seaside #2

we're back from a week in seaside [we actually stayed in water sound] & just now getting caught up with life! the girls LOVED it- eloise loves the sand more than any child i've ever seen. she dives into it & comes up laughing with a mouth full of crunchies :) & lucy, so my oldest, prefers sitting in her beach chair to "just relax" :) [unless we're at the pool, where she went to town for hours each day!]

headed out of kansas city-

a true beach babe-

i was all about the cuddles lucy was willing to give out from her beach chair :)

sunday night before heading to dinner at our favorite- great southern. the dreamiest grits you've ever tasted :)

summer bliss-

modeling her new water shoes :)

this smile says it all :) her heart is full!

the humidity + this hair ... i die!

daddy reads the best nighttime stories-

gdad, lu & gmom-

aunt alli kisses-

& daddy, too :)

these 2 together ... such a sweet & special bond

lucy went for the "superman" ice cream just for cousin tasman, whom she deeply missed this trip!

i can't even handle this one-

& this was literally right after jon had set the condo oven on fire ... thankfully it was extinguished & all was salvaged :)

really, truly a serious highlight of the trip was lucy learning how to use jon's phone camera & taking about a zillion photographs like this ... she's becoming a total "three-nager" :)

stunning views from our resort-

& our last evening :)

jon left on a work trip this morning & the girls & i spent the day running errands & playing at my mom's-

mid-june already! full hearts & busy hands around here-

xoxo, 

-ivy

we leave for our second beach trip of the summer tomorrow morning! we're heading back to seaside with jon's family this time around. in the past, we've visited sarasota & captiva island with the dandurands, but jon's been insisting that they see seaside, so we're really looking forward to going back! [now that i've got the girls & their million items packed up...]

before we leave though, i have been meaning to write down some of the sweet things that the girls have been doing lately. time goes so quickly & before i know it, the things that i see & hear from them each day, will turn into new habits. 

we'll start with eloise, who took her first steps tonight! it was the cutest thing ever & she was SO proud of herself! she did it a few times, so it looks like this is the beginning of us having a little toddler on our hands! 

eloise's latest thing is to point to whatever she wants & either say "this please" or "more please" ... & really, how do you turn that down? she's learning how to be sneaky about it & ask for things that we normally wouldn't give into ;)

her newest words include "baby" & "puppy" & she makes 2 animal sounds- "woof woof" & "whoo whoo" for an owl :) she's obsessed with this book we have called peek-a-moo & would happily sit & have us read it to her 20 times in a row :)

she's been climbing the stairs faster than i can blink & i swear she's a cat with 9 lives because she's [knock on wood] never fallen & gotten hurt despite the questionable positions we've found her in- things that with one child, we were absolutely on top of :)

as for lucy- she's super into needing to sit & "just relax". she cracks me up with her since of time- everything she tells us about was either "yesterday" or "a few days ago". this morning she said "when i was a baby yesterday, i nursed from mommy!" & usually after she says something like that, jon & i will say "yep.. a few days ago" so now she'll add "when i was a baby yesterday...a few days ago..."

her imagination is HUGE & her heart is bigger. she's terrified of bugs & is way too curious about weird things like snakes, tunnels [drains] & boo-boo's [she's really just obsessed with band-aids]. she loves eloise & tells us that often. she gets a little too intense with her hugs & kisses for her sister :) 

her latest obsession is getting her hair done & doing my hair. she'll sit at her little mermaid vanity & ask me to cut her hair with her "safety scissors", blow-dry, hairspray & curl. then she'll ask me to sit in the seat & she'll get me all prettied up- this can easily go back & forth for 15 minutes. we've had some serious talks about how we don't really use real safety scissors on our hair, now do we? :)

these girls are the best- they are so much fun & at such great ages! 

we went to a funky mama concert the other day- i first met krista when i was 10 years old & she was playing maria in the sound of music. she sang in jon's & my wedding, and is a true example of someone beautiful & kind from the inside, out. she performs children's rock & roll around KC & both girls love dancing to her music! we had such a fun morning :)

& for the road... 

wishing you a sunny week!

-ivy

strawberry ice cream social

eloise's first birthday party was this past saturday. it was SO much fun, despite the ridiculously chilly weather! the chill didn't stop the kids from playing in the water table in the yard for half the party though :)

i made up the invites a couple of months ago, and while i don't really consider myself a "crafty" person at all- i have ideas & sometimes i can figure out a way to actually create them :) we tried to keep the party a bit smaller, realizing that many of our friends, particularly our friends without kids, have other ways to fill their saturday afternoons than attending a first birthday party :) i'm learning things with the more birthday parties i host-

we made her thank you's in advance, too :)

jon's dad [GDad] came over early & snapped some great shots of the set-up-

we tied these balloons to little garden planters stuffed with strawberry candies & called it good for favors-

& my mom insisted on making these strawberry party hats- they were a hit! [she made a few boys ones, sans lace, too:)]

fun banner that read "berry happy birthday eloise"!

strawberry shortcake bar with homemade shortcakes, strawberry filling & whipped cream-

strawberry ice cream station-

eloise's mini-cake

this highchair tulle skirt was used for lucy's first birthday party, too!

my mom has started the tradition of making a door wreath for each of her grandchildren's birthday parties- i have lucy's first two saved & will cherish this one, too ... & given that it's strawberry season, i plan to leave it hanging on our front door for several weeks :)

happy birthday to you, eloise! good thing big sister was there to help blow out the candle & make a wish :) [lucy's decided she's a big fan of having a little sister who has birthdays...]

eloise enjoyed the buttercream frosting most of all :)

lucy & aunt alli after the bash-

& we've started a family tradition with lucy, and now eloise, that we ask for a book or toy donation to the lee ann britain infant development center for birthdays, rather than gifts. after lucy's first birthday party gift overwhelment, jon & i realized how important it is to us that we teach our children the importance of giving back to our community. & birthdays are a great opportunity to give back & feel so good about it!

eloise & i brought the goods by the britain center this morning afer her one year appointment- we are really so grateful to everyone who joined in donating books & toys to this great group of kids!

& for the road- GDad snapped a pic of our brand new landscaping! with the exception of the magnolia tree in the front (which i am so SO excited to blossom!), all of the plants & grasses are native to kansas-

it was such a special day for our special girl. i can't believe eloise is one already! where does the time go?

xoxo,

-ivy