Schooool's out for summer!

Yep, I've been humming that tune all day because why? Bronwen's school year ended today and summer has officially begun! Bronwen and Ava began the festivities by putting on their favorite dog and cat costumes in the backyard (love the slots in their tricycles "for their tails," as Ava told me). In case you're wondering, yes, they have regular bikes, but they're in the garage so they won't rust over with our surplus of rain.

Next up, we headed out to a nearby lake and had fun playing, visiting the ducks and making sand-castles. Man how I love summer!

Father's Day Photoshoot

Today we had the first sunny day in a week! What does that mean? Photo making time! I broke out the tripod and took some pictures for a collage I'm making Conrad for Father's Day. Here are some of my favorites -enjoy!

Kitchen Remodel Complete!

What's the best thing to do when you pull your house off the market? Remodel of course! Last week completed the painful month-long process of remodeling our kitchen. We had the granite and slate backsplash professionally installed, but I did the cabinets, island, faucet and helped Con with the lights. The only thing left is crown molding -yeah! The improvement is 100%! For those of you planning on remodeling in the future, the process takes a toll on your sanity (especially if you like things clean and organized) almost as large as the toll on your wallet. :-p

Be There for Family and Friends

Last week my sister, Bianca, texted me, asking if I wanted to go to her college graduation. This amazing lady finished her BS in 3.5 years (in December), and decided she wanted to attend the Spring ceremony. At first I texted back, "no," because Bronwen had assessments the following week, and the trip would require her to miss school on Monday. The more I thought about it though, my heart sank. I kept thinking to myself, if you can't count on your family to support and represent you, who can you count on? Suddenly I thought, "This is crazy -I'm not going to miss her graduation! Surely I can make arrangements." And, so I did (Bronwen's teacher postponed her testing to Tuesday).

As soon as I found out we could go, I called up Bianca and said, "Are you sure you can get more tickets?!" She was sooo happy, and I was so happy! The girls and I went, and even with three kids under the age of 6, we had a great time during the ceremony, and an even better time at the barbeque. Best of all, we didn't miss out!

The thing is, we are all busy, and can always come up with an excuse as to why we can't be at one function, either for family or friends, or the other. The sad part is that when we don't go, we miss out. We miss out on the fun and on the opportunity to really be there for the ones we love. This is especially sad when it's for brothers and sisters. I mean I look at my little girls who are the best of friends, and think it would break my heart if they weren't there for each other as adults. So, my challenge to everyone who reads this is to find every reason to try and be there for your friends and family instead of every excuse as to why you can't. Trust me, you'll be happy you did!

I love you Bianca, and thank you for inviting us (and thank you, Dad, for listening to the nonstop baby crying on the way back haha)!