Jenna and Her Ry-Ry

Ryan has been SO sweet lately with his little sister. He is turning into such a good big brother. Ryan has always been really gentle with Jenna. He puts his arms around her ever so gently and talks to her in his little sing-song voice. It just melts my heart!

Lately he has been really helpful with her. Here he is cleaning up her mess after dinner.

Ryan is always looking out for Jenna and trying to keep her safe. He grabs her if she's climbing too high and stands up to his little brother when he's getting too rough with Jenna. Here he's leading her across the bridge at the park

And Jenna absolutely adores her "Ry-Ry". She will lead Ryan around by the hand and ask for things, and he loves playing along with her. Jenna literally has him wrapped around her little finger.

 She especially loves when he lets her sit on his face!

I love that Jenna can cheer Ryan up when he's in one of his grumpy moods. He can be upset or mad but as soon as he sees her his whole face lights up.

I love that Jenna has such a special big brother watching out for her. I hope the bond between these two gets even stronger as they grow older!

Trunk Club Review #4

Are you ready to see Trunk Club Review #4? I was really crossing my fingers that I'd find something I loved in this box of clothing. I asked my stylist to send me shorts, casual summer dresses, and a casual pair of sneakers.

Ashley Denim Cutoff Shorts by Topshop

First item out of the box and they were perfect! The weather is HOT here and I am in need of a few more pairs of shorts. I had been looking for a pair of denim cutoffs and I am so happy that I was sent these. Status: KEPT

Stripe Front Embroidered Back Short Sleeve Tee by Halogen

This was a really neat shirt. The lines on the front of it were really wavy. And the back was a really pretty lace. I absolutely would have kept it, had it not been too big on me. Status: RETURNED

Print Front Mixed Media Tee by NYDJ

Wow, this was a really bright shirt. I love florals and I thought this was a beautiful bold pattern. The back was quite sheer, which would require me wearing a tank top underneath. It's too hot here to wear multiple layers right now. Status: RETURNED

Print Split Neck Top by Hinge

This shirt just didn't wow me. I'm not against wearing a top with birds on it, but this just underwhelmed me, and also felt a little matronly.

Blouson Jersey Maxi Dress by Felicity & COCO

I loved the look of this dress. It was a tie-dye pattern with multiple shades of blue. However, this was one of those dresses that cinches at the waist and makes me look like a big blog. It just isn't a flattering cut on me. Status: RETURNED

Sleeveless Woven Maxi Dress by Caslon

 This was my least favorite piece in my trunk. It was huge and just kind of ugly. Status: RETURNED

Tapestry Print Cover-Up by Hinge

This beach cover-up was a fun surprise. The color was pretty but there was just a ton of fabric. You can't quite tell here, but it was just too voluminous. It went all the way down past my knees, and I just didn't see myself getting a lot of use out of it. Status: RETURNED

Tulum Embroidered Minidress by Free People

This dress looked fun on the hanger. It was by the brand Free People, which I have heard a lot about. However, it just looked ridiculous on me. The big bell sleeves made me feel like I was going to take flight. Status: RETURNED

Print A-Line Dress by Hinge

 
I loved this dress! It doesn't look super special on the hanger but it was super cute on. The huge bonus was the pockets! Unfortunately, the arm holes on this dress were huge and so they showed my bra. I went back and forth on this one but ended up deciding against it. Status: RETURNED

Lace Trim Tunic by Free People

This dress just wasn't right for me. It was a bit sheer and short. Pretty color though! Status: RETURNED

Growover Jersey T-Shirt Dress by Caslon

Another dress that wasn't quite right. It hugged me in the wrong places and was a bit too form-fitting. Status: RETURNED

Distressed Cutoff Denim Shorts by BLANKNYC

These shorts were very similar to the first pair that I kept. The other ones fit just a bit better, and I couldn't justify keeping two shorts that were so similar looking. Status: RETURNED

Hiccup Ghillie Sandal by Topshop

These sandals were so cute. I wanted to keep them, but I already own a very similar pair. Status: RETURNED

Stan Smith Sneaker by adidas

In theory I thought these shoes would be cute. But once I put them on they reminded me so much of nurses' shoes. I don't think all white shoes look good on my long feet. I ended up finding a cheap pair of tan converse at Ross this same week, so I kept those instead. Status: RETURNED

So out of all that I only kept the one pair of shorts. I was very close to keeping the striped top and the blue dress, but due to fit issues I had to send them back. I think my plan is to take a break from both Trunk Club and Stitch Fix for the next few months because my summer wardrobe is looking pretty good now. As soon as the weather gets cooler I will definitely be sharing more boxes of clothes with you all! Have you tried Trunk Club yet? You need to try it! There is no styling fee so there is literally NO risk. You get to try on cute clothes in the comfort of your home and you have an entire 10 days to choose what to keep. Would you please consider using my referral link if you try Trunk Club?  https://www.trunkclub.com/my/invite/LTRL4R

A Summer Saturday

I thought it'd be fun to document a Summer Saturday with our little family of 5.

Our weekend started off with a trip to the ER, because that's just how we do things around here. Lucas has been sick all week with a cold but then Friday night he woke up screaming about his ear. Lucas has had many many ear infections but he never really makes a fuss about them. We couldn't get him to calm down and we were unable to get any pain reliever into him. Adam suggested a trip to the ER, but I didn't want to make yet another trip there. After a while it became obvious that Lucas wasn't going to calm down. So off I went. The nurse showed me how to pinch his mouth and plug his nose to get the motrin into him, but he spit most of it out onto her. A couple hours later we were back home with antibiotics, and in bed by midnight.

The next morning Jenna got up at 4:30 and wouldn't go back to sleep when I nursed and rocked her. I took her downstairs and she eventually dozed off next to me in our guest bed. A couple hours later Ryan joined us.

 Lucas slept in until 7:30 but still wasn't feeling too great.

 Sleeping Beauty rose for her smoothie and eggs and waffle.

 I put on my new converse sneakers that I found at Ross for only $20.

We tried unsuccessfully to get antibiotics into Lucas. He seemed to be feeling better and had a ton of energy, so we headed out to a local antique market and nursery. We had never been to High Hand nursery and it definitely exceeded our expectations!

 I almost bought a bird feeder at the antique market but we ended up coming home empty handed.

 We found a fish pond at the nursery!

There was an indoor market with gardening supplies, décor, plants, and even an oil and vinegar tasting room. Of course the boys found the old truck.

After that we headed to Taylors for a quick lunch. We all shared some fries and Ryan got a burger. All 3 boys got a milkshake. Taylors has the best milkshakes!

 Jenna agreed.

 Back at home I attempted to put Jenna down for a nap but it was a no-go.

Adam took the boys outside to do some yardwork and Jenna and I got to work making some freezer meals.

By 4pm Jenna was doing this. We had tentative plans to go out that evening, so I let her sleep for a little while.

 Dinner was barbequed shredded pulled pork on hamburger buns, and watermelon.

After dinner we had some time to waste before the fun evening we had planned. So we went grocery shopping together. We dropped our groceries off at home and then drove down the street to park. Our city was putting on a "Celebrate America" fireworks show and it started at 8pm. There was also kids games, live music and food, but we skipped this because it was too hot outside for the kids. So we chose to watch from our air-conditioned car. This was later than we'd normally let the kids stay up, but we made an exception. Lucas seemed to be feeling fine, so I decided it was ok.

We waited and waited and waited. At around 9pm Lucas threw a huge fit and started punching and kicking. I knew he was overly tired. We buckled him up and decided to call it quits and go home. But we managed to calm him down enough to stay. I would have felt really bad if Ryan had missed the whole show because of Lucas.

 Finally at 9:30 the fireworks show began!

The kids loved the fireworks! Jenna wasn't frightened at all by the noises, and the boys were so impressed. And that was the end of our Summer Saturday!

Our Front Door

When we moved into this house we changed the locks on our front door. Our new doorknob wasn't quite the same size as the old one, so there was a patch of white paint showing through. It looked like this for the past 20 months.

The color was fine. It was kind of a grey brown that matched the trim on our house. However, we didn't know the exact paint color, so we couldn't fix the white spot. We talked about painting it a new color but just never got around to it.

So last week I decided to surprise Adam with a new front door. I took the kids to Home Depot while Adam was at work and browsed the outdoor paint colors. Originally I wanted a Tiffany blue front door. But after thinking about it and looking at pictures online, I decided to go for something more bold.

Lucas started painting and I started thinking "OH NO". At first I thought it looked awful. The blue was SO bright and splotchy.

It looked like this when we were done painting it with our brushes. (The expensive brushes the paint man recommended!)

Adam came home that night and was a bit underwhelmed. Surprised, yes. But not totally impressed with our paint job. I didn't blame him!

Adam decided to finish the job himself. At this point I was reminded of the I Love Lucy episode where she tries to build a barbeque. Has anyone seen it? If you can't get your husband to do something, try to do it yourself! He'll see you doing it wrong and then decide to fix it and finish the project himself.

Adam took off the doorknob and rolled on a second coat of paint with a roller.

And it finally started to look decent! I bought a new doormat and a potted hydrangea. The plant was supposed to love shade, but apparently it doesn't love my front porch. Any recommendations on an easy plant to grow in a pot in the shade??

I also purchased a wreath through my childhood friend Andrea. She makes custom made wreaths and sells them on Etsy. Isn't is cute? I'm already thinking I need a different one for the Fall. Here is a link to her shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/alittlewreath?ref=l2-shopheader-name

 I still need to work on the positioning of the wreath.

 Here is our finished front door!