a fun week & our final week of dance before we have [almost] an entire month off from activities & school! i'm so excited to be able to slow down & enjoy having our days to go to fun places without rushing out of the door in the mornings, followed by the worry of making sure we're home with enough time to rest before heading out for evening dance lessons. i know we'll be ready for everything come september, but for now, this break is speaking my love language!

lucy's artwork-

& eloise's :)

smooches for daddy :)

lucy & her tiny team, celebrating the end of summer session with water balloons :)

gmom & beabea snuggles-

last round of baby shots in the books! not sad to close this chapter ;)

we had a whole different experience at the farmstead today. lucy has taken a deep interest in native americans as we've gotten further along in the little house series, so the teepee & the one-room schoolhouse were major hits for my big almost 5 year old!

we've continued loving the new lenexa rec center- the girls ask to go to the childcare room to climb the rock wall & play on the iPads that they never get at home ;) i'm loving taking classes to break up our day & there is a super neat pool jon is going to explore with the girls tomorrow! i feel like we're over the baby hump that we've been in for so long [almost 5 years for me!] & all of a sudden, i'm breathing clearer & life has gotten easier to manage. being able to freely get away for a bit & recharge my batteries with the childcare at the rec center, the little trip jon & i took, and really anything has been huge for me. i am so grateful to have had the support & knowledge to nurse my babies the way that i was able [& betsy does still nurse before bedtime if i'm the one to do nighttime], but because she no longer nurses during the night or throughout the day, i'm all of a sudden free, in a sense, for the first time since i was 25. i'm a more present mom because of it!

also, never want to forget lucy waking up one morning this week & telling eloise, "sometimes, i like to die. in heaven, i can eat whatever i want!"

happy weekend :)

-ivy