summer days in the country

now that summer is over, looking at these pictures feels so sweet. my parents home in the country is always the best for the kids to play outside & take some lasting photographs. 

when andrew headed outside one morning, he put on his tia's boots to go check if there were any eggs to gather.  

so when i asked him to stop for a few pictures, naturally he pouted and whined. 

but elena? no way. she's ready for that shutter to click. with her cute little flamingo outfit, those little arms wrapped around her back and that smile, how can one resist? 

while her brothers pout and strain their smiles, this little girl is full of life....and mischief.

jonah then decided to put on his boots. he could barely walk, it was the cutest thing!

...and then little girl, as always, follows in his brothers footsteps. 

Elena & her cousin Leo always have a blast together...and their favorite? the trampoline...round and round they go. 

there was no pool this summer. so a cow's trough had to do. 

we visited my aunt & uncle in a nearby town. she delivered all three of my babies so she will always hold a special place in my heart.

they invited us to walk through their garden, and ate some delicious tomatoes & picked dried flowers. then the boys got all her toys out of the closet and played the heck out of her organ & piano. i think they were glad we were just visiting. 

jonah found her swing outside, he was so excited but couldn't swing himself just yet, so betsy came to help. 

moomie, though, is a favorite. she's always silly & fun. didn't get a chance to bake dessert this time around but maybe next time they'll make some pie or cake. the boys love "helping" moomie with chores. 

i definitely miss home. we are 5 hours away from them and with both boys in public school now, we only have little breaks in time to visit. i've seriously considered homeschooling so we could have more freedom to travel without limitations...to my home, to mexico, to colorado...you know?
a very cool homeschooling mama of 5, ashley, has been writing a blog for a few years and it keeps tugging at my heart to follow in similar footsteps.

we will see.

have a great week everyone!

family weekend

reality: massive amounts of foods and family confession: i pigged out hardcore. 

we visited my in-laws for a family reunion this past weekend and we had a blast! my only regret was that it was too short and i couldn't enjoy a cold brew with the guys...

the most exciting and romantic part of this whole trip was when hubby asked the magic question:

you wanna go shoot? 

heck yeah i do! 

so i grabbed the .22 and began shooting my little heart out while he was banging away at his .45

...and it was love at first shot

jonah knows where everything is. this little dude drug out everything from the shed, spent the most time outside, and got the messiest #ilovethatboy

my father-in-law is the best. he made specially stacked pancakes for andrew, even though everyone else was eating eggs. he let jonah shoot him with his giant Nerf bazooka. and he also cut me some mesquite discs for an art project i want to get started on. he might not look like a softie....but he is. 

sunsets were pretty rad out there in the country. they always are.