{iPhone Rewind} :: June

They have been pulling out this math game on their own...and they think it's fun! I call that a homeschool mom win! ;)

We have a full raspberry harvest!

We're shocked the deer haven't found them yet, and we have been enjoying these sweet treats in our backyard :)

Aiden lost his first tooth! It was an emotional roller coaster of a day {we were excited, and then we were fearful, and then we were sad to lose such a faithful tooth companion, and then we were brave and excited again}, but it finally came out and we geared up for the next one!

Mike ended up with Covid when we got back from Texas, and we did our best to quarantine, but Maddie ended up with a fever and going down for a couple of days. Thankfully it didn't last long, but poor thing was pretty pitiful for a bit...

Eli has really taken an interest in geography recently...I need to brush up on my map skills ;)

Summer is in full swing, and we are loving our time at the pool!

A sweet friend gifted us some Raddish boxes, and we have been enjoying honing our cooking skills

The deer are back! They found the berries in our backyard, and this doe paused long enough for Maddie to wave a "hello!" :)

Watching these two play games is fairly entertaining...the opposite personalities...at least until the frustrations rise ;)

We're doing some math review this summer...can you tell who is the least excited??

We kicked off our Women's Summer Book Club! Love these women and their hearts to stay connected with each other and God's Word :)

Father's Day 2024

For Father's Day, we got to celebrate Mike for a few minutes before he headed off to church. The kids were overly excited to give their gifts to him. We were in the grocery store, and Eli stopped me and said, "Mommy! We have to get these for Daddy!" He spotted some spicy Pringles and he knew that his Daddy might enjoy them ;)

Each of the kids had made their own special cards for Mike, with their own special artwork, and they each had to take the time to explain their designs. There were fun drawings and stickers and cutouts.

The main gift we gave Mike was personalized socks with the kids artwork! The kids each drew a special design, I submitted it to DivvyUp Socks, and they put the designs on a pair of socks. The kids were SO proud of their designs and couldn't wear for Daddy to wear them. And of course, their sweet Daddy was happy to oblige ;)

The individual designs, per our little artists:

Eli's guitar design

Maddie's Daddy-Maddie design

Aiden's Daddy-Aiden design

Happy Father's Day to our favorite guy! Thank you for loving our kids well, and for being the best Daddy!

A Week with Old {and New} Friends

This past week, some sweet old friends came to visit! The Lilleys have been on a cross-country family vacation, and one of their stops was D.C. - and we were more than excited to see old friends! Of course, old for me and Mike, but it was new friends for our kids, which was also such a sweet thing to have our kids spend time together. 

On Sunday, we had them over for dinner and the Mavs game, and it was good to catch up and have our kids meet! Some of them had actually met last summer when we were in Texas, but this was the first time they had actually had the chance to spend time together. And I love how kids become instant best friends, inviting each other to their birthday parties ;)

Aiden living his best life {again} - watching the Mavs and staying up past his bedtime :)

On Monday, we headed into D.C. for some museum fun! We rode the Metro, which was a fun adventure for the kids. Poor Aiden tripped in the parking garage at the train station and skinned his knees pretty bad, so he had a rough ride in, but once we got him some bandaids and in the museums with friends, he seemed to perk up.

We started the day at the Natural History Museum, and then enjoyed a picnic lunch by the Washington Monument, while the kids played "an epic game of tag" :)

We then went to see the transportation exhibit at the American History Museum, which was really cool! We didn't see the rest of the museum {and will have to go back}, because we had timed-entry tickets for the Air & Space Museum.

It was pretty crowded, so it was hard to see a lot of the exhibits, and I can't decide if I even liked it. I'm so used to the museum in Chantilly {which we go to all the time}, and I think I'm partial to it. After, we let the kids enjoy some of the most expensive ice cream cones they will ever eat to wrap up the day! ;)

Later in the week, the boys got to go to the zoo with the Lilleys. Maddie had been sick the day before, so we wanted her to stay back and rest. She was sad to miss the fun, but it was the right call, and the boys had a blast!

Later that evening, Maddie was well enough to join back up for dinner and a campfire with our friends on their last night. It was fun to just hang out, throw frisbees, roast s'mores, catch fireflies, and just enjoy the summer night with friends.

We had such a sweet time with friends, and we are so thankful that they were willing to make the trek to see us! It's a blessing to have friendships that span decades, and a blessing to get to see where the Lord takes our friends over the years- in their ministries and families. I'm thankful that our kids had the opportunity to spend time together, to build friendships with a sweet family that has meant so much to me and Mike over the years. 

Until next time, Lilley family! :)

Soccer Field Day 2024

We made it back in time to wrap up our soccer season with field day! All 4 area fields meet together in one epic day of games. We were not sure if the weather would hold out, but thankfully it did, and we got to play some great soccer!

Warming up!

I'm so thankful for the wonderful coaches who love our kids well, and teach them skills and sportsmanship. All of my kids have had the same coaches the past 2 years, and they have learned so much!

Aiden was really excited about his after-game snacks :)

My little soccer stars!

We were able to pack up, just as it started to rain, and it poured on our way home. It was a fairly rainy season, so we didn't get to play quite as much as we had hoped. But we are thankful for another great season with friends, and we look forward to next season!