Finally, a post about the school house & photos as well! Although the outside is still not finished {still needs a little more paint, a new roof, some landscaping & mulch} the inside is looking great. Our girls & all of their neighborhood friends are having a blast with it. They've been able to play in it a lot more now that it hasn't been so hot! Just in time for school!!!

Here are Marin & Ella {aka The Teachers!}

And the students Aubrey & Margaux...

And just like any classroom, this school house has rules too!!!

The back of the school room {Near the front door}

Bookshelf compliments of my Grandma Goessl... it's a hit & fits all their school books quite well!

And the little red table with two bench seats was actually my mom's when she was little! It fits perfect, adds additional seating & is even super cute!! Matches the decor too!

And the front wall with the chalkboard. Also notice the AWESOME curtains that my mom made. They look wonderful & really pull it all together. I love them!

Pictures of the outside to come! It's definitely coming along. We just love it. Marin will often say "Mom, I'm so happy you & daddy got this for us. It's SO fun!" I love sitting outside while the kids are inside listening to them play. It's so cute. I think Marin has actually learned a thing or two this summer for her friend Ella who is two years older than she is. Ella is a great teacher!! And Marin & Aubrey just found out that they are going to be in the same Kindergarten classroom this year. The letters arrived yesterday via the mail & they are sooooo excited! One more week of summer & then it's back to school! xoxo

This little one has become a huge fan of crayons, markers & anything else she shouldn't have! I'm always finding her with something in her hand. One of these times she'll have a masterpiece on the wall I'm sure! She doesn't like it as much when she's refined to her chair!!!

"Hmmmm, color with this or eat it??"

Marin showing off her Green Bay Packer pom pom that she colored...

Margaux drawing her picture...

This morning the big girls asked me if they could paint their nails. I said no, but about 20 minutes later they were yelling for me {I was in the laundry room}. I came out & Maeve had reached up onto the table & gotten a bottle of nail polish AND dropped it on the hardwood floor! I was so mad! Mostly that the girls didn't listen, but also because she's into everything!!! Can't leave her alone even for a second. All of the kitchen chairs are lined up along the wall... FAR from the table. She's a huge fan of climbing onto the table & then standing on it! She can even get up the stools at the counter & get up there too! {one of these days I'll take a photo!}

One week ago today {Monday July 30th} we had another hail storm. This one was much different from the last one where the hail consisted of tiny little balls. This storm produced golf ball sized hail! Some of the pieces were even a bit bigger. It was coming down so hard that we couldn't even watch from the front porch because the balls could have hurt someone! Once the storm passed Maeve & I went back outside & she had a ball!

Those balls of ice were a one year old's dream! She was popping them in her mouth, throwing them & whatnot. It was fun to watch her. The big girls didn't even care. They were exhausted & there was no way I could pull them off the couch to come see the hail. Lazies!

I happened to be out just before the storm & pulled into the garage JUST in time {30 seconds later & we would have had a hail damaged vehicle.} But now, we're dealing with the roof which is apparently damaged. Below is Gary up on the roof checking things out. I love the neighbor boys supervising down below!

The same day we got a new bike seat for Maeve. How cute is she with her little Trek helmet???

And here she is with Gary {on my bike} taking it for its first test run. She loves it! I have been on my bike every night with her. We ride around the neighborhood & she just babbles & talks the entire time pointing at everything she sees. She gets especially excited when she sees a dog.

So fun! xoxo

Maeve had her 1st trip to the dentist!!! She was a little scared at first & didn't ever want to get too far away from me. She only sat in the chair for a brief moment & then she wanted to be back on my lap.

She cried pretty hard when the dentist looked into her mouth & HATED her brushing her teeth! I wasn't at all surprised since that is exactly the way Marin & Margaux were at their first appointments. Once she was done she had fun walking around playing with all the buttons, etc.

Margaux did great! She was a little hesitant to sit in the chair at first but once she sat down, she got more comfortable. Dr. Evans counted all of her teeth...

And to our surprise, she even let her do a cleaning! I couldn't believe it. She picked bubble gum tooth paste & chose to have Dora sparkles {fluoride} brushed onto her teeth at the end. She kept talking about how the brush tickled her teeth. What a big girl!

And then there's Marin. She went off by herself with the hygienist right when we checked in. {Made me kind of sad... she's all of the sudden really growing up!} After Margaux & Maeve were done, we walked over to the other side of the office to check on Marin. She was all smiles & even had a secret to tell me when we got there... She is cutting a "big girl molar" in the back of her mouth & they could tell that one of her front teeth is showing signs of movement.

She was so excited to tell me that & even continued to tell everyone for the next few days. I can't even imagine her with holes in her mouth & losing teeth! I know the day is coming though. We better warn the Tooth Fairy!!!!

The Brown Chicks Meet The Chicks!

I ran into a woman whom I've met since moving up here at soccer the other night. She happened to mention that she had 8 baby chickens at her house. I immediately invited ourselves over...the next morning we were there & the girls were just thrilled. Maeve was a little challenging because she just chased them around & wasn't the most gentle with them!!! {poor things!}

I can't even tell you how many times we had to say "Maeve, be nice to the chickens," and she'd look at me and say "nice!" She had no idea, but really loved them. She'd get so excited every time she'd actually catch one & touch it!

Margaux liked the chickens but was a little hesitant to touch or hold them. She definitely didn't enjoy the experience as much as the other two & that was fine. She enjoyed seeing them but didn't really get as close. It didn't help that while we were standing next to their little cage, one of the chicks flew up & landed on the back of her head {just above her ponytail}! She cried so hard, I felt terrible. It totally freaked her out!!!

And then there's Marin. She was OBSESSED with them & I wasn't surprised. She immediately found one little chick that she fell in love with. If it even tried to get up, she'd grab it & push it back down into a laying position in her lap. It was really cute. Eventually she had a few of them sleeping/resting around her.

Marin & her buddy chick...

And one close-up of Marin's friend little chick. I had to explain to her that they wouldn't stay this small forever and that eventually....

They would all grow into this...

Then she changed her mind & I think she was okay leaving that baby chick at our friend's house!! The one hour visit was quite enough & I'm quite certain there isn't a chicken coup in our future!! xoxo

Marin & her friend Keira {front left} had a joint birthday party together a week or so ago. We decided to do the party between their two birthdays. American Girl themed of course! Here are the five neighborhood girls with their dolls ready to start the party! I just love all their happy faces!

I made little matching hats for the girls dolls that turned out sooo cute. They had to pose for a photo!

From left- {Margaux's} Darby, Claire, Kaycee, {Marin's} Lanie & Alie

Here is Marin with Lanie...

and Marg with Darby...

We had a great time with the girls. Each doll had their own place setting at a small table complete with placemats, small plates & cups! My neighbor also frosted small Cheerios to look like tiny donuts for the dolls {the girls enjoyed them!}. AND... the party was a sleepover! This was the first sleepover with friends for our girls. {It included me sleeping on the floor with all of them in a sleeping bag as well.} We got all set up in our neighbors theatre room & watched Mirror Mirror together before it was time for bed. By the end of the night they were all exhausted & slept well once Margaux settled down & stopped throwing socks & giggling! Such a fun time with a bunch of cute little ladies. Can't wait to do it again! xoxo

We had a wonderful time {despite the 100+ temperatures} up north the past few days. It was hotter than I ever remember & for that reason, we spent the majority of our time in the lake tyring to stay cool. I think Maeve was in her diaper only 90% of the time. I felt so bad for her, but she really didn't seem to mind the heat. Here is myself, Maeve, my mom & my Aunt Amy on a boat ride on the evening of the 4th...

Maeve, Daddy & Grandpa...

I love this picture, her smile is just so flippin cute! {I cropped the rest of the family out!}

She spent so much time playing with the ice in the coolers & on this boat ride she played with my glass of ice water the entire time. Who needs toys when we've got ice?!

All 5 of us.

This picture is so our family, everyone doing their own thing with Gary & I smiling for the camera!

They are all so goofy!

Little M driving the boat...

Playing on the beach... Margaux is all about splashing everyone else but doesn't like to be splashed herself! Poor Maevey!

Marin didn't get into many photos. She rarely got out of the water, definitely our little fish. She was jumping off the dock, swimming from cottage to cottage & just loved the water. It was fun to see her swimming skills put to work. The little ones stayed on the beach with us.

Such a fun time, but we were happy to be home & into the air conditioning. Yesterday {July 5th} was 105 degrees! I really don't ever remember it being this hot, EVER! It's amazing how well we all slept last night. I think it will take a few days for us to catch up but it was worth it! xoxo

Hopefully everyone is used to me falling behind by now... I keep doing it! Nothing new, just busy with photography jobs & enjoying summer with the girls. Our friends are here for the next few weeks visiting from Australia as well, so we'll be spending lots of time with them. {Pictures promised!}

Here are a few from Maeve's birthday party. The owl cupcakes & pink candies...

"One" cookies...

A picture of us with the birthday girl...we love her so much! It was almost as if she knew it was her special day. She loved all the attention & fun.

Enjoying an  owl cupcake with her "1" hat...

We tried taking a picture of us {Gary & I} with her while she ate her cupcake & this is what happened to his face...

She smeared the frosting all over him & was so happy while doing it!

And here she is with her favorite gift, her Bitty Baby who we named Lily. {Her sister's actually named her. They thought the name went well with Lainey & Lana, two of their American Girl Dolls} She was SOOO happy when she unwrapped her. I couldn't believe how much she truly loved her. She was all smiles..hugging & kissing her while saying "baby" over & over. I will never forget that adorable moment. Here she is kissing Lily....

Such a fun day! xoxo

Our Graduate!

I love how happy & proud she looks in that photo. I'm a little behind on pictures/posting due to the CrAzY last week or so at our house. Two birthdays, a graduation, Father's Day, A Triathlon, etc. Needless to say, we've been busy! {As always, better late than never!}

Here is Marin with her classmates singing during their end of the year concert...

They sang about 8-10 songs {Marin's favorite...Country Road! Who would know our little hip-hop queen has some country in her!!} and then they each took a turn going up to the microphone to say what they wanted to be. Marin - "When I grow up I want to be a Teacher!" Mommy was so proud!!!

With her 1st diploma!!

And her favorite school friends, Olivia on the left & Emmy in the middle...

It's so odd to me that she's ready for Kindergarten! Makes her seem so old & I can't imagine what life will be like next year when she's gone the WHOLE day at school. Makes me sad, but she's is beyond excited to go to the "big school."

Once the ceremony was done the class went bowling. She bowled a bit & then we continued celebrating at Bay Beach. Such a fun day together! xoxo

Happy 1st Birthday {in two hours} to our sweet, happy baby!

We love her so much & can not imagine our lives without her. It's so hard to believe that she's one already. Although she's still our baby, all of the sudden she looks so big to me. It makes me sad & happy all at once. She's more fun than I can even begin to explain! I love how she jibbers all day long, having conversations with us about who knows what. It's the cutest thing & I will never forget those cute little sounds.

It's funny but I swear she knows her special day is coming. We've been celebrating her all week long & she's lovin' every minute of the attention. I can not wait to celebrate with her tomorrow & see her cute face while we sing Happy Birthday!

We had a little photo session this week while the big girls were outside. Gary & I had so much fun watching her together as she enjoyed her 1st sweet treat!

She followed right in her sisters foot steps...didn't want to dig in at all! She just kept patting the cupcake!

First taste...

Now we're having some fun!

Then she started to fling it ALL OVER THE PLACE!!!

Yummy!

Tomorrow we'll celebrate with an owl {bright pink & lime green} party! Photos to follow...

We Love You Maeve!!! xoxo