A new look for the house

We had our house painted this summer. I was so happy to get rid of the pink garage doors and front door! It was nice to have a house color that didn't lean toward purple in certain light, too. 

Choosing the color was tricky--it needed to look good with the roof and be dark enough that it could be applied with one coat. I wanted a color that was not green, not beige, and not gray. I brought home about 10 different samples--it's so much different than painting a room--colors just don't look the same on a house as they do on swatches! 

I'm thrilled with the result, though! The color we ultimately went with is called Zeus from Sherwin Williams. It is more green than anything. The trim is a cream, and we ultimately had the front door painted to match the storm door--a dark burgundy color. 

 After the painting was finished, we redid the bed right in front of the house. I forgot to take a "before" photo, but suffice it to say that this is a huge improvement!

The flower bed next to the driveway got some attention too. First Alice weeded much of it while they were here in May. I gave it a little attention and then added mulch and a few more perennials. Looking forward to seeing how these areas come back next year!

Eli's Baptism

Father's Day weekend we headed to Lexington for Eli's baptism. It was fun to see Alli and Micah's house, hang out with Eli again, and see Tom and Alice and Micah's family.

The boys with their newest cousin:

Playing in the park

Playing in the shade in the park--key on this hot day!

We went to the local pool. The boys loved this little water slide.

Eli in the family baptism gown. What a sweetie! He did wonderfully through the service, too.

Ed and Micah's sister Darcy are Eli's godparents

with Grandma and Grandpa

What a great photo!

The Ruble/Demko/Johnson family in attendance

I love holding a sleeping baby!

Cottage Time with the Cooks

In June, we spent a weekend at a cottage on Shavehead Lake with Dustin and Kelly and the kids. 

Here's how we know the kids are growing up; we gave the "big kids" (TJ, Abbey and Jojo) the room with 2 twin beds. Which resulted in lots of bedtime wildness!

All 4 kids--a really cute unplanned shot!

Brennan is a big fan of food--any and all.

First time in the life jacket and on the boat!

What a cutie!

Dinner al fresco...how we ate all weekend!

The kids caught a "fish" with their net!

Lake side sandbox = best playground ever!

 Upside down Jojo

We love watching these three play (and entertain themselves!).

 We took an 8-person bike ride--one tag along and two burleys!

The weekend ended with a flat tire on the truck. Happily, the guys were able to get it changed themselves!

Goodbye, Crib!

When TJ started escaping his crib one month shy of his 2nd birthday, I thought it was early. I didn't think about TJ teaching Jojo how to get out of the crib, and how that might mean Jojo was done with the crib even earlier!

Two months shy of his 2nd birthday, we took the front off of Josiah's crib to convert it to a toddler bed. Unlike Thomas, who gracefully (and constantly) escaped as an almost 2-year-old, we had to do it because Jojo was going to hurt himself falling out.

And unlike Thomas, Jojo took to the idea instantly. He didn't run around the room, he didn't cry at the door, he didn't fall asleep in places other than the bed...instead, even when he wakes up in the morning or from a nap, he often sits in bed and cries until someone comes and gets him. A much easier transition!

Of course TJ needed to try out the toddler bed too!