Ever since having our babies seven weeks apart, my sister and I have been dying to have a day to hang out, let our “big kids” run wild, and snuggle our babies together. We were finally able to make that happen on Friday and it was just what we needed.
It was especially what I needed because Jimmy and I took Dakota to the vascular anomalies clinic at Children’s Hospital the day before and got some hard news about her hemangioma. I’ll blog more about that in another post because I’m still processing everything and we have some decisions to make.
Needless to say, my emotions were running high and I needed the peace of being with my sister 🫶 God always knows what (or who!) we need right when we need it (or them!)!
Our husbands decided to hang out with us for the day, which made it even better! It was fun to have all seven of our kids (and two dogs!) together and to share the parenting between four adults.
We were able to do some of our favorite things with Hannah’s family: go to the creek, share meals, eat Millie’s ice cream, order Starbucks, and do homeschool with the kids!
How about a few pictures and thoughts?!
It was a little chilly in the morning so the kids pulled out our bounce house and it came in clutch! They put every pillow, couch cushion, and stuffed animal into that thing. That has still proven to be the best $100 I spent lately 😜
Hannah’s oldest son, Lawson, has the sweetest personality. He and Mordecai are very similar: kind, shy, sensitive, and total mama’s boys. We kept catching them playing together the whole day and it was precious. They were even riding Mordecai’s balance bike together 🚲
Dakota and Gideon did lots of cuddling together! I’m happy to share that Gideon is doing really well. Hannah said that the biggest thing health-wise for him is just keeping his temperature up. He is growing and eating like a champ and as cute as can be!
After the kids ran around the house and yard and we all ate lunch, we decided to head to the creek and trail near our house! It was so fun to show one of our favorite places to our favorite people 😊
I’m pretty sure the kids would have stayed at the creek playing in the water for hours but all the adults agreed it was “coffee o’clock” so we made a Starbucks run! I love hearing what people order at Starbucks, so I’ll share our orders ☕️
- Jimmy: Brown sugar shaken espresso
- Hannah: Iced blonde vanilla latte
- Josh: Caramel ribbon frappuccino
- Me: Iced decaf oat milk vanilla latte
One we were adequately caffeinated, we were ready to take on homeschool for the day! Since Caroline, Sadie, and Lawson are close in age, we were able to print worksheets for each of them to do. Want to hear what a boss teacher Hannah is? Her kids only have five school days left for the year! We have around 20 still 🙃
We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing, prepping dinner (bbq chicken thighs, roasted veggies, sweet potato fries, and salad!) before heading out for ice cream at Millie’s.
It was chaotic, sticky, messy, delicious, and the kids (and adults, lol) were tired. The sign of a gooooood day! Just what we needed 🤍
Living My Full Life 
I hope baby Dakota is okay! Praying for her to feel better ❤️
Thank you!! She is doing so good… but this hemangioma situation is so stressful with trying to deal with it haha. Thank you for praying! It means so much to us!!
I’m glad you got to spend quality time together with family. That’s the best! Such a good support, especially during times when you’re having to make medical decisions. I don’t know if you’re the same as me, but if I have a problem I always feel better sharing / venting to family (usually Lewis because he gets me and is such a good listener!)
I’m sorry to hear the hemangioma is a stressful situation – wishing you and your family all the best.
Oh, and the brown sugar shaken espresso sounds delicious! That’s what I’d be ordering from the list.
I usually order an oat milk cortado when I get coffee out. I like strong coffee haha so anything with espresso gets my vote!