Driods, Declarations, and Drapes

It was another big week around here ... not that the title of this post would ever lead you to believe that, but it was. We began the week with a bang, and little mister passed his first karate test and earned his white belt! He had to remember seven words "Yes Sir, No Sir, Yes Ma'am, No Ma'am, Please, Thank You, and You're Welcome" and recite them all his own and he passed with flying colors!

 Lainey is currently cutting nearly every tooth in her little mouth and therefore has been a real peach when it comes to sleeping. Joy! Hubs and I planned a movie night and once we got the kids to bed he ran to the movie theater to get some popcorn to-go. Don't knock it til' you try it. It is TOTALLY worth it. But, little miss had other plans and woke up the moment he returned home. And she was pleasantly surprised to find one of her favorite snacks in the living room.

 Girl can CRUSH some popcorn.

 The next morning this little man woke up, put on my glasses and told me he was ready to go somewhere.

 But then he spied the leftover popcorn bucket and decided to polish it off before setting foot outside the house. Good thinking kid.

 And of course, baby sister was not going to miss out on a snack, regardless of how much she had consumed the night before.

 And then we set out for a fun filled day!

 And ended with our droid. Bennett watched Star Wars for the first time right before Christmas (in hindsight he was probably too young because it was certainly a little violent) and he has become OBSESSED. He only makes it about 1/2 of the way through, but he loves the first half and comments on everything Star Wars we see ALWAYS.

 We have had a ton of unseasonably warm days and therefore we've been taking lots of walks and bike rides. We managed to pack Bennett's bike but had forgotten his helmet (and there are some big hills he heads down wayyy fast) so I took him to Target and let him pick out a new helmet. Insert BB-8, the droid from The Force Awakens and Bennett's new alias. Which is mildly ironic because his PaPaw has called him BB since before he was even born. But, it's too cute and he loves to wear it everywhere - so we let it happen because it makes us all smile. Let them be little!

 Little bit joined me at the dentist this week and that made for quite an interesting appointment. Good thing she's cute.

 And afterward we toured what will likely be Bubby's school in a year or two. I could talk a lot on this topic, but I'll spare you all my details because I have a brain block when it comes to articulating what I'm trying to communicate. We were a bit early, so we lunched in the car. Man, I'm gonna miss my little sidekicks when they go to real school one day.

 We headed to a farewell dinner for Uncle Max and of course our droid, BB-8, attended as well.

 He's headed back to NYU for his final semester of Film School before heading off the Hollywood to make the big bucks. Lainey is in love.

 Two of my favorites right here folks.

 And there's another.

 We made a few mall trips to get an outfit together for the wedding we had Friday, and BB-8 joined us there as well.

 We made our way to a music class with one of my long-time girlfriends and her twin boys.

 Bennett created his own "movie fee-ater" in his room and "no grills (girls) are allowed".

 My cousin, Jordan, and his fiance, Rebecca, (bottom left -front row) were tying the knot Friday, so she invited a bunch of ladies to have some dinner before the big day.

 Hubs and I attended the UL game after that dinner too, but I failed to snag a pic. And then we made it to Friday ... and it was time for #HappilyEverDoepke

 My aunt gave the most fabulous speech she wrote about love and God's purposefulness of his creation of man and woman. He created man from the dirt, and woman from man's bone - and chose dirt all with such deliberate intent ... because life and love are messy. And you have to find your own happiness, love and life in the dirt. She did a heck of a lot better job than my Cliff Notes I just shared with you, but it resonated with me and I loved it.

 It was a great reflection, and fabulous way to view His creation. She's got a way with words my friends.

 And I got to snuggle this sweet thing! MaKenzie is due with her fifth baby on February 5 and still managed to make it all the way down to celebrate! She is a dream.

 Family lady love.

 Eeeeek!! So excited for them. They have four girls and have decided not to find out the sex of this baby. I'm thinking boy boy boy - all BOY!

 Reception was a dinner at one of my favorite places, Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse.

And it was family and fun and lots of food!

Saturday morning basketball came EARLY. It was team picture day and due to these behind the scenes shots I snapped, Bennett's are going to turn out great - HA!

 After the game, we played Humpty Dumpty on the walk to the car .. because well that's par for the course.

 And then the littlest (who was strange and pukey - unsure if it was food or something she ate) jumped on board the Droid wagon. This helmet is taking over our house!

 And we ended the weekend with a little Jesus in the morning, followed by taking down all of the drapes at the new house so we can try to make a little money off of them.

 Demo is set to begin this week and we are all SO EXCITED. Get us into the house alreaddyyyyyy.

 We wrapped with another family walk and we're refreshed and ready for a new week!

Happy Monday gang ~ and cheers from my coffee mug to yours.

What's Up Wednesday: June Edition

I took a two month hiatus, but I'm back this month a little What's Up Wednesday action. I'm technically a week early because the linkup is supposed to go up on the last Wednesday of the month ... but we have BUSY weekend, and busy week with the soon to be three year old and the Fourth of July (shewweeee) so I thought I'd stop on over today and post a bit early. As a reminder, I (try) check-in at the end of every month and let you know what's happening around this place. So here's What's Up Wednesday: June Edition where I cover these topics.

What I'm reminiscing about ... Hate to start out somber ... but I'm reminiscing A LOT about my grandmother. We received some unfortunate news about her health this week and it has me walking down memory lane on an hourly basis. If you recall, our sweet little Lainey is named after my grandmother, Elaine. They got to meet this year and it was the happiest of times. I've told you before, but I could get lost in my "I love my grandma tangents" for a long time. But for now I'm reminiscing about watching 'Lady and The Tramp' on her living room floor with a perfectly arranged picnic she made just for me. Or baking with her in my parent's kitchen when she would come to stay with us while my parents went out of town. And thinking of how she kept loom rings tied together hanging from her rear view mirror for nearly 20 years because it was a gift I made her in the second grade. She is a special lady and I love her with my whole heart.

What I'm loving ... life. Regular ole' grocery shopping, calling the dentist for an appoinment, changing diapers, swim lessons, eating too much food with friends, waking up early to feed the littles ... life. I had to take a brief two month hiatus a bit from that too and boy does it feel good to be back!

What we've been up to ... Life! Ha. Ironic I know. But the moment we were able to jump back in, boy did we ever. From weddings, to gals nights, the family nights, zoo visits with friends, dressing like your best friend (ahem Shane and Kevin), laughing with our friends, letting Bennett have the candy because it's summer, laughing with our kids. We're making it happen and trying our dangdest to make the most of summer. And this week we've been planning a little man's third birthday (I swear only yesterday we were celebrating his first birthday)!

What I'm dreading ... the heat. It is SO HOT in Nashville ya'll. I realize it's way hotter on the west coast, but man you walk outside and practically melt! I could use a little cool down for a few days.

What I'm working on ... Baptism + Birthday. The two B's for the weekend! Party planning mode in full effect begins tomorrow. Watch out people, I'm a lady on a mission.

What I'm excited about ... The party of course! We've had a lot of knocks lately and I'm excited to have people come to our house for something to celebrate! Plus Bennett is so excited and keeps talking about "his birfday party when he is free (three)" and I can't wait to see him when everything is all set up. And some birthday presents have already started arriving in the mail and if it's any indication of how he will react to his present's I'm excited. Plus little Lainey in her baptismal gown, eeeks! All the cuteness.

What I'm watching/reading ... My bible study group starts up tomorrow night and we are reading Love Does this month. I also had two new daily devotional books shipped my way, and I still haven't made my way all the way through The Nest yet. So much reading, so little time :)

What I'm listening to ... The Three Little Pigs (insert chuckle and eye roll). Bennett has halfway moved on from his love for Humpty Dumpty and is settling into a nice Three Little Pigs obsession. His GoGo (my mom) sent him an early birthday gift with a plush set of the three little pigs, the big bad wolf, and all of their houses ... complete with picture storybook and CD-Rom (that sounds so 90's) of the book on tape. The other day I was bribing him to do something and promised to take the CD with us to swim lessons and he could listen to it the whole way there. Big mistake. Huge. It is now on repeat SO often in the car I might actually cry if I have to hear the little pigs again. But on the flipside is equally adorable and it could be terrible rap music that I'll probably have to suffer through in 10 years ... so I'm going to let this one be. For a little bit anyway.

What I'm wearing ... Yoga pants and maxi skirts. I'm still covering up my leg for the most part and am rocking a compression sock ... so the length keeps things under wraps (literally) ha!

What I'm doing this weekend ... We've got Bennett's buddies birthday party Friday. Saturday we're doing some more party prep of our own. Saturday night a lot of our guests will be arriving into town. And Sunday we wake up bright and early for the baptism and come home to celebrate the little man!

What I'm looking forward to next month ... Nothing, and I love it! We've had A LOT going on ya'll. And really we need to settle a little bit. We need to focus back into our little nucleus and get back on track. Life is moving at a fast pace and we need to embrace it and just let things be for a little. It's time to play. Time to enjoy summer. Time to enjoy our kids and this season of life.

What else is new ... we celebrated an abbreviated Father's Day this weekend, and the kids gifted Shane with a new tent, sleeping bags and lantern. They mentioned something about daddy taking them camping in the back yard?! I can't wait to see how this one plays out next month. I promise to share extra coverage on that story. Wink wink!