REAL

I know there are a million other things I could be blogging about but those can wait. Trips and adventures will always be there but today will not.


Our love pizza is going into the oven for dinner right NOW!! So I have twenty minutes to do this thang!! Then it's dinner with my babes.

Happiness comes in many shapes and sizes but as of late these comfy, cozy shams are rocking my dreams.

and my newest bookbag picked up by my love from a local thrift shop

homemade slippers from 99-year young Great Grandma Georgie

rooftop concerts... that are free

walking to the greatest restaurant just for dessert

Waking up next to this. Letting babes slip into our bed has always been a big NO NO!! But as time goes by you realize you are really going to miss the big NO NOs and let them snuggle up.

an oldie from last month - Mother's Day mug from my boy

Jarom's latest obsession is making smoothies. A little frightening to wake up to this....

but others love it


Looked in every room, called his name downstairs and outside. getting a little panicked till I hear this little muffled "hello." Hiding out in the toybox.

Yard sale!!! This is a day the kids really look forward to. Making money. We took a vote and with the yard sale earnings the kids are getting their much desired trampoline.

I was busy planting in the backyard but could hear the kids calling "healthy treats for sale" over and over and over again. Jarom was very proud of his creation - the "mushroom kids" - Sour Patch Kids with raspberry hats.

Matt ran his second half marathon of the season. This one just happened to be down our very own Provo Canyon. Matt's time keeps on dwindling. This time he ran 13.1 miles at a 7:36 pace. Freaking amazing. And he looks it.

Walking home from the race this little parakeet landed right in front of us. We tried to catch him. And followed him all around the block. But he got away. :( I'm wishing him well, hoping we meet again.

baseball picture day

Jarom got to "run home" two times yesterday

The kids are signed up for every summer reading program out there. Jarom reads to the kids in the car, at bedtime and anytime they ask. Orion, being the "baby" that he is, insists on sitting on the lap of whomever is reading. (Don't worry, Jarom has underpants on.)

any free time we have goes into the backyard

lucky for me, I have got some great, enthusiastic helpers, pulling out all of our "mother weeds"

finding treasures

we started by cleaning out every bed, expect for the strawberries

The red barrel and the old white cooler are our first attempts at growing potatoes. This year we ordered over 30 different veggies from Seeds Savers Exchange. New fun ones like red dragon carrots, rainbow swiss chard, and a black tomato that they say is the ugliest but tastiest.

Real pleasure comes from watching the snap peas come to height so they can start growing up their new trellis.

I come outside countless times just to look at my flowers. They bring me so MUCH happiness. Last year was our first year in this house and all we had were rocks in the front. All I wanted was lovely flowers. I, being new to this, just picked some perennials that said they required very little water. It didn't seem to be working so well. Those yellow coreopsis looked like the smallest baby green bushes. The flowers seemed to hide in shame under the leaves. Imagine my surprise to have them quadruple in size and the flower stems just bursting out proudly, showing off their flowers.

The herb garden is also in full bloom

This afternoon I found Orion with the a bowl of freshly picked strawberries. He gladly ate every single one leaving the strawberry tops neatly lined up on the bunkbed ladder. Afterwards, we took a nice stroll around the block. Orion chose to ride his bike pants-less.