Mimi Harper, almost 6.

Mimi at (almost) 6.

She has a front tooth that is practically horizontal coming out of her mouth (it's being pushed out by the grown up tooth..). She won't let me do much to it and makes me pinky swear to not "twist it" if I wiggle it. It's driving me crazy.

She still is an animal lover. 

She lost her mind the other day because I wouldn't let her get a hammock for her pretend ferret. (Her ferret may be pretend, but the hammock was a REAL $30). No.Way. I have limits.

She carries Winston like a baby and holds him sleeping in her lap on car rides.

Although his bladder is small and his bark is big, we know it was the right dog for our girl.

She still changes outfits three to four times a day. Mixing horizontal stripes has been her thing lately.

We've been reading the Little House on the Prairie series together, and I look forward to snuggling with her and reading so much. She has a CRAZY CRAZY memory. I can count on her to remember every single detail of everything (good and bad).

This was what she set up the other day, with her loving animals by her side.

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Mash Up Pictures

Awesome picture. Don't worry. I'm a professional. ;)

But I had to document the first day of summer vacation. It was incredibly idyllic. The kids cuddled and played together all day. I thought, "this is going to be a great summer." Then day 2 came.

But I realized it's a marathon, not a sprint. So we'll take the good days with the bad.

More cute Emerson pictures, because how could we not?!

(I tried to break up with coffee...it was getting a little out of hand. And with each additional cup of wonderfulness, I was getting bit more edgy and witchy with a b. 

Ben- cut it like it was no problem.

Me...I.just.couldn't.

And to be honest, I didn't want to.

So I've cut back (and incorporated half caf)...

And accepted a free espresso machine from friends. So, looks like coffee and I are here to stay.

(This is Bode and his baby doll, "Baby Emerson")

Bode and his best friend Marcus at Sunday School.

While it's so great to see your kiddo make a friend that they love so much (and it's mutual), these boys are REALLY crazy and destructive together. I call them the "Bash Brothers."

It's like one is the dynamite and one is the spark. Apart...they're fine. Together, they consume and destroy the whole room.

Impromptu Koz hang out...

This was also the first day of summer (also known as "the day when everything just went right and didn't even collapse at 5 pm"). We went to the library to sign up for the summer reading program and happened upon a library festival. 

I just loved these little buds in tow...

 Emerson and Mimi

Mimi reconnected with an old preschool pal who lives in our neighborhood

(which makes the "small child" count at 5. ;)

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Worms in a Mason Jar

No, that blog post title is not the newest Kenny Chesney song...

It refers to the day when Bode dumped out a jar of marbles that Mimi and I had put together as a reading incentive, and filled it with worms. 

He said they'd be safe in there.

Then he carried them all the way to Lowes.

The other day he brought a worm inside to watch a show with him. But that was before he gave the worm a tour of his work bench.

This boy...

That cup he picked out is appropriate on so many levels.

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Nanny Time!

This post is WAAAYY overdue, but during the soccer season Nanny helped out and stayed with Mimi at soccer practice, then brought her home.

These two.

Love them xo

Then one day we got to hang out with her after a dental surgery she had...any time we get with Nans, we love.

Old Friends, New Friends

Saturday we had the Larsons, Kozlowskis and Emmetts over for a BBQ. 

It's a brain child of Ali (and Matt and Kari?!) to get together once a month this summer. There's even a google doc about it. So it's pretty much a big deal.

Anyways, how funny to be catching up with "old" friends, while you're children are making new ones. Love it. Mimi and Noah are inseparable and Bode and Benjamin played baseball without adult assistance. So yeah, it was pretty awesome.

(over the next few pictures, try to guess whose parents are musicians..)

Considering that our whole yard is due to the hard work of Jeff Kozlowski, it only seemed fitting to memorialize that somehow...

Jeff was actually mortified that I did that. But you can't tell in this picture..

(these pictures are all courtesy of Kari...)

Jeff made a game up for the kids:

Bode, per his usual, napped until late into the party. 

And THIS little man wanted to play baseball with him....

Finally he woke up! And in a good mood!

When we told Benjamin to give the ball to Bode, he walked it over to him...Scottie Smalls/Sandlot style.

Look at these next pictures...this is SERIOUS.

Hide and Seek...naturally.

Then movie time!

 These are the outtakes from our group shot set up...

The whole gang...

(I stole my "funny picture" pose from Rodger's nephew Trevor. It is perfect. You know, you always need to have a crazy picture pose in your back pocket. These are the things I worry about. That and my baseball walk up song...and my roller derby name...wow. I've got a lot on my mind).

 It was a fun full night and our hearts were happy.

And apparently Ben channeled that happiness into motivation to put up a new gazebo...
(I'm having SERIOUS privacy issues...if you follow me on Pinterest that's no secret... :)

summer nights are the best.

Happy Memorial Day!