My friend Hailee came over again to take Ivy's 6 month pictures and we had so much fun. Ivy wasn't super smiley but we certainly captured her sweetness and some of her true facial expressions (silly, serious, laughing, open mouth grin). We all call Ivy our "dream baby" because she is such a good baby, so pleasant and a truly a dream come true. We love her dearly....what a beautiful gift!
Like most people, I think we were kind of "done" (after 3 months of quarantine) with staying home all the time and not hanging out with friends. As the summer has gone on we have gradually made our circle a bit bigger, seeing more friends. We are so thankful for the gift of friendship and the blessing of warmer weather, to do things outside and make memories again with some of our favorite people.
Our friends Geselle and her daughter Jori came for a day visit. We enjoyed a special outing by grabbing Chick-fil-a for lunch and eating outside at a park.
Jori was instantly Greta's best friend!
A shady spot with friends for a special lunch...what a gift!
Three pretty girls.
One of my favorite ladies. Time together is always a gift.
We spent some time at Nana and Papa's house with Milly, Mylo and Mindyn. Hudson showed Milly how to make a god's eye out of yarn and popsicle sticks.
An afternoon tea party.
We said farewell to some sweet homeschool friends who moved back to Tennessee.
So thankful for the blessing of their friendship over the past three years.
We look forward to playing together again (hopefully) soon.
Park playtime on a warm summer day with Evie.
Enjoying popsicles to cool off afterward.
Water slide adventures with the Scherers.
Lots of giggles and smiles.
Hudson and Thomas have been buddies for 8 years.
A picnic at the park with friends.
Pedicures for moms and a chance to catch up with an old friend.
The "big kids" took swimming lessons again this summer, the first full week in July, at Twigg Swimming Academy. We got our spots the minute registration was open, which is a good thing, because it was all sold out for the entire summer in a matter of seven minutes. Crazy!
I was feeling sad at the beginning of summer when most fun activities got cancelled. Greta said, "I hope we can still do swimming lessons." We are so thankful they had the opportunity to get in the water, improve their swimming skills and get some exercise, amidst the disappointment of the pools being closed this season.
I took a picture like this last year. So thankful for the sweet friendship they share.
Both our kids love being in the water, which we are so thankful for.
Hudson and Greta were in the pool at the same time, but each had their own instructor.
Greta worked on jumping in and swimming to her teacher.
Here you can watch her in action...
Hudson continues to work on his diving.
Hudson really enjoyed his teacher and wanted the lessons to be longer. He said, "she gave me some great tips."
Greta adored her teacher too, of course. We found out she grew up in a neighboring town in NW Iowa.
We finally made a road trip to NW Iowa to my parents for the 4th of July. It was the first night we all slept away from home since Ivy was born.
We left on Friday around noon. Ivy was a fantastic traveler and we only had to make one stop in route to use the bathroom and feed her.
Friday night called for a campfire with s'mores.
Hudson was the guy in charge of keeping the fire burning. He likes to have the important jobs.
4th of July donuts for breakfast. Now that we have had them two years in a row, I think we can call it a new tradition.
Aunt Ang came from Colorado.
Its always fun to play Mimi's grand piano.
More Aunt Ang snuggles.
Tiffany is a dear friend from high school that I have stayed in touch with over the years. She came over to meet Ivy Rae.
A red, white and blue craft prepared by Mimi.
Hudson, Greta, Roy and I went to Siouxnami water park. Since all the pools around home are closed we were extra excited to check it out, splash around and cool off.
I can't help but notice how Greta posed for the picture. Oh my!
Hudson had a blast on the zip line.
Mimi and Ivy showing off their red, white and blue.
Hudson gave out plenty of Ranger rides and loved every minute of it.
Another picture to prove it.
Looking adorable in her red, white and blue!
Enjoying the swing at Mimi's house.
Fun with sparklers after dark.
$2 for a pack of sparklers makes for a cheap thrill.
Greta was a bit nervous at first but then went for it.
Checking out the farm with Uncle Ryan.
A potty stop in route at McDonalds on the drive home.
