August iPhone

 Outdoor lunches on the back patio —love, love, love not sweeping up after a meal with these cuties!

 Dinner date with these old HS besties. 

Still some of the best people I've ever known and we have so much fun together.

 Since Angela was in town for a whole month all the way from Virginia we fit in a girls' ride and later in her stay we had a fun triple dinner date with all hubbies.

 I moved Luke into a big boy bed a few months ago and yet I left this lovely crib standing in an empty room. It was an oddly emotional thing to say goodbye to this "thing" but it definitely signaled the end of an era that I am finally ready to embrace. And now I am feeling thrilled about the prospect of having loads of kids and no more babies, so it was time to store this away (might be one key item I keep forever in the hopes that some grandbabies will one day sleep in it). Moving the crib freed up a room and Olivia was sweetly pleading for her own so we made it hers. Caroline lucked out getting the big queen bed in her room so it could still double as a guest room when we have visitors (and then we could assemble the bed that's been stored awkwardly in the basement!)

 Cute family of deer behind our house one morning

 Happiest, blonde cupcake eater celebrating cousin Anders' birthday

 

The younger Horsley cousins came to play one afternoon and being summer we just needed water to have a great time outside!

 Taking a break in the shade to dry off and eat lots of snacks :)

 And finally it was back to school for these two (on a rainy August day! Not the norm around here at all but we have the wettest summer).

Cares started 3rd grade and Bentley started 5th grade. I love these big kids so much!

 One week after the bigs started back this beautiful princess finally started Kindergarten. She was one hundred percent ready and so excited to go. She has done so well there and I especially love my 3 elementary kids walking home together every day. These are certainly precious years as a mommy.

This little man is very happy Livs only leaves him for half of the day as they play so well in the mornings and enjoy their time without big kids. Somehow that Luke cannot ruffle Livs' feathers like the bigs can and she is so patient an fun with him. My little sweethearts!