July!

Ahh, I love July! It's like Saturday of summer.  Long, hot, lazy days.  I always feel like this is the  month, when the kids have fully settled into our summer schedule (it always takes at least a month of the busyness of the school work load to wear off). We settle in to our routine of swim, play games, hang out, watch movies, repeat.

July is also typically when our families come to Texas for a visit! Yay! This year we were able to visit Jon's parents in beautiful Barrington, Illinois. A few months ago they relocated there from Edmonds, Washington.  They moved to be near Jon's little sister, Hilary and her adorable family, and they couldn't be happier!  :D We loved seeing everyone, swimming/canoeing in the nearby lake, and of course, eating way too much!

In case you wondered, the plane was very empty - we didn't mind a bit :)

beautiful Chicago

Jon and Havalah canoeing with (cousin) Mairen

ok, so this pic is totally dorky (of me!!!), but we had just arrived in Chicago and were excited to be there! :) Ha!
Also, I love these two faces. 

Grandma's new kitchen

and their lovely, light filled living room...

...and family room.  My big kids are sitting in the little kids' bean bag chairs ;)

such a beautiful lake!

We loved their house - so many great windows, established trees and lovely views. 

Our one food request was for traditional Chicago pizza - my thoughtful sis in law, Hilary, made our dreams come true - Giordanos! 

The sweetest neighborhood sign, a reminder to drive carefully bc of the new fawns.

This pic of the two boy cousins absolutely warms my heart! I think mischief is about to go down!

Mid July, Henry FINALLY got his braces !!!! He's been wearing his carriere (pictured) since November. He was supposed to get braces in January, but then, well, the world shut down, so was put on hold.  He's super happy with them so far, has had very little pain, so all is well.  Yay!!



Just last week we had a visit from Jon's older sister, Shalimar, and her daughter Hazel. Because of covid, we mostly just hung out at home except for going out to eat one night, and venturing to Round Top for an afternoon to visit a couple of antique stores.  It was laid back and fun!

Hazel made her famous coffee chocolate chip cookies, and they were even better than I expected! You don't have to be a coffee lover to enjoy these.  ;) They're on my dessert pinterest board if you're interested. 

One of our fave places to take guests - the Live Oak Grill

On Saturday afternoon we drove up to Round Top to visit a place that's been on my radar for while, called Old World Antieks. It ended up being waaaaaay out of our price range (it's apparently a fave spot of the Duck Wives), but we enjoyed looking around.  As we were leaving the gal working said she wanted to take us on a "Scavenger Hunt"......ok......sound mysterious and fun, I guess?? She led us back through the (huge) building, had us step through a wardrobe and ended up in a club room.  She said they only show this secret spot to a handful of guests, and to relax, hang out, and enjoy :) So, I took pics lol.

Back home and playing a Sushi Go tournament!

I also wanted to mention that we didn't get our annual visit from my sister, Mary Beth, and her family.  MB was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and is facing major surgery in just a couple days.  This, of course, has rocked her world, but also, selfishly, mine.  She's my best friend, confidant, and the sweetest Auntie to my kiddos.  If you can, please pray for her on Monday, August 3rd? {{hug}}