Around Here Twenty-Four: 06/09-06/15

A glimpse into what it is like to live in our home just this minute.

photo cred: Loni Stankan

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 213+ hours (of 1000)
Only three hours shy of catching up to our hours at this point last year!  I set a goal this week to strive for close to six hours a day of outdoor time this week and three days I surpassed it and two other days I was darn close. The weather was beautiful this week and I even got in a long run (5 miles) one evening that felt so so good.  This time last year, with our newest babe only a few weeks old, my hours took a severe dip because newborn in hot sun with constant feeding rotations is tough - so I'm excited to start making big strides over my time last year and finish the last six months of the year strong with our Outdoor Hours goal!

Reading The Post Birthday World by Lionel Shriver and finished it! I started Dark Matter by Blake Crouch which will constitute as my Book I've swapped with someone (my sis Kayla gave me Dark Matter and I swapped her A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson) in our Inspired Readers Book Club Summer Checklist! 

Closing down the regular baseball season with Gemma's last teeball game and Greyson's final game and a loss at their playoff game this week.  We still have all-stars coming up, but for the most part - our 2017 baseball season has almost entirely winded down.

Going in all the directions last Saturday.  With the help of our loved ones, we sent the girls off to Pittsburgh with my parents to visit Aunt Kitty for a sleepover visit.  Rusty spent the day at Idlewild with Gigi and then had a sleepover with her and Pappy.  Brandon and Grey spent the morning at all-star baseball practice, then we hosted one of his teammates at our house until their regular season make-up baseball game that afternoon (B coached, I dugout-mom'ed) and then Grey was thrilled to have a drive-in movie and sleepover date with cousin Caleb.  And so that night - while all our babies were safe, loved, and undoubtedly having a blast - B and I spent the evening laughing and celebrating my best friend's 10 year wedding anniversary at their beautiful party.  Even Karpy and Matt flew up from NC to be there and the three of us were over the moon to be all together again (akt!) We had such a fun time and were so grateful to get to be real live grown ups and with my favorites.  thank you to everyone who helped us have such an incredible date night! (happy 10th anni, Kate&MLF xxoxo)!

Visiting lots of doctor's offices for all routine check-ups, but it felt good to get them all out of the way.  All six of us had our regular adjustment appointments at the chiropractor (happy to answer any questions about children and regular chiro adjustments, we are believers that it helps keep them healthy!), Grey had a dentist appointment, and the oldest four people in our family also had our annual eye doc appointments too! All good on all fronts for all of us and as I say every time a nurse is running through the list of health history questions; "We are boring and so very grateful to be boring!"

Enjoying summer to the max this week.  We spent Monday afternoon chilling at the Ebensburg Pool with our friend Jackie and her kiddos.  Grey and Gem (after a little coaxing) tried the slides and had a blast - while our Fearless Violet jumped off the ledges and went down the baby slide a million times without her floatie.  We hung out under our canopy on the porch or in our little wading pool for most of the days while at home and on Wednesday headed to our downtown library to check out a huge stack of library books (16 to be exact!!) With #nobedtimesummer, we are staying up way late - and most of the time it's outside well into the dark and then long lazy mornings where the kids wake up on their own, sometimes not until after 9:30a!

Tying up the ends to our upcoming 9th annual Studer's Invitational Beer Olympics!  Our shirts are designed, the order of events nearly finalized, and best of all - my sisters put together this highlight video to get people pumped (and laughing).  Oh, how we love Beer Olympics.  I'm also putting my finishing touches on my Beer Olympic Planning Toolkit that I put together with the nine years experience I've acquired from planning - I hope to make it available on Etsy within the next two weeks.  I'll keep you posted!

Making Sloppy Joes, Brown Sugar & Garlic slow cooker chicken over rice and after a failed attempt at grilled pizza (because I forgot to buy pizza crust!) B and I had instead these jalapeno popper crescent cups which were delish. I made this fan favorite breakfast casserole for Bud to take to his monthly office potluck.