the calendar says May, but it feels like Summer to me...

totally digging the coming of summer and all that this beautifully bright and hot season has to offer. saying goodbye to spring is easy to do with summer rolling in to take it's rightful place on the calendar. this hot and short season is like a big colorful ball, blown to it's limit with the promise of no school for the little scholars in our lives, extra garden watering (for those who...grow things), big homegrown tomatoes sprinkled with salt (because my mom grows things), more free time to be friends and family, and longer days and longer days can mean just about anything is possible...in the summertime!

bbq's almost everyday; and nonexistent bedtimes; the green hose is always in use and i love the smell and the sound it makes against the house when it is turned on and off; frozen treats are normal and a daily part of our lives in the summer. we especially love the real fruit lime pops but i can not discount an old childhood favorite...otterpops.

*CVS sold them last year.

however, a simple frozen grape bar will work just as well...pedicure from a friend is optional, however

chair spinning is not!

sweet and sticky watermelon wedges and BLT sandwiches are on weekly rotation in the dinner department and even more fun, peyton and beckham asking why we say the watermelon is seedless when they see seeds.

"if i eat this seed, will a watermelon grow in my stomach, mama?"

golden light streaming through the windows is even more beautiful because everything seems a bit more simple during this time of year.

simple pleasures. simple meals. simple plans.

a simple breakfast with friends who share similar interests in waffles, bacon, and babies.

*my ebay find, a quilt top that i now use as a tablecloth/beach blanket.

i think we eat healthier in the summer because it's too hot not to.

(i can't believe that bunny lives in our home.)

other things that i am sucked into like a cheerio is to a vacuum in the summertime:

~the colors red and yellow.

~being with my family...non stop.

~after dinner walks with peyton and baby brother which will yield a sleeve or a hundred of abandoned golf balls that each child will proudly display in their hands.

~cattails and the general excitement of discovering them all over again!

~our upcoming trip to michigan.

~ice cream, of course.

~oranges, cherries, and tomato basil soup.

~more time to blog.

before the summer beach ball rolls spring completely out of town, we still have some things to appreciate about this week...

my little guy and i went ice skating together.

let's just say he's a little mad for hockey and anything having to do with it.

beckham dressed up with as much gear as daddy has scored for him at play-it-again-sports.

he patiently waited for me to crawl over to the ice...i was a tad nervous to fall on my bum and not be able to get myself back up.

he skated circles around me, literally.

he made ice angels...

he asked me where the real hockey players scored goals and when i showed him, he asked me to race him to the line. i fell...hard.

my little guy helped me up and asked me if i was okay.

what a little sweetheart. i am so proud of him. he has such a sweet and caring heart.

"mommy, can we eat lunch now?"

my mother's day plant proudly sits on our dining room table and almost everyday peyton asks me if i like it. she reminds me that she planted it and that she decorated the outside of it.

and she has learned how to make me a cup of joe. my little cinderella.

sometimes when i see the kids playing with this bunny...i almost scream out in panic to stay away from the bunny...it's wild. however, it is not wild, it is ours and it makes me laugh when i see photos like this.

our pet...bunny, Marshmallow Fluff.

ML likes watermelon.

we are painting the kitchen...

and we went country for a bit while we celebrated lainey's 4th birthday!

my girl.

i love everything about you. you are everything good and i love that we are in this mother/daughter journey together. learning more about you each day and i am so proud of you. you should be proud of you too. xo

the birthday girl!

as always, kelle had every detail perfectly thought out. it was full of love and fun and celebration for lainey! it couldn't have been more lovely and all of kell's hard work equaled the party lainey had been dreaming of.

happy birthday, sweetheart. we love you.

miss you already.

friends

games

horse rides and the best damn bbq pork this side of the mississippi!

and kell's beautiful & delish cupcakes didn't hurt either, just ask the Sheriff. Sheriff Beckham, that is.

summer is around the corner ending the beautiful winter and spring we have had. peyton will complete her kindergarten year in a few short weeks and beckham is preparing for his first full year of preschool.

so, maybe saying goodbye to this time isn't as easy as i claim, but we will make the best out of the time we have coming to us this summer.

XOXOXOXO

a giveaway is coming up on the next post! look out for it!

and finally, another guy starting a new chapter in his life...

Donald.

congratulations on your coming year, donald. i know you will cherish these years. live it up, stay safe, and call your mama...often!