Family, Friends, and the Fourth

We had a great fourth of July, spending it with friends who are like family and family who is well... family. Some of the kids are in New York so we were missing them for sure but none the less we had a very relaxing long weekend. So much so that I only snapped a few photos the whole weekend. As much as I love to capture photos of my family sometimes it is nice to put the phone down and enjoy the moments. 

Sunday we lounged around the house for the better part of the morning and afternoon until it was time to prep for our cook out with friends. Since our friends put a pool in we have had several get togethers at their place... we always try to do our part by bringing some food along! The 4th of July was yet another great reason to have a pool party! We grilled, we swam, we ate, and we swam some more oh then we ate again. The twins were a little sick from a cold they had gotten earlier in the week so we headed home and straight to bed. Around that time hubby said he wasn't feeling too well either. 

Monday came and hubby was in fact sick so we were in for another day of relaxing and doing nothing... which was just fine with me.

All though we didn't partake in any "real" independence day activities we enjoyed the weekend as a family and got in some much needed rest and relaxation. Some holidays are busy and others are spent doing nothing, either way the meaning behind the holiday is never lost so here is to America's Independence.. Happy "late" 4th of July everyone!

Friday Favs

one. The Pool.. the girls absolutely love going to the pool and would probably go there everyday and stay all day if we let them. And let me say we pretty much go every day. Last summer the twins were mostly staying on the steps of the pool and not venturing into the main part of the pool too much. At the start of "pool season" it was much the same but it didn't take long for them to start floating their way into the water. Right now they wear the puddle jumper floats and let me tell you they are amazing and I am so happy we bought them last year. The girls are definitely learning to swim with them and I think it really builds their confidence. I was hopeful they would start doing more swimming and going under water sometime this year. But they did it much sooner than I thought. A few weeks ago we were hanging out at our friends pool and Olivia asked for her "armies" (as we call them) to be taken off and before we knew it she went right under water!! I was so shocked and beyond proud of her. The rest of our time there she continued to go underwater and then she pushed off from me and swam right to her aunt!! Talk about another shock this girl went from not wanting to get her hair or face wet to going under and swimming! Now both girls are all about going under the water and practicing swimming!

two. Working AC ... praise the lord our AC is working properly! After a month of issues with our AC our landlord decided it was time to just put in a new unit. Let me tell you living in Florida in the summer with a half working AC is not fun, oh and did I mention the fact that I have FIVE kids to keep cool?? I don't know about you but when it's hot and there is no way to stay cool in your home the crankies come out and the kids start to go a bit crazy. I am so thankful that we have a landlord willing to make things right!

Three. Statement Tees..I've never really been one for Tees with words on them let along a T-shirt that has a sentence! But recently I've been really liking the new things I have been seeing on my Instagram feed. After Parker was born and quiet honestly while I was pregnant with her I heard a lot "wow you have your hands full". I had seen a shirt a few times that I really liked and it said "If you think my hands are full you should see my heart" I thought hey that is a perfect shirt to wear when I am out with all the girls! So my first statement tee purchase was made and I am pretty sure that got me hooked and wanting more! A few more purchases later and I feel like I could wear them everyday! My favs are from Fresh Apparel Tees "Living that mom life" and "out with my entourage" are pretty perfect for my day to day life. I also really love my "Blessed Mama" tank from 3 Little Monkeys. I can't wait to see what I add to my closet next!

four. Meal prep... this past week we decided to prep our lunches and snacks for the week, we've done this in the past and I feel we definitely eat better when we have meals and snacks ready to eat. And since I am trying to loose baby weight and hubby is trying to go off of his insulin this was the best thing to do for the both of us. I threw a pork tenderloin in the crockpot, shredded it up and put it in containers with rice and we had lunches for the whole week for both of us. One day we had some leftovers from the night before so I gave the twins the pork and rice and it was the best lunch they have eaten all week #winning!! Snacks consisted of proportioned fruit and veggies that we could just grab and go with..so easy and it helps us to make sure we are getting enough fruit and veggies each day.

Five. itty bitty baby bows! If you've followed me for any period of time you know I love bows and love to put them on the girls. While Charlotte and Olivia usually don't want a bow in their hair (sometimes they do like today!) Parker doesn't get a choice! I am loving the trend of the little bows especially for Parker and I always get asked where they are from. Not to mention most newborns could pass for either gender so a bow really keeps people from asking me if she is a boy or girl!

bows A little lady shop

 Hope you all have a great weekend! Happy Friday!

All opinions are my own