It's officially summer time!

We have been spending some time in my parents pool and nothing feels like summer to me more than being outside in the water... And now having the kiddos enjoying it too makes it even better!

Our baby girl got a new suit...

Seriously, have you ever seen anything cuter!!!

pineapple upside down coffee cake

I had the urge to bake the other day and I didn't want chocolate, so I found this recipe from Better Homes and Gardens and I was really excited about how it came out.

I will be making this for a Mad Men party (whenever they decide that season 5 will air) and it will be served with martinis and on my vintage melmac. I can't wait!

milk glass

I have been having fun with a new collection: milk glass. I have been finding it at a couple of my favorite thrift stores and I just love how it looks, whether it's for something a little more fancy like a bridal shower or for a kids first birthday party...

I am excited to try to incorporate some of the pieces at some upcoming events♥.

wedding/weekend recap

This last weekend, while heading up to Kit's cousin's wedding, we decided to take our time driving up to the central coast.

We stopped in Ventura and walked around Main Street.

There is always time to tickle the little man...

We stopped at Andersen's in Solvang for some pictures.

(We both have the same ones when we were kids...)

And of course we had to get some of their famous cheese and crackers...

We went to our cousin Lauren's wedding on saturday and it was a wonderful time of catching up with family!

Kit's cousin Michael, his wife Monica, and their little guy Tommy, who could not be more luscious! (He is nine months old.)

Ryder getting some time with his Grandad and Grandi.

The reception was at a family museum of all things related to car signs and memorabilia...

It had a really cool feel to it.

Congratulations Lauren and Dustin!

We are so excited for you both...

heading out...

We are off to head up the coast for a family wedding tomorrow. We are excited to have the talk time and pretty much, every time we drive up north, we think of it as a mini road trip. We have the camera in tow, places to eat plotted out and we have little outings that we plan to take Ryder to. I am so excited for the family time!

mason jars...

I have found with thrift stores, it can be hit or miss and I find that I don't usually have something specific in mind that I'm looking for, I just go in to look, otherwise I leave a little disappointed. Well the other day when I went in to Good Will, I found a bag of 12 mason jars. I have been seeing them all over and here they were, just waiting for me to take them home. They were brand new, never been used, and they are the best size for beverages or if you want to drop candles inside or if you want them to hold utensils for a party...

It is fun to try something new!

Here were some of my favorite photos for inspiration from the world of blogs...

(Man, there are some incredibly creative people out there...)

Enjoy your Thursday!

Converse

Little man has been having some fun sporting his Converse.

Thank you Aunt Mal and Uncle Andrew for giving me the coolest little shoes ever!

happy father's day!

I am a few days late, but as I thought more and more about Father's Day, I realized that I live with a pretty incredible one.

Kit Rae,

you do such an incredible job as being a Dad! I've had a little over a year to watch you be a father and I must say, it is definitely something you were born to do. You are an amazing team mate to me in parenthood and I just can't get enough of watching you with Ryder. You wrestle and play and you are always trying to get new things for Ryder to experience. You allow him to explore and you always keep him safe at the same time. You are a wonderful provider and when you are with Ryder, you are completely PRESENT and that means so much to us. You are a man that I respect for his courage, character and leadership, as well as your kindness and gentleness. I couldn't pick a better Dad for our little man. I am so thankful that he has you, and that you are such buddies. I will play second to you any day!♥

So Kit Rae, Happy (belated) Father's Day!

We couldn't love you more!

family time and father's day...

On saturday we spent some time celebrating my grandma's 86th birthday. It was a very special time filled with food, laughter, family quirkiness and because of the quirkiness, even more laughter♥. (I love you all and am so thankful that you are my family!)

Baby Olivia, who is so precious to me!

(You should see the lusciousness of her thighs...

It could kill you!)

Kit was with some close friends celebrating his 31st birthday with time at a shooting range, playing golf and eating tasty burgers...

Thank you all for celebrating Kit.

Mark, thank you for putting the day together! Talk about having a "best man" for life! I love you!

Kit felt so loved and celebrated!

This weekend also contained the celebration of dad's, and though we didn't get to be with either of them on Sunday, we could not love our dad's more! Happy Father's Day to our dads!

We are so thankful for you both and getting to have two amazing father's in our lives is such a blessing! So to our dad's (a.k.a. George and Eric) we couldn't love you more!♥

projects...

We have been tackling some fun projects around the house and it always feels good when something you have a vision for gets completed.

Case in point:

I found this door in our neighbors trash and (after asking her if I could have it) we took it home, added a polyurethane finish, and turned it into a headboard.

This door has been sitting in our garage for awhile now and so it was so fun to FINALLY finish that project! Here is our new headboard!

Next I tackled a mini project of spray painting some storage boxes for Ryder's playroom.

(You have to love that when you go to places like Savers and Good Will, you know that you can transform almost ANYTHING with a good can of spray paint and only spend a few bucks!)

Before:

After: