So let's play catch up from the last couple of months.


The girls and I spent an evening in Topeka back at the end of April.  My one goal was to catch the last little bit of tulip season and it was beautiful. Next year we will catch the beauty even earlier in the season.  We picked up a picnic and played at the park and drove home in time for bedtime.  I wanted to say it was simple and rewarding but I think by the end of it I was losing my cool.  It happens y'all.  I do have three kids.  Who are usually really good... but the earlier in the day, the better.


Rob surprised the girls with tickets to Frozen on Ice.  In our house, Frozen is a way of life.  It's not uncommon for the girls to be requested to be called "Anna" or "Elsa".  It's not uncommon for kids to be serenading you with "Let It Go".  And if they are playing Barbies, it is often to act out the movie.  The obsession is really real.  So taking them to this event was absolutely worth it.


We went to Grace's kindergarten orientation.  I can hardly believe that in just a few short months she will be a kindergartener!  We got to tour her school and while it is one of the older schools here in Lawrence I think it will end up being a great fit for our little lady.  We are definitely excited to see how the first year of all day school goes!


It is crazy to me to be wrapping up school still because I feel like Grace has been out of school FOR FREAKING EVER.  In reality it hasn't been too terribly long.  One of my favorite traditions from her time at preschool is their mom's day event.  I had a baby-sitter for the littles and the one on one time with my oldest was just the best.  We got to check out her art and I'm biased, but she's got talent.


One of the best things about my networking passion is the people I have met and crossed paths with since then.  This lovely lady took a chance on me and my ideas and hosted the first Networking Night Out event that I had in April at her boutique KB & Co.  She invited me to be part of her three year anniversary party for her business and it was so much fun.  We modeled clothing and had a complete blast.  I adore this town and the people in it.

Mother's day with my mama.  Another year that I am thankful for her being around to answer all my questions and lend a supporting hand.  My life would be a lot more difficult without her.  That is without a doubt.


Grace's last day of preschool was huge.  Not only does she go to kindergarten next year but it also means Brooke enters the world of preschool, if we can get her potty trained... Grace wrapped up the year with a bike rally and cried as we pulled out of the parking lot. She really enjoyed this year, her teachers and her friends.


One of our first adventures for the summer break was to go to the zoo with friends.  We love the Topeka Zoo because it is small but lots of fun still.  The kids were literal feet away from the tigers for heavens sake.  It has become tradition to hit up Cracker Barrel after the zoo and the kids just enjoy running around with each other.  Us moms, we enjoy it too, I think.


Most of you probably saw on my various social media channels that my dad had an accident at the lake memorial day weekend.  He fell off the roof of their lakehouse and landed on a ladder fracturing 5 ribs and his L3.  We left town last minute and spent a couple of days at the lake to be there for my mom and sister while my dad was in the hospital.  He's home now and in recovery and more than anything we are thankful that we got to spend some unprompted time with our family in that neck of the woods.  The babies are growing so rapidly.  So even an afternoon spent together is everything.


Thankfully, we got home in time to be in our basement as an EF-4 tornado took out houses just a few miles south of us.  The path was WAY too close to home and the same storm traveled near my parents home just an hour after they got dad home from the hospital.  The damage was excessive.  But the community has rallied so hard behind those hit and it is something beautiful to come out of the damage.


My girl Jen and I took a SUPER long trip into Kansas City to attend a blogger event at the cutest boutique, Frankie and Jules.  There was champagne on tap, swag bags, cookies, sweet friends, good shopping and so much more.  Definitely worth the time and I always enjoy spending time with this girl whether it be MOPs or blogger events.


I am not the only one in this family that likes to volunteer all my extra time to the cause.  Rob puts his passion for hunting to good use and helps put together the Ducks Unlimited Banquet for the Jayhawks Chapter here in Lawrence.  They had an AMAZING event and the total for the night was significantly larger than last year.  A true hunter loves to conserve the very environments they live out of for large chunks of the year, and that is the number one goal of Ducks Unlimited.  I am forever proud of this man.


And finally, we celebrated Father's Day with my dad a few days before Sunday with dinner and candy.  This year more than anything I am thankful we got to spend time with him in one piece and relatively mobile.  The girls and I spent Sunday with Rob eating good food and walking the hardware stores.  A better fathers day could not have been dreamt of for this guy.

So that was the last few months in a nutshell.  I'm going to try and hop back on the wagon but the month of May and most of this summer has been beating me up just a little.  But I'm going to try and step back and take it all back in.  Starting with family vacation next week.