our 4th of july weekend

tonight there was an epic summer thunderstorm; the three of us (well four including jack, and he is so very much a part of our little family) stood in the doorway watching the skies light up with flashes. after awhile i raced out onto the front lawn to do some insane dancing in the rain with my girl. her smile was free, her teeth gleaming with raindrops, her laughter ran wild through the air, without a care in the world. it was one of those moments i tucked away in my heart for another day when the weight of the world might seem like too much, because in that instant, everything was right.

love Sookie's hair blowing in the wind

there has been so much joy lately, i have to admit i'm kind of waiting for something awful to happen. it is an ugly downfall of the quirky happenings that go on in my brain. 

this is what our june looked like; with a few more things i failed to remember to write down. there were many activities and adventures, but best of all? there was so much LIFE thrown into everything, purpose behind every place we had to be and every event we attended.

i live for nights when we go on little family outings; not really a set goal or trajectory in mind, but being together, enjoying each other because that is all it takes sometimes to remind us of this special thing we have going on here in this little house.

our girl is blossoming right before our eyes...

...it is a sight to behold.



a tweet from saturday night:
Little miss S is asleep, I am being serenaded with a guitar, a fire, & fireworks in the backyard. #livingmyfairytale

 a sweet night with {my} sweet. those nights are few and far between as parents, but they are so powerful, they make up in quality what they lack in quantity.


my favorite things about this weekend:


sookie's festive red dress that her aunt iris gave her for her birthday.

playing in the fountain at our favorite outdoor mall.

my (very) creative cousin's pink poodle, chloe.

this salad, recipe and photo courtesy of our best bites.
the dressing? so delicious. i'm obsessed.  
(definitely worth squeezing out 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice.)

{photo credit}

also loving?

coconut popsicles

& seeing sookie play with the "big" girls; 

her cousins and friends. 

{why yes, that is my pretty gussy bag in the background there. 

adorable & functional. it doesn't get better than that! }

it is cake time momma.

beyond thrilled to borrow someone's pretty necklace!

we hope your weekend was lovely.

kisses abound!