Summer fun!

Yes, I know it's Fall. I also know I have been the worst blogger ever.
Just wanted to catch up on some of our summer fun so I won't forget it.

We had so much fun participating in our first cow appreciation day. I can't believe we have never done this before. It was fantastic! I learned a few things that I won't repeat next year though. Like, NEVER use black glitter on shirts again. We all know I am a fan of glitter and don't mind the mess but this black glitter was overboard. It is still in my car and seems to keep growing. We made our shirts say EAT MORE CHICKEN AND SPARKLE ON! I soon realized that Chickfila spells their words wrong. I'm the worst at spelling so I would have been all over misspelled words. Next year.

We went for lunch with some sweet friends and then went back for dinner when Bob got home.

Ella and her sweet friend Maggie did and art class together and created the most beautiful Pup Picasso painting. 

They also did an art camp at a local church that was so fun. It's so crazy that Ella is old enough to be dropped off at summer camps. So bittersweet. Everyone got a free shirt the first day that was a huge size. We had fun cutting it shorter and bedazzling it with some fun beads.

Ella and McKenna did a Frozen camp together at the dance studio they take at. This was the first time they could be in the same class and it was so fun. They loved getting to go together. At the end of the week, we got to come watch their dance they had been learning. It was the kind of cute that makes your jaw hurt from smiling so big. Love my little Frozen sisters.

Ella finally learned how to blow a bubble! She was beyond excited and so proud of herself. She is a bubble blowing machine now.

We took a much needed Midland trip to visit some of the best of friends. It was a true Casa Grande reunion.

McKenna was in baby heaven with sweet Boone. We took a Then & Now picture of McKenna and Cooper. So crazy to see how much they have grown.

We dyed the girls tips with red kool-aid while we were in Midland too! Ella has a new found obsession with American Girl Dolls and wanted to be just like Isabelle with her pink tips. The kool-aid method worked awesome! I just mix one pack of dark cherry with one cup of hot water. Then held her tips in it for 5 minutes. We didn't wash it out, just let it air dry. It stayed in for almost 2 weeks. It did fade and get lighter but it looked so cool. McKenna's didn't show up because her hair was too dark I guess.

We swam a lot this summer. Ella has got the swimming thing down and almost a dive. McKenna has got the puddle jumper thing down.

We went Peach picking in Fredericksburg one day and it was so much fun. The peaches were amazing, we ate them for weeks.

We played with cousins and celebrated summer birthdays with multiple piñatas and banners.


We took the girls to a baseball game and made sure they got to experience all the ballpark food.

We went to the skating rink a couple of times. Always a fun adventure there!

I gave the girls their first job opportunity to earn some cash. 2 dollars a piece for picking up dog poop. The first time was hilarious. They were racing around trying to get as much as they good and were so excited every time they found some. It was like an easter egg hunt. But not. Ella loves getting the chance to earn 2 bucks a week and gladly does it. McKenna mostly turns the job down.

We had afternoon tea with JoJo and Poppa as they passed through town one day.

Had multiple "baby showers" for McKenna's dolls. This is one of her favorite things to do right now and it is beyond precious. She picks out a few things from their toys and wraps them up herself. She will put some food and drinks on the table and then invite Ella and I to come to her baby shower. She gives us one of the wrapped presents to then give back to her so she can open it for her baby. We sit and talk about her baby and all the things she does. It's pretty funny. I have got to get one on video before she grows out of this stage.

Bob and I were invited to an adult party during the last weekend of summer. We haven't gone to many of these so we were so excited! The friends that were throwing the party have the last name White so the invite said A White Party, where white if you want. Of course the if part was a total no brainer for me. We love a theme and went all out. I wore my actual wedding dress and we found Bob a white tuxedo on Amazon for 30 bucks! It was so much fun! I was defiantly the only one in my wedding dress but I had no regrets. It was a fun night out.

Even busted out the Nike shocks I wore at my wedding.

Then we ended the summer with some back to school haircuts and blow-dry by aunt Anna. McKenna brought in her doll that she wanted to match again.

All this feels like so long ago! So glad I got it blogged before my mom brain could even go back that far. Now onto some more recent posts...

Hall's Pumpkin Patch

We met the Harrisons at Hall's pumpkin patch a few weekends ago and it was a blast.

And the corn maze was no joke.  We felt truly victorious when we made it through (after asking for someone to literally lead us out.  Either way, victory is victory if you're lost and afraid you may run out of diet coke and become too dehydrated and its getting dark.  It was touch and go.)

They had a hay ride and we fed the animals and the kids ate it up.
We went to their house afterwards and shea and aves could not get enough of that gorgeous baby dylan.  I dont think shea ever left him alone.  She was all ahhhh and ohhhh and so many kisses the kid was wet with drool.  I love her passionate spirit.  We may just have to tame it.  She is definitely a lover.

On the way home, shea was crying and avery is usually the one who sits next to her and consoles her. She does an incredible job.  She plays with her and sings to her and gives her everything she wants.  She is always patient and always so sweet.
But on the way home, shea would not give it up.  When I looked back I saw Aves with huge tears just streaming down her cheeks.  She was so upset that she couldn't make shea happy and it just broke my heart.  I am so thankful for siblings and for ones that never hurt or pain to come on each other.  It isn't always rainbows and no fights, but I always want to remember how heart wrenching it was watching her care for shea that night.
So thankful for sisters- mine that didnt live in my house but came in the form of friends and my kids who hopefully will support and encourage each other their entire lives.  And share clothes.  Isn't that the best part of sisters??!

Banff and Lake Louise for the big 10 year

Jeff and I were soooo completely and incredibly lucky to go to Banff and Lake Louise in Canada for our 10 year anniversary.
I had kind of been having a bummer summer attitude and wasn't really feeling doing anything big for our anniversary and my mom and Christopher wouldn't let it go.  They were so great at encouraging Jeff and I to go and celebrate and I could not be more grateful.  After seeing Caroline's sisters pics when she went with her husband on instagram, I commented to them that that would be a beautiful place to go. They both jumped on it and helped us plan the coolest trip to one of the most beautiful places on earth.  I truly can not stress or put on paper how gorgeous it is.  The glacial milk comes down from the glacier and it is a turquoise color.  The lake is truly turquoise.  It is unbelievable.  That milk streams down the Bow river and the entire river is turquoise and clear.  So ridiculous.
We took caroline's sisters advice and tried to do everything they had done.
And it was all awesome.  I mean who gets to go to canada on their anniversary and see glacial milk?! I cant get over it.
Before we left Christopher and my mom made an entire itinerary and Christopher and Tiff made us a whole backpack full of fun stuff to have with us.  It was so personal and so perfect.


It was about an hour and a half drive to Banff from the airport and we stopped along the way to take pics of everything because it was so gorgeous.  I keep saying gorgeous but truly, it was.  We had no idea that this was just the tip of the preverbal (and real) ice burg.
Once we got there our view was incredible.

And Banff is the cutest town.

Get ready for an insane amount of selfies.  We were excited.
Then we went into town, ate pizza and bought souvenirs for the kids.
The next morning we hiked up to see the waterfalls.

and took self timer pics of ourselves some more.


We accidentally went off the beaten path, but made it back in one piece and was only spotted once peeing in the woods.
After that, we drove to Lake Louise to spend the rest of our time there.

And its just a postcard in action.


We hiked around the lake first thing and it was, you know it, so gorgeous.


The glacial silt that comes down looks like sand so it looks like a beach, but its not.  What the what??


We relaxed for dinner and just enjoyed the view.


The next day we went on this gondola ride where there are supposedly bears that you can see from the ride up and then you can hike around.

We had fun but we did not see any bears.
But the view didnt hurt.

They had a little museum up at the top where we read about all the animals that live on the mountain.
Very interesting.

Afterwards we went hiking up to see the ink pots  Ink pots are little ponds where water comes up from the ground and they are all different shades of blue and green.  They are also like 6 miles up from the bottom of the mountain.
I usually am up for all kinds of strenuous activity and love a good sweat, but I am kind of lazy on vacation.  It is the only time that I can really relax and not feel guilty.  So, to be honest, I could have stayed in the room and watched ER.  I mean, Im glad I didnt.  Im just saying I needed a little push to keep going.

The first part of the hike is very family friendly and you just walk up a catwalk with tons of asian tourists.  (Im sure its not always the case, but while we were there thats pretty much who we were with).


Theres a lower falls and an upper falls and they are both breathtaking.
That was where I would have turned back.  But thanks to the encouragement of my husband I was able to force myself to get up to the ink pots.

And they were also very, very cool.
I was glad I did it.

That night we celebrated at an amazing restaurant in the Fairmont with incredible fondue. It was melt in your mouth cheese.

Im full just thinking about that little bowl of hot cheese.
The last day we fly fished down the Bow River and it was even more gorgeous than I could have dreamt.  Just clear and beautiful and brown trout everywhere (I mean not everywhere.  I only caught like three..)



Look at this stud.
He caught a lot more than three.
Then we he headed home to see the babies and I was SO READY that I could have busted.  It was such an incredible trip and I am so so so thankful to everyone who helped make it all possible for us to be alone and have so much fun.  It was relaxing and energizing and rejuvenating and all of those ing verbs, but it was so much fun to see those smiling (or crying, shea was crying to show me she was mad I left.  For like 30 min) faces of my babies.
Best anniversary ever.