Happy Friday, friends! I hope it’s been a great week for you. It was an exciting one over here. We had a lot going on but it was fun celebrating a special little boy and having the opportunity to travel a bit for this blog. It was one of those weeks that left me feeling really thankful on so many levels. Thankful for my son’s birthday, even though some days are harder knowing how fast he’s growing, thankful for Eric and my mom who watched the boys while I was away, and thankful for this little space of mine and the opportunities it has opened up for me. When I hit publish over five years ago on a silly welcome post I would have never imagined all that was to come.
Here’s a look at some of my favorites from the week…
Washington DC:
If you caught my stories then you might have seen that I was in DC for an opportunity with the American Red Cross. 14 of us bloggers had the privilege of being invited to visit their corporate headquarters and learn more about their mission, the different service they provide, and bringing community together. I look forward to sharing more about my experience with all of you over the next few weeks. I wanted to open it up to you to see if you have any questions about the Red Cross that I can try to address in my upcoming posts? I know that in the past social media has really laid into them and there have been a lot of rumors circling. What I can say is, this experience was so much better than I ever thought it would be. It was nice to have the education and knowledge about the services they offer and how we can all play a part in getting involved more.
We also got to explore more of DC on our time that we were there. We took a nighttime trolley tour around the city that was beautiful to see throughout sunset. We got to see all of the major monuments and landmarks. A big highlight for me was being able to stand right where Dr. Martin Luther King gave his speech. It was kind of a surreal moment. The pictures at night just didn’t do it justice. It was nice though to not have the distractions of trying to document everything and really enjoy and appreciate the moment for what it was.
Birthday Boy:
This big guy celebrated his 4th birthday on a Monday. I know all of us moms can relate that time does not stand still for our little ones. I’ve always referred to him on here as “little nugget” but I’m thinking I might need to start dropping the “little” soon. I had plans of ordering pizza and taking him out somewhere special but he had other ideas of how he wanted to celebrate. He wanted to stay home to do water balloons, ride his quad, and eat chicken fingers and french fries. And that’s exactly what we did. Of course topped off with some cake and extra special birthday gifts. We celebrated with a carnival party for him over the weekend (you can read more if you missed it) and had a blast watching him smile and have fun. Side note, those colorful pennant flags are still hanging in my backyard and I’m not at all mad about it.
How Does Your Garden Grow:
I’m happy to say we have vegetation over here! We weren’t sure if our plants were actually going to produce anything this year. Surprise, surprise, we got our first cucumber! Better late than never, right? Our zucchini and cucumber plants had tons of flowers on them all summer long, but none of them were changing over into the vegetable. Now, it looks like we have a few more forming. Hopefully we’ll get more than one this year. I’m not banking on it though. I’ve already considered our pepper and tomato plants a lost cause. I’m determined that next year will be the year for my garden. Although, I somehow seem to be saying that every year. One of these years it has to change at some point, hopefully.
Library Time:
I love that the boys enjoy visiting our local library but we’re still working on those library voices. They get so excited to play on the computers and pick out a new book. Our library has a kids section with some toys, and puzzles for the kids to enjoy. This little man made himself right at home. Why is he looking so big? I wish I would have paid attention to this sooner because our library offers free passes for so many things around us. They offer it all year long so now we’ll be taking advantage of it, but it would have been great to try and go more over the summer. I always forget the library has so much to offer. If you haven’t checked yours out in awhile, see if they have a similar program that you can take advantage of.
Favorite Finds:
School doesn’t start until after Labor Day around here and I’d be lying if I said we were set on back to school shopping. I’m going to be venturing into the mall with the boys in the next few weeks (wish me luck). Their pants sizes have been so difficult for me. I’ve mentioned before that A needs the length but the waist is always the tough part on him. I’ve heard great things about these karate stretch jeans for boys. Has anyone else tried them? They’re on major sale right now. If you’re also looking to stock up on summer things for next year, or even now, make sure you check out this kids clearance sale. Do you have kids that are in between sizes? What are some of your favorite back to school shops?
I know we still have a few weeks left of summer, and I’m not rushing it by any means, but I did pick up a longer cardigan this week and I love it. I’ve already worn it with shorts on a cooler night. I also have my eye on this colorblock one and have heard good things about it.
I hope you have a great weekend!
