it only comes once a year // my b-day in photos

the older we get, the less & less excited we get about our birthdays, amiright?  i'm pretty much at that age where another year older isn't really something i'm super excited about.  i'm legit in my mid-thirties now which is pretty much where i think i'd stay forever if i could.  the thirties are great.  but since forty is the new thirty maybe there's nothing to fear about seeing another birthday come & go.  and like my mom always says, "aging is a privilege."  so one might as well do it gracefully, right?

it's our tradition on birthdays to just do fun family stuff of the birthday person's choice.  for me that was a morning hike with my favorite adventure squad, lunch at por que no, some shopping, a quick photo shoot with the boys (we've done this three of the last four years & it's become one of my favorite "birthday gifts" from them) & of course, cake & ice cream.  it was a great day.

here's to growing one year older & wiser, too.

SEPT 1-10 // our week in photos

our week:

--> after school hangs on the playground
--> roadtrip to pullman for a wsu game
--> time in spokane with great-grandpa & a bonus visit with grandma & grandpa
--> new chucks
--> elliot's first day of school, which means more trail runs for me & brooks
--> constant darth vader dress up while parker's at school
--> pinball game night at pinball outreach project
--> neighborhood block party which means roads are fair game!

house tour // the boys' room pt. II

we're at just over two years in this house & the boys' room remains probably my favorite in the house.

last time i shared a tour of this room elliot was in a crib & the room didn't need to hold quite as much stuff.  now we have two big boy beds & a year & a half's worth more toys & clothes to hold.  and now i'm toying with the idea of bunk beds... when i told sam i think the boys would love bunk beds he's like "well of course, it's been a year with these beds, obviously time to get new stuff."  classic sam.  he's being sarcastic if you can't tell.  so i'm going to try to hold out another year with this set up before we get serious about bunk beds.

for now i love this room the way it is.  it's so cozy & when things are picked up & put in their place, it's just so cute.  it gets messy fast but it also cleans up quickly since we try to have a place for everything.  the boys have made their own touches here & there... stickers on their nightstands, their drawings on the chalkboard & the toys they choose as their "leave outs" for the night.

my mom has made a few contributions... she made the boys the big "P" & "E" letters for above their beds & she also helped the boys paint the sticks that are in the corner & glue on pom-poms this summer.  it makes for a fun organic addition to the room, haha.

so for now, the phase that comes after the crib & before bunk beds... here is the boys' room.  sources listed below.

dresser: IKEA
nightstand: IKEA
bed: craigslist (old IKEA hemnes model)
dinosaur wall art: etsy
quilts: target
duvets: pottery barn kids
sheets: target
quilt: gifted
stool: IKEA
shelves: IKEA
whicker baskets: target
cardboard deer: jo-ann crafts
vintage toy trucks: flea market
world clock: IKEA
closet organizers & baskets: target
globe: craigslist
parker self portrait: parker
elliot's blanket: gifted
paint color: white dove by benjamin moore
chalkboard paint: benjamin moore

our august in photos

our august was a pretty amazing end to a great summer.  there are a few parts of the month that could be posts in themselves but in the interest in someday trying to blog present day events, we're just gonna photo dump here.

august was full of beach trips, ice cream cones, hikes, a week long visit from my mom, elliot's fourth birthday, countless bike rides to the park & parker starting first grade.  we had lots of hot weather & trips to the pool & running through the hose.  we got a lot in this summer & were just about ready for school to start by the end.  i mean at least i was.

i'm gonna try to start posting my p365 photos every now & then as the weeks go by... we'll see how this goes.  here are my favorites from august!