Yesterday I drove Margaux to camp. Brave little Marg...her first time going to camp & she'll be gone all week. Saturday night she said to me "mom why are you kissing me so much?" and I told her it was because I was going to miss her so much. She didn't even bat an eye & responded "you still get to see me all day tomorrow when you drive me!" She had no sadness & 100% excitement. 

We left around 9:30 am & started our 2.5 hour drive to camp. It was a hike! Before we dropped them we stopped for a quick lunch with the crew of campers.

 She was all smiles when we pulled up to the camp & she saw the facility. "Whoa, this is soooo cool!" We got right in line to get her checked in.

 And then made a quick stop to put money on her canteen card & visit the camp store where she and Hayden spotted these adorable little stuffed pigs that were also wearing camp t-shirts! No hesitation with that purchase and I knew she would snuggle it all week.

 She and Hayden called the two twin beds in their bunk room. Both were so excited to get all settled in to their home for the week. Each of the girls had two big bags full of their clothes, things to keep them busy during down time & their sleeping necessities. We are so proud of her & can't wait to hear about her week. Still shocked that she wanted to go to camp & wasn't worried about being away from home. Such a brave girl. 

 The four roommates posed for one more photo on the balcony near their room before hugging their moms goodbye. They were all so darn cute & ready to spend the week with Peaches {their counselor}.

We will write to her every day & count down the sleeps until she comes home. As of today, 4 more sleeps til we go pick her up. Can't wait to hear about her week! xoxo

This season the GB Packers celebrate their 100th season & to kick off training camp they had a fun experience set up at Lambeau for the fans. This morning we headed there to check it all out. Super fun set up. Wish they would celebrate like this every year. The girls loved it!

 Love these 5 so much! They will have so many great memories together. 

 Posing in the mock locker room...

 Sloane cracks me up. Never sits still for photos but always looks so darn cute!

 Our girls have never experienced training camp. It was great for them to see they players tradition of riding kids bikes through the lot on their way to the training facility. They even got a few autographs.

 On the way out we spent some time in the Titletown District. Our girls love the playground & had a great time running up the huge sledding hill.

Super fun morning. The Packers really do know how to celebrate. Excited for family night next weekend and the start of the football season.

xoxo

If you have been looking for the Brown 5, you can find us at the Veraghen's in their pool!

Since the new pool opened up we have been spending 90% of our days in the water. 

Kids are loving it...

 And so are the adults!

 Different floaties every day.

 Snacks and friends galore!

Definitely lucky kiddos {and parents} to have friends with an awesome pool to enjoy. They are soaking it all in while they can. The days have been beautiful. One plus is our house has stayed pretty clean with them being outside all day! I'll take that while it lasts too. Downside.. lots of laundry. Towels & swimsuits galore. Not a bad problem to have! Loving our summer, time needs to slow down!!! xoxo

This past weekend we drove down to visit Gary's fam & the girls got some cousin time.

 Crazy how big these kiddos have gotten. They sure love spending time together. Fun for our girls to do some "boy" things. These little mini dirt bikes are always a hit.

 We arrived home to a package that Marin had been anxiously waiting for. She ordered it a few days before we left & she could not wait to get her new tapestry hanging in her room. 9:00pm and we were busy steaming it & getting it hung up. She loves it sooooo much! She is definitely our beach bum.

Sloane also decided she wanted to sleep over at our house last night when we got home. She was unbelievably excited and could not wait to sleep at Auntie Sara's house. Packed her little bag and said goodbye to mom. They went down pretty easy but the night was a little difficult! I am so out of the "up at night" stage. Our girls have been sleeping in until as late at 9-10am. They are just so tired from the busy, fun filled days. So much fun! xoxo

Let the summer fun continue! 

We headed back up north the past two days with the Finlans to spend some time on the lake at their cottage. They have a great little beach/park area that is perfect for the kids.

 They also enjoyed some fun in the water off the dock at the cottage. They have both a water mat & a water trampoline that were so fun for the kids. Only thing that would have made it a little better would have been a second day of good weather. Yesterday it was raining so we packed up a little earlier than we had hoped to head home. But we enjoyed the nice weather while it lasted.

 Good news is it was sunny here at home & the Veraghen's pool was ready for its first swim just in time for our arrival home. Time to order Maeve those flippers!

Much better than a few weeks ago when Wendy & I decided to take a dip late night when the pool was not yet finished {or full}!

Amazing set up & even though the pool temp was still freezing, the kids had a blast breaking it in. Looking forward to a lot of fun & relaxing days at their little slice of heaven in the back yard. 

Along with the 4th of July, we've also been busy with our favorite Australians. Shanna & co. have been in town for the past 2.5 weeks. We were sad to have to say goodbye to them this week but had so much fun with them while they were here. Our biggest wish would be to have them in the States all the time but that is a big request. 

In the mean time, we had so much fun & really got a good chuckle out of the boys accents. On Saturday we spent the day with Shanna, boys & Gina at Ginas parent's house on the lake. 

 Marin was babysitting so she wasn't with us earlier in the afternoon when the littles took turns giving the paddleboard & kayak a try. Maeve went first. As expected, she needed someone next to her at all times. Not for our little hot mess.. she was panicked the entire time!!

 Marg was much more relaxed & enjoyed her time on the lake.  I think she preferred the kayak because the paddle was double sided & easier to control. This was not her first time on either, its just been a while! They were in the water for 5+ hours that day. It was a perfect day for the lake.

 They also enjoyed swimming at Rankins throughout their visit. Their pool is always a hit &t is it so easy to go back & forth with them living so close. Off the diving board dozens of times & we exhausted bags of snacks. Maeve really loved the flippers & is desperate for me to order some.

 Brody & the ladies for one last goodbye photo.

Hendrix was not willing to get in the photo because he was busy chasing the dog. 

While they are here I always snap a few photos of her boys & we try our best to get Maeve & Brody together. Only 1 month apart, it has been fun for us to look back at their yearly pics.

Love their little friendship. Until next time we'll soak in our facetime conversations with them & count down the months until the next visit. xoxo

Happy 4th of July! 

We had a great few days up north. So much lake time with it being so hot. I don't ever remember a time when we were all in the water.. everyone. Even little Fitz. It is definitely one of our girls favorite happy places. Wish we would have gotten a photo! This one is cute though!

Love these kiddos so much.

We took our annual pics before the parade & the girls looked so darn cute in their red, white & blue.

  We have accumulated so much that I was able to pack for the whole week... all Americana colors. I love it so much. All three girls looking happy, even though Marin had a horrible headache. We had to wake her up to snap pics. Way to be a trooper Marin!

The family shots are always so fun. This year was a bit of a challenge but we got them in with everyone looking, not necessarily smiling though. Sloane was so over it.

It was almost 90 degrees outside this am & so damn hot. We all were just dripping with sweat, but the girls still managed to have a great time. Marin hung out in the shade & was not doing well. Right as the parade was ending she said she was too hot & started throwing up on the side of the road. I felt so bad for her. We needed to get her in the air conditioning asap.  

 Once we got back she went right upstairs to bed while the rest of us went straight to the water. So bummed I never got a pic of all 3 of them in their stars & stripes swim suits. I will need to pose them another day, maybe in Veraghens pool when it's done in a week or so. She ended up being miserable & we decided to head home this evening. Marin needed the ac. We got home around 6pm & she's been sleeping ever since. Hoping she's back to herself by the morning. Look at this happy smile from earlier in the week though...

 John & Amy got a jet ski a month or so ago. Our girls have never been on one & they were eager to jump right on. Margaux went 1st with Addy & when they were out on the lake I could hear her squealing with laughter. Gary & Marin went next. Safe to say the jet ski was a hit. Maeve opted to stay in the water & swim with me.

Not as many photos as I usually take. My cell phone quit on Saturday when we were leaving & would not turn on all week. Dead. Not really a big deal but it is hard to have my camera out all day. The cell phone is so much easier. I definitely missed it for the photos. But with a view like this for the week, who needs technology? So beautiful. It was a hot 5 days but we enjoyed {almost} every minute of it.

We've never been home for the 4th of July. I can hear quite a few booms happening outside already & it isn't totally dark just yet. The little chicks & I are looking forward to sitting outside to see all the fireworks in the neighborhood. Happy Independence Day!!! xoxo

Switched up our original plan & stayed home for the town fireworks tonight. With the temps close to 95 it was easier to spend one more night in the air conditioning before heading up north for the week. 

Great firework show with friends.

 Big crew looking funny with the cell phone flash in the dark.

We all enjoyed the show, except Maeve. She has developed a fear of fireworks sometime over the last year. So odd, she is terrified! I held her close & tried to get her excited about all the cool fireworks. Not a lot of luck with that. We'll see how she is this week up north with all the fireworks. Tomorrow the high is 96. My guess is we'll spend the day in the lake! xo

Birthday party day for Miss Maeve. 

She has been planning this fairy garden party for months. Picked adorable invitations & we did lots of research on how to make them just right. We had a table all set up with all the supplies & were ready to go when all the girls showed up. 

 And the finished products turned out so darn cute. The girls really enjoyed making them too. After the gardens were all put together it was time for cake. How adorable is this cake/cupcake display? Maeve was so excited when she saw it. The lady did an amazing job.

 The girls played limbo in the front yard, Maeve opened gifts & it was time for them to head home. The two hours went by so fast.

What an adorable bunch of little girls. Everyone came, so she had her whole posse here for her big party. The big theme of the gifts was unicorns! Unicorn blankets, stuffed animals, purses, t-shirts, you name it! Perfect way to end the birthday week. Now time to relax. xoxo

Happy Birthday Maeve!!!

No surprise, I cannot believe my baby is 7!! And as per usual, I had a conversation with her about staying 6 forever but she happily declined. She said she just wants to be 7 like all her friends.

We took a few birthday photos last night. A new birthday dress & she was thrilled to have a little photo session with mom in the front yard. How darn cute is she?!?!

 Sooooo many pics it was hard to choose a few favorites. Love her sweet smile & her teeth are coming in so nicely after years of a toothless smile. While she posed so well, Marg was running around the yard/neighborhood half dressed. It was too hot for her. She cracks me up, they were so happy to pose together.

Then this morning it was time to start celebrating our seven year old. Starting with a birthday request for pancakes with whip cream & raspberries on the special plate.

 After breakfast she opened a few gifts & then after a little down time, we headed to the movie theater to see the Incredibles movie with Veraghens. Super cute movie & the perfect day for it because we had some really heavy rain. After the movie we sped home to get ready for family dinner. Maeve's request was chicken legs on the grill & pasta salad. Oreo ice cream cake for dessert. 

All great choices Maeve.

 Happy little girl got everything she wished for... a Polaroid camera & a gallon of glue to make slime. So random but she was happy as can be. She also got some new shoes, a few games, other slime supplies & more film for the camera. We had a great day together. She is now especially excited for her party with her friends in a week. How will she ever make it that long waiting?!? We love you so much Maeve & hope you had the best day! xoxo

I can't even believe it... Last Day of School!!!

Where does the time go? These girls have rocked it this school year & are ready to celebrate summer!

Moving on to 4th grade...

 6th grade...

 And 2nd grade...

 Here is the lady crew at the bus stop before they walked to school. The boys had already taken off on their bikes.

 Marin & her intermediate school crew who rode to school every morning together. Love that Tevyn is so much taller than these two!! 

After school it was time for treats & celebration.

Tradition..pencil cookies & ice cream at the bus stop. Then it was time to play into the evening. Summer time is here & we are so ready for it. xoxo