our fourth of july!

happy 4th of July from us!

we did our usual parade-ing in old town, Abel slept in like a teenager + we still follow the rule of never waking sleeping children in our house, so we actually missed the parade part, but walked old town + enjoyed a small outing together. this was our first holiday with isla, and she, being the sweetest ever, made it even sweeter. THREE KIDS. FAMILY OF FIVE. sweeter than pie. 

^^^my new favorite overexposed picture ever

after we outed, we came home + had a restful afternoon. the kids played in the backyard + in the sprinklers, we snacked, and I looked around and thanked my lucky stars for all of the blessing in our lives. 

we finished out the day by hosting our first family gathering in our finished backyard + the kids had a go at poppers + sparklers for the first time, which was a major hit. I'm grateful for the love we have around us on a daily basis + for holidays + grilling + green grass + for today and the no plans that we have set.

eenie meenie miney mo, 8 gorgeous sunsets in a row...

we're over here enjoying life with a new member! so you can enjoy our sunsets while we are away! 

...these photos were all actually taken on the same night. every time i'd look out the window it would have changed + was even more beautiful! at one point it rained + was sooooo gorgeous, we had atleast 7 drop bys for picture taking on our little corner... thank you Jesus! 

the peonies that just wouldn't quit.

these were the prettiest blooms in history.
history people.
this post of only these photos has been sitting in my drafts folder since may of LAST YEAR, when said blooms were given to me by my most wonderful husband... well, now felt like a great time to go ahead + share it because well, peonies foreverrrrrrr.

our weekend in little squares

we had the happiest little weekend here. probably the last one of only the four of us... riiiiight baby? weekends are for breakfast, always... + this weekend consisted of all fun, no work + lots of fellowship. we spent majority of every day out in the sunshine, every night on a patio grilling, whether it was ours or someone else's, stayed thirty minutes after church talking with new friends, and the only house work that was done was mowing + mopping, and those two things happened simultaneously on saturday while the kids napped. hooray for weekends. 

^^^how happy am i for little friends?! + if their parents are wonderful too, that is an even bigger win.

 ^^^abel requests "just mommy + abel time" lately, and it's the sweetest thing. i hope i can have one on one time with all of my kiddos all the time, even if it's only for short little time slots.

^^^finished the weekend off at the splash pad. oh how i love little todd bods in swimsuits + those smiles. forever + ever, amen.