Recently

Recently, and in no particular order, we've been...

Enjoying long shadows at the end of long days.

Spending some parts of our summer learning.

Accidentally giving energy drinks to a certain 5 year old.

Making instagram videos.

#caffeinatedkid "I'm not top heavy" on repeat (in reference to a top heavy LaLaloopsy doll). This has been going on for almost 10 minutes. #sendbackup #prayforusall by @fourschneiders

Composing ditties.

New hit: "Strong baby, strong baby, don't drop it on your toes." by @fourschneiders

Showing off for the wee ones.

Putting mama-made twirl skirts to work.

Seizing mama's phone and playing with photo apps.

JOSIE-MADE

 Enjoying summer's finest blooms.

Chasing fireflies.

#chasingfireflies by @fourschneiders


Taking sweaty naps with old friends.

Happily enjoying our 6th month as vegetarians!

Cuddling at every turn.

Having impromptu family fiestas!

Going on morning family bike rides.

Discovering ponds.

 Braking for playgrounds.

Getting dizzy.

Picking wildflowers.

Climbing towers in the sunshine.

 Sizzling.

Passing out after a long day.

Cuddling some more.

Wanting time to ourselves.

Loving my job.

Appreciating the little things.

Making big summer plans for "Thaings To Do" on rainy summer days.

Sneaking out for time jalapeno margaritas and time with this sweet boy.

Discovering favorite new restaurants.

Trail-blazing in the backyard with DD.

Visiting with long-time friends.

Being resourceful.

Identifying and sketching birds that visit our feeder.

Running in the rain.

Playing "fairy" at sunrise.

Having pool play dates.

Using our imaginations.

Being totally silly.

Acting two.

Keeping it real.

Worshipping the sun.

Enjoying our patio after hours.

Scoring new treasures passed on to us from anonymous benefactors.

Staying hydrated.

Meeting with our monthly mother-daughter book club.

Creating masterpieces.

Slowing down when necessary.

Converting the patio to a young artist studio.

Growing epic orchids.

Kicking it old school.

Improvising when we skip naptime.

Creating summer goodies from scratch.

Sharing.

Cuddling some more.

 Playing together all day, every day.

Becoming regulars.

Reconnecting with old friends.

Rocking braids in hair that's been seen by more chlorine than shampoo.

Passing out with a good book.

Doing things "by yourself."

Slippin', Slidin' & Sippin' home brews.

Celebrating.

Chasing the super moon.

Being at the pool when the gates open.

Soaking it up.

Chillin'.

Making banana icecream.

Giving in.

Visiting mama in the office with matching outfits.

Appreciating the fleeting moments.

Watching them grow.

Saying good-bye to June & hello to July. What have you been doing recently?

Mama Morning: Contemporary Arts Center

"Come Follow Me" was our favorite exhibit.

Because I work for a company based in Seattle, we established "West Coast Wednesdays" and they're a total win-win.  On these days, I work from 11:30-7:30pm EST. So, I get the mornings with my girlies and my work peeps get me available later in PST work day.  It works out great.  The girls call them "Mama Mornings." Something about having even a few hours one day a week to really be intentional about planning time for the three of us makes each Wednesday super special. It's a great way to break up the work week for me - and a great way to break up 5 days of childcare for them.  So, when I write the book on "Achieving Work/Life Balance," you can bet that there will be a chapter on "West Coast Wednesdays."

To kick off a summer of Wednesdays, we tried something new on our first week of Josie's summer. (Up til now "Mama Mornings" have largely been spent with Bea at the zoo - her regular pick.) We headed to the Contemporary Art Center downtown. It had been years since we went to the CAC. It was SUPER fun and we can't wait to go back!!

Here are the highlights. We started with a romp through Fountain Square in the early morning. It was blissful. There were lots of conversations that started with "Mama, tell me about when this used to be our backyard."

Then it was time to get our modern art on!

Enthralled with a video about the 'paper airplane' installation behind them

Before we left, we made some of our own masterpieces.

One highlight of our trip was the "screaming room". Good clean fun! **Make sure you hover & click over the top left corner to turn on the audio.**

Now get your buns to the CAC!