In the midst of playdates, vacations, and kids' activities, Dan and I always have a long list of things we would like to accomplish in the summer, most of which we don't get to cross off before school starts up again. I am super excited about finishing up our family photo album from 2013. It has 110 pages (the max is 111), and 1000 pictures. I can't wait for it to come in the mail. My goal is to be able to do each month right after it happens, so I have two weeks to get to July of 2014.

I also redid the wall next to my sewing corner, My girlfriend gave me her grandma's vintage thread holder, and I absolutely love it. The area looks so much cleaner than it did before. Dan built me another bookshelf for our room too, along with the toy garage outside, and he is finishing up a Ball jar caddy for me. I'm planning on putting together a homework and craft station for the girls, since we will now have two kids in school. Yikes! 

Toy Garage

With three kids and a huge backyard, we have tons of outdoor toys which are usually all over the place. In order to protect and organize them, Dan built us a toy garage. It is awesome. He made sure the shingles match the ones on our house, and I added a brightly colored bunting. We decided to use drop cloth for the front, so the kids don't have to move a heavy door. Miraculously, they have been helping park their toys at the end of the day, so we are happy parents!

Picnic Blanket or Table Cloth

I've been laying low at home this week because I am dealing with a bit of skin cancer. I had a spot biopsied in the beginning of the month and found out it was melanoma, stage 0. We are not worried, but need to have it taken care of. My first visit to the dermatologist included four spots of basal cell carcinoma being burned off with liquid nitrogen (ouch), and two more spots sent out to be biopsied. One of which was a large black freckle that has been under the side of my nose for as long as I can remember. I'm a little bummed to not have my freckle anymore, but suppose that is a little silly. Later today, I go back for a 45 minute procedure to further excise the melanoma on my arm. I will have skin checks every six months from now on for who knows how long, and I feel very blessed that I found it as early as I did.
During one of Henry's naps, the girls and I decided to paint an old bedspread from Ikea. I painted the string and outlined each pennant, then they painted the triangles in. I wrote "The Michaels" in the center, and love how it turned out. Now we just can't decide if it is a tablecloth or a picnic blanket, or both!

Palm Springs Revisited

It's hard to believe this is our third trip to Palm Springs with the Kennedys and the Garcias. The first time Henry was just three months old:

Most of our days looked like this:

and this:

While most evening looked like this:

I took a few minutes and looked at pictures of the previous trips and am amazed at how much the kids have grown. Just last year, Lilly had all her teeth! Having good friends is one of the best things a family can have. My girls are already talking about staying longer next year, "Can we, pleeeease?"