FINALLY....my turn

Ryan started enjoying his 3 car garage on about day three of us moving to the burbs and Ben took to the wide open cul-de-sac and big backyard immediately.  My biggest personal draw to our new hood was the neighborhood pool.  I had to wait 7 and a half long months to realize this delightful benefit of this move, but today my wait ended.  It was perfectly warm and the pool was busy but not crowded.  Mama is IN HEAVEN!! I think you know where to find me through mid-September.  Cheers! and don't forget the sunscreen. ;) 

and Ben's first ever jump into the HG pool...

when Summer starts in Spring

Ben's last day of preschool was yesterday so this morning he woke to some goodies to help get Summer started right.  This welcome to Summer is becoming a fun tradition but this year I held it off until the morning after because we had Sasha's graduation after school.  I'm sure there are more emotions than Ben can describe so honoring the big change (in a fun and inexpensive way) might help justify those emotions.  Our Summer is starting early as we moved from the district that will be in school until the first week of June, and preschool in Littleton lets out a full week before the other schools.  It feels like we have an extra month of Summer (and like Spring just began), but I'm thrilled to have more time together and full open days for adventures.  Our July is packed with travel and August is always a blur so I'm looking forward to some quality pool time and down time before the dog days of Summer are upon us.

Sasha graduates

Ryan got delayed on an out of town work trip so it was up to Ben and I to congratulate Ryan's cousin Sasha on her graduation from high school.  This smart (and beautiful) cookie is headed to the University of Wyoming to pursue her Engineering degree.  Sasha is driven and kind and after being adopted from Russia when she was 7, a testament to her family's love and dedication.  We are so proud of her and her accomplishments and so excited to witness her take her next adventure by storm.

Ben had ridden Fabio this morning and then had his last day of school, so keeping him happy and out of the way of the big kids was a full-time job for solo mom.  I'm sad I didn't snap more pics of Sasha's cowboy (Wyoming) themed party complete with a bonfire and s'mores.  Every detail was perfect and delightful.  One of her friend summed it up best when I overhead her quip to another girl, "I wish my parents loved me this much."

Mother's Day

Mother's Day was a treat from beginning to end this year.  We had spent Saturday doing some serious manual labor in the front yard so Sunday brought a welcome reprieve.  Christy had invited us to the Springs to celebrate and MeeMee was in North Carolina seeing her mom so the schedule was easy.  Before we left, my boys treated me to gorgeous flowers, a lightweight hiking backpack I'd had my eye on and a total surprise gift of the address plaque I had picked out for the front of the house.  I felt very spoiled and loved all day long.

We also celebrated Nana's birthday while we were there as it was a couple days later.  Any celebration with candles and cake makes these boys ecstatic.

After this we also enjoyed the home-made chocolate eclairs I had requested from Ryan.  They are a lot of work and were made extra special with everything else we had going on this weekend.

Thanks to Christy's hosting, there was ample time for snuggles and relaxing when we got home.  It was sad to not be with my own mom on this day but knowing she was with her mom warmed my heart.  I don't take being a mom for granted on any day, but this day is so meaningful and special in ways many will never understand and that I'll never be able to fully express.  I hope Ben's first mom was spoiled on this day, too, and that there's peace in her heart knowing he's loved to infinity and beyond.

Chef Ben

I think we're pretty blessed with Ben when it comes to asking and begging for things and toys.  Requests are rare and fleeting and when they stick around I usually remind him that he can save his allowance or request said item for his birthday or Christmas.  When his requests for a "cooking chef coat and hat," were strong and lasting, I took to the internets to see what I could find.  He was so excited and insistent, I even paid an extra $5 for quicker shipping.  We got home from errands to find the box on our porch and Ben's reaction was worth every penny.  I helped him put it on and he ran to the office door where he can see his reflection in the glass.  He touched his hat and patted his belly and softly repeated, "perfect. perfect."  You can't put a price on a moment like that and the chef coat and hat became a fast fixture in our lives.  

Ben insisted over and over that he was a pizza chef, so a couple days later when we were hanging with Grace and Sara, I got pizza dough from the local pizzeria and let the kids run wild.

We all had SO much fun making our own pizzas and a Spring day warm enough for lunch al fresco was the cheese on the pie.  Each creation was absolutely delicious and we'll be putting chef Ben back to work very soon!!

heimer haus house updates

Some decor (and more) updates from the last few months.............

Magnolia wreaths for the front doors.  Don't tell Joanna Gaines I made them 

myself for less than $30 (for 2)

I've ben dreaming of this new garage door since we moved in.  

Just the beginning of the front yard face-lift.

a new gray rug to pull together the living room

I finally framed some pics from our last family photos.  I want to keep the decor pretty neutral in the family room so I can add pops of color seasonally. 

The progression of the new sectional.........

To say we LOVE our new sofa would be an understatement.  We can't believe we waited so long.  We can all sprawl and not even touch and we absolutely maximized the seating (to any designers despair, I'm sure) for football watching.  We could hardly believe West Elm made the perfect wall lamp as a floor lamp there would have really been in the way.  Now I'm pleading my case for a bigger TV ;)

 

I bought this print before we moved in and we finally got it framed.  I just loved the navy door and windows and have loved even more following the photographers recent journey to adopt a son from South Africa.  It brings me added joy every time I pass this picture.

I commissioned Leslie, who made the sign friend Tisha gifted me for my birthday, to make this for the kitchen nook.  I've long loved this quote but Ben's jubilation anytime I mention a party that, "there will be cake!!," made it a must-have.

Now that the ground is thawing, we are ready to take on the front yard disaster with full force.  Reports from the trenches coming soon.........