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- This was not the photo I had planned on or envisioned taking today. I actually took a completely different photo (I’ll save that for another week). But before I put my camera away, I was just snapping a few candid moments & this organically happened (and I melted into a puddle on the floor).
- We went to the library for the first time in ages this week. It was so fun to be back! When Braelynn was little, we used to go to the library every single week for story-time – then Leander was born & while we still made it there on a regular basis over the winter when he was a teeny-tiny baby, we took a break once summer/fall arrived. Around the time we would have started going again – COVID hit & everything shut down & well, you can fill in the blanks as to what happened next. Needless to say, we haven’t been back to the library on a regular basis since things started opening up again. With us heading toward school starting up again soon, I figured it was time to start go back. The kids loved it (Braelynn knows exactly what the library is, but Leander has no idea & so he just followed his sister around the whole time). I think it’s time to make the library a weekly occurrence again.
- Braelynn has been talking to her cousin (and BFF) Cameron on Facetime a lot recently & one day this week (when they were talking about our upcoming trip together), Braelynn said: “Cameron, I just want to make sure we have fun together. I don’t want to argue at all. Oh – it’s actually called ‘squabbling’ – let’s not squabble.” Thanks to the TV show Bluey for the new word my daughter has added to her vocabulary!
- We had Jeff & Cassey over for dinner this week! You know how sometimes, you meet someone, and you just click perfectly? After photographing their wedding, I just knew that we had to have them over to hang out. And we had such a wonderful time! Their little boy is a little younger than Leander, but loved chasing Braelynn & Leander all over our living room & backyard – the kids had a blast & we thoroughly enjoyed having other adults to talk to!
- We visited Kennywood twice this week: once with my Mom & niece Alethea (we went to ride kiddieland rides & eat lunch), and once with Derrick (last night). The park always gets busier as the year goes on, but the park was busier last night than we’ve ever seen it. Everything was packed out the wazoo! Thankfully, kiddieland lines are never too long & we even were able to grab an early dinner without having to wait too long either! We didn’t get to ride any roller coasters (the wait-times for every coaster was at least an hour long) but that’s okay.
- I took the kids’ “half-birthday” photos this week! If you are unfamiliar with my tradition: since our kids have winter birthdays, I simply made up my mind that we would take fun summer portraits every year for their “half-birthdays” instead of waiting for their actual birthday months to roll around (when it’s cold/dark/snowy). This year, I attempted to take both of their portraits on the same day – I’ve never done that before! I’ve always just taken two separate days: one day to focus on Braelynn & one day to focus on Leander. But this year, I just knew that if Leander saw me taking Braelynn’s photos, he would want in on the fun too – so I decided to attempt to take both of their portraits on the same day. And it worked out splendidly – better than I anticipated actually! I was able to get everything I wanted & am so happy with how everything turned out.
If you’d like to see Leander’s photos & read an update on what he’s up to these days, you can read my post here.
Braelynn’s photos & update post will drop this coming week! - I’ve officially started getting ready for the fall Just Between Friends sale that is coming up in Monroeville in a few weeks!! I absolutely LOVE this sale (it’s a kids consignment sale that takes up the entire convention center in Monroeville!) The best part about the sale is that while, yes, it is a ton of work to prep, hang, tag, and drop off all of my stuff – it is 100% worth the work! As a seller, I get in early, I shop the best of the best deals, and typically, I make more money than I spend (WIN-WIN-WIN). I basically look at it as “trading out” my kids’ clothes & shoes for the next size & season – and because it’s all consignment, you never know what you will find! I love the “treasure hunt” aspect of thrift shopping – and this is just a whole new level. I’ve been shopping & selling at this sale since Braelynn was a baby & it’s one of my absolute favorite things – I look forward to it every spring & fall!!
