpassed the point of boredom. This too shall pass...that seems to be my motto these days! 

July is feeling a bit more normal in some ways. We went to a graduation party...without the littles. We celebrated the 4th of July with a few close friends who are at the same level of social distancing as we are...AKA working from home and not going anywhere. And we're spending our afternoons and evenings in the pool...even though it's a 2 foot inflatable pool in our backyard!

I'm sure the rest of the month will pass by quickly. We're going to reinstate our weekly family hikes, Grant's birthday is on Friday, cheerleading is supposed to start at the end of the month, we're going to try to plan a beach vacation for September, and we have big decisions to make about school. I just wish this was a typical July full of fun outings and excitement over upcoming birthdays, reunions, and family vacations. But really, there's nothing typical about this July...

Happy 8th Birthday, Lily!

On Saturday, August 3rd, Lily celebrated her 8th Birthday! It's so hard to believe my baby girl is 8 years old. I swear, I just had her, but she grew up far too quickly. I just want her to stay little, sweet, and innocent for as long as possible!

Lily's Birthday was a busy one, and she had to share her special day with a family event. My family reunion is always the first Saturday in August, so every few years, Lily's birthday is the same day as the reunion. She didn't seem to mind one bit. She celebrated her birthday with some of the people she loves most, and had the loudest happy birthday song! She said her birthday was so much fun!

One of our birthday traditions is to have a mini photoshoot, and answer questions in a yearly birthday interview. I love seeing how their answers change from year to year, and I love watching them grow! Motherhood truly is bittersweet - you want to watch your children grow, but you also want them to stay little. I honestly love my kids' birthdays so much more than my own, so we make birthdays a BIG deal around here!

Here's how we celebrated Lily's 8th Birthday...

The Mom Life Chronicles

The past few weeks of Summer have been a blur. After taking care of a sick Liam for two weeks, I ended up catching his germs. Although I didn't get nearly as sick as he did, the sore throat is brutal, and I'm now on day four of feeling miserable. That makes mom life a bit tough! Here's hoping the germs leave our house soon, and nobody else gets sick!!!

Here's a glimpse at mom life over the past week...

A Bittersweet Ode To Summer: Thoughts on Motherhood & Seasons of Life

We are currently enjoying the last week of hot weather in Pennsylvania. Summer flew by far too quickly, and I still can't believe we are already several weeks into a new school year. The next time we feel temperatures like these ones, two of my kids will be one year older and the school year will be almost over. That seems too far away yet too soon at the same time!

The passing of a season sometimes serves as a cruel reminder of just how fast time goes by. And the older I get, the more sentimental I become. I wish I could just hold onto these moments with my kids, just as they are now! But seasons will continue to pass by rapidly, my kids will continue to grow far too quickly, and all I will have left are memories of what once was.

The point of having kids is to raise them, help them develop into GOOD human beings, and send them off into the world on their own.  As their mom, I'm selfish. I want them to be my babies forever!

I think the reason I take so many pictures is so I can remember all these simple, everyday moments with my kids that make life so special and worth living! Some may argue that it's better to LIVE in the moment instead of document it, but I disagree. I fully believe it's possible to have the best of both worlds.

When you live in the moment, you experience it and make memories. But one day those memories will fade, and all the little details will disappear. THAT'S why I document those everyday moments through pictures.

I want to remember how the sunlight hits Liam's pale eyelashes and turns them to gold. I want to remember how Lily's thumb goes into her mouth the moment she gets sleepy. I want to remember Lexie's beautiful profile as she reads a book. I want to remember the way Dylan twirls his hair - or mine - when he gets worried or sleepy...just like he did when he was a baby. Those moments are worth living AND documenting!

Although this Summer went far too quickly for my liking, it was full of so many moments that I want to remember! I will hold onto those moments forever, and these pictures will serve as a reminder of just how wonderful life really is!

We celebrated and fell in love with a new family member who seemed impossibly tiny and oh so perfect!

We connected with cousins.

We showed people how to be brave (and how to give mom a heart attack)!

We spent hours splashing in the tub.

{Nuby Bath Links - Available on Amazon}

Instead of wishing the rain away, we enjoyed it!

We flipped through hundreds of books and flashed the cutest smiles ever!

We celebrated the fact that baby wearing is still possible!

{Lillebaby CarryOn Toddler Carrier}

We jumped for joy!

We viewed the world from different angles. (Stop, Drop and #DownwardDude!)

We enjoyed simple Summer pleasures.

{Shirt from Trendy Bubs}

We made creative fashion choices.

We spent the Summer learning and exploring...and lost one fingertip in the process!

We spread joy one smile at a time.

We healed and proved that fingertips really DO grow back!

We jumped in pools fully clothed!

We spent hours in the backyard.

We did our own stunts!

We danced like nobody was watching.

We celebrated the first big Summer birthday!

We enjoyed spending time together.

We laughed a lot!

We took family walks.

My kids got candid!

An unusual visitor crawled across Lexie's foot, which scarred her for life.

We cooled off at the spray park with friends.

We logged in many hours on Papa and Nina's deck.

And we played at home.

We went swimming as often as possible.

We eagerly celebrated a 6th Birthday! (Birthday Interview and Recap to come!)

We bonded with extended family, had fun and got messy at our annual family reunion.

We explored our town.

We spent a week at our favorite place: Virginia Beach! (Yep...stillllll recapping.)

We celebrated the most special little boy's 4 trips around the sun!

We ended our Summer Break with a pool party to watch the eclipse!

And just like that, Summer Break came to an abrupt end when my kids headed back to school. It was a great Summer, and I sure am missing my days spent with my little tribe!