We celebrated Jimmy’s birthday over the long Memorial Day weekend! He requested one thing: to wash his truck. What a simple request! I took the kids out on a walk around the neighborhood so he could do some truck care in peace. Because he does some extensive washing, it takes a couple of hours, so Mordecai joined him at the end of his process and I caught a sweet moment of them blowing bubbles together 🖤

Jimmy’s actual birthday was on Memorial Day and we stayed busy! In the morning, we went to Starbucks as a family and did Sadie did her school lessons. It’s always fun to have Jimmy see what she’s learning. And to have an extra set of hands to help with Dakota and Mordecai 😉

Jimmy mowed. I did some laundry and ran errands. Mordecai did lots of potty training. The girls made a fort.

I snuggled Dakota in one of my favorite places: our porch swing! Fun story: when I was pregnant, I read a book about childbirth that said to choose your happy place–maybe a vacation spot or somewhere you feel peaceful–and to visualize it while you’re in labor to help yourself stay calm. My happy place was the porch swing! I totally forgot about it in labor, but the whole pregnancy, I would think about the peace of our swing on a warm evening.

In the evening, we went to Jimmy’s dad and step mom’s house to have a little cookout and bonfire. Do you ever go to someone’s home and just feel like it’s an oasis? That’s what their house feels like. It’s so thoughtfully decorated and their backyard is lush and beautiful!

The kids especially love visiting Pappy and Gramma K’s house. They love the attention and all the fun things to do, like ride on Pappy’s tractor!

Jimmy and I even took it for a spin!

The kids followed us the whole time we drove around the yard so they hopped up on our laps for the next round.

Don’t worry about Dakota, she was comfy on Jimmy’s brother’s lap 😉

It was such a relaxing evening! There’s nothing like hanging out by a campfire and just talking.

Other things from life lately:

Just Malcolm being majestic 🖤

Mordecai and Jimmy’s sister cut grass at work.

Sadie joined in, too!

And we did school at Starbucks again. Pittsburgh has been rainy lately, so a warm coffee and getting out of the house has been necessary every day!

More notes:

• I pulled out Sadie’s Zingo game thinking Mordecai would be old enough to play with her but he was more interested in the mechanics of the card dispenser 😂
• There’s nothing like a fresh set of pens! I ordered this bright version of my favorite pens and it has been fun to switch things up when I journal.
• Speaking of journaling, I am working through this introvert-themed journal lately and loving it.
• Jimmy usually struggles so hard with allergies at this time of year. He hasn’t had to take any Claritin or Zyrtec yet thanks to this supplement!
• I started dreaming up a summer fun list for this summer. It includes mini golfing, a trail walk, visiting an amusement park, going to the Pittsburgh Zoo and more!

What’s something you want to do this summer?