A Weekend Trip to Estes Park

This feels like forever ago now, even though it was only a few weeks ago! I forgot I had uploaded the photos here + it just needed writing, oops. 

We went to Estes Park! Just our little family of five. 

It's important to me to start forging our own traditions + doing stuff with just our family some! We love people + we love sharing experiences + memories, but I feel more of a push in the direction of keeping some things special just between the five of us too. This can be tough because we don't ever want to hurt feelings, and it's Chris' natural instinct to invite others along, but we've only ever loved the times that we've done it. It feels simple and good.

Chris came home from work on Friday + said let's go to Estes! Done. We went up for two days + a night, stayed at the cabins I stayed in as a teenager, hot tubbed + played games with the kids, ate pizza + cookies for dinner, fished, tried new restaurants, hugged Belle + went to Laura's. Wins all around. These four humans are my favorite.

Hillary's Favorite Berry-Butter Smoothie

Hello! Today I bring to you a smoothie recipe! 

You know, to balance out the homemade popcorn recipe I shared here recently :) 

Chris had a smoothie similar to this one while he was traveling once + got all of the things to make it + i was super skeptical. I love berries + i love peanut butter, but together I wasn't sure. I tried it, and now I make this smoothie like three times a week, it's so so good!

Hillary's Favorite Berry-Butter Smoothie  \\

1 handful frozen raspberries

1 handful frozen blueberries

1 apple

1 glob of peanut butter

1 spoonful greek yogurt (optional, sometimes we are out + I don't notice a difference)

a dash (or three) of cinnamon

big splash almond milk

...blend...

E N J O Y

Easter Weekend!

I hope you had a lovely Easter Weekend, and have taken the truth of the resurrection into your week as not just an event that happened, and a day to celebrate it, but MORE, a continued celebration... resurrection power that frees us every single day of our lives! Praise!!!! I love Easter. Over the past few years it's crept up on my favorites list, past Halloween + is giving Christmas a run for it's money.

Our weekend consisted of Good Friday church, an egg hunt + brunch on Saturday, easter baskets + church + a day filled with this little fam of mine on Sunday. Here are the 8 billion pictures of the kids I love the most, as well as some little detail shots, because i love the way details make me feel like more a part of the story. xoxo

^^^Annual Mill City Church Easter Photo :)

^^^we dyed brown eggs this year! i never thought to try because I figured they wouldn't turn out, but LOOK! Bold, beautiful colors! Not sure I'll buy white again now.

S   U   N   D   A   Y

 These pictures below are IT. I haven't gotten a picture of all three of my kids since Isla was a newborn really! Lots of lifestyle kinds, but none of three sweet faces looking straight at my camera smiling. I love these, I love them.

^^^Easter's Sunset, OUTSTANDING, it felt fitting. 

Easter the last few years HERE, HERE + HERE

little love letters

dear spring, 

i see you. you're making your way, slowly but surely. keep it coming.

dear emma,

i miss you friend! thank you for taking care of my heart from far away! if you hadn't have already had my love + friendship, you totally would've bought it with this sweet package.

dear sisters, 

thank you for YOU! can't imagine a life without you + thanking my lucky stars every single night for the gift of our friendship.

dear preschool, 

you can't have abel. choose another child.

dear march, 

HOW did you get here so quickly?! wasn't christmas yesterday?

dear isla, 

i could squeeze you too tight, you're my favorite baby in the whole wide world. i love you forever.

dear reader, 

i hope you are having a truly splendid day. i hope it's sunny + warm where you are, and if it's not, i hope you have a cozy fire + a cup of coffee near by.

dear God, 

thank you for my life. thank you for every breath i breathe, for the husband you have so graciously given me. thank you for our sweet kids... ours for keeps?! for real?! thank you forever, for everything, always, amen.

dear anthropologie, 

why don't you believe in legit sales + why are ALL of your home goods on my wish list?

dear travel, 

i hear you calling. husband trips, family trips, girls trips. i hear you.

dear preschool, 

i mean it. you can't have abel. choose another child.

dear lucy, 

tell me you're ready for ballet one more time + i just might HAVE to sign you up. you're the most precious girl, with a most precious name. i love you.

dear clementine,

thank you for this gorgeous artwork. i love it with every last bit of me! you are so talented + i love your name + i love your sister even more(and that's saying something because i really love your name!) thank you thank you thank you!

Homemade Popcorn!

A month or so ago, while Chris was out of town, I had the idea to dust off our popcorn maker + make a batch of homemade popcorn with the kids. I just knew they would have fun pouring stuff in + turning the handle + hearing the kernels pop, and it'd be a fun activity to get us closer to bedtime with Chris away. I was right.

We received our popcorn maker as a wedding gift + at the time I remember not being overly enthusiastic about it... because 22 + the microwave duh. Seriously rolling my eyes at that SO much now though. We used it a couple times as newlyweds, but it mostly just took up space in our cabinet. But now?! NOW, i totally get it. The sweet people who gave it to us were FAMILY FAMILY people. They are so great + they have great kids + they love each other well + they knew when they bought this gift what it could look like a few years after 22 + freshly married. Guys, it hasn't been put back in the cabinet a single time since we pulled it out. This is partially because dishes... + hand washables at that... but MOSTLY because i know we are going to use it again the next night, so even it if gets washed right away, I'll just set it right back on the stove. This has been the best ever, SUCH a fun tradition to start with our kids. I hope they only ever know homemade popcorn!

First we bought the movie theater butter + all the fix-ins. This is the kids favorite way to have it. I think mostly because they like to pick which color bottle they'll use + sprinkle their own.

We usually pop our kernels in coconut oil, and Mine + Chris' favorite way to season it is using melted butter + a little bit of salt! So, so delicious!!

This reminds me... Since we are talking popcorn again on this blog, check out THIS recipe, which would probably be extra delicious to make using homemade popcorn, when you're wanting a sweets fix. Now I'm off to find the perfect popcorn bowl, THESE look cute... Happy popping!