a dinner party + a birthday

last friday night we had a long anticipated dinner party with friends. the weather was perfect, the food was so good, and the company was perfect. we really couldn't have asked for a better evening. my friends and i started planning this dinner months ago. we originally planned to do it at the end of august but then it just kept getting moved back, and for the best. the weather wasn't too hot and there was just a hint of fall in the air by the time we started eating.

the table decor was beautiful. i had no part in it. my friend's mom is the ultimate entertainer and provided us with an amazing fall tablescape.

we all pitched in and brought different food items. every single dish was delicious! 

on the menu:

summer salad in a parmesan bowl (how fancy is that?!)

french bread

artichoke dip

potatoes + carrots

pasta veggie salad

smoked brisket

cheesecake

after it was decided that it would be at our house, i decided to put together a playlist of songs to play in the background. i asked for everyone's suggestions and got some great suggestions from a few. the music set the tone. it really was fun.

james was a good sport and spend friday afternoon hanging the lights and mowing the lawn before the dinner. he's such a good one!

we coordinated to have a couple girls babysit for us and we had all the kids downstairs right there at the house. it worked out nicely. i was able to run in and put kendall to bed between dinner and dessert. 

it was nice to eat as just us adults, get to know each other better, and just enjoy some good food together. we've decided we'll be doing it again next year and i really don't think it can be topped. it really was such a fun night!

sadly, i dropped the ball and didn't get a good group picture before the night ended. but hopefully next year we can remember to do that.

the next morning we got up early to make james some birthday breakfast: french toast and bacon. brooklyn was so excited it was his birthday and she wanted to celebrate him and make him gifts all day long.

sadly, his cougars suffered a really bad loss and set kind of a downer mood for the rest of the day. we lunched at red robin and james got the biggest free burger of his life. we all enjoyed our meals and especially the fries + fry sauce. who doesn't love those?!

(showing off their matching chins!)

we relaxed back at home for awhile, where brooklyn took a bad tumble down the stairs. james and jeremy hit up boondocks as per their birthday tradition. i turned on the women's conference and was able to enjoy it while the girls played in the background.

when james got home we did presents and cake + ice cream. the girls loved it! they love their daddy and really get so excited when he's around. he's such a good dad who loves to read to them, play with them, and all the other good things dads are supposed to do. 

we love you james and are so glad you are the man in our lives!

p.s. he is in dallas for the night and we're missing him like crazy! also, i'm happy to report that not one ounce of t.v. has been watched. that's a miracle people!

fairytale festival.

on saturday morning, we got to have ellie over while j & c went to the temple. we had waffles + eggs for breakfast and the girls had fun getting in the tub and playing together. i love that my girls live close to cousins and that they get to play with them often.

later that afternoon, james and i took the girls to check out the fairytale festival in centerville. we went not knowing much about it, but figured the girls would love it no matter what. it was a stifling hot afternoon and the heat nearly drove us away, but we braved it and we're so glad we did. we dressed the girls in their fluffiest fluffies and fairy wings and they fit right in.

brooklyn was a little nervous about getting too close to the princesses but kendall was willing to pose. it was so cute!

they did short storytimes where different characters would do monologues with positive messages. the characters did a really good job and it kept the kids entertained. it was in a decorated room with air conditioning that felt so good and made it my favorite part. we met up with ellie and having her there made brooklyn a little more brave to pose with the characters for pictures.

there were tons of fun booths set up, and we only chose to go to a couple. next year we'll be more prepared! the cutest one was a glass slipper fitting. brooklyn was in heaven! they had a 'prince' and everything. and afterwards, she got a cute little glass slipper to take home.

doing these kind of activities with my girls make me so happy. i know how much they love this stuff and when it's right in our backyard i can't help but go! brooklyn is already talking about next year and i can't wait for kendall to be a little older to really get into it.

james and i stayed up way too late that night, even way after the byu game had ended, but he took the girls the next morning and let me sleep in. i needed it! it was a fun filled weekend that ended with a nice relaxing sunday. we're looking forward to james' birthday, a new baby cousin, and pirate day at krispie kreme all in the next week. fall is in full swing and we're loving it!

labor day weekend.

labor day weekend started on thursday. kind of. after i picked brooklyn up from preschool, james met us at home and we all went to costco to grab a pizza (and churro) for the utah game. fall was in the air! holy cow. as soon as football season starts, it just can't help but feel like fall. it made everyone very happy that day.

on friday, we met up with the jeremy ruesch clan at seven peaks for one last hoorah. it was windy and a tiny bit cold but it was nice to be able to go all together one last time. brooklyn was so sad on the way home finding out we wouldn't be going back until next summer. sad day.

the next morning, james was up early to go get a workout in with his brother. afterwards, he took the girls out and i got to go work out AND get ready before they got home. this picture isn't the best/coolest but i ran my little guts out that morning and hit a personal best. remember, i am not a runner.

after keni's nap, we all finished getting ready and headed over to our friends' house to watch the long awaited byu football game. 

this day is definitely more exciting to james than christmas. 

so while he watched the game with all the guys, i chatted with my friends, ate, and chased my girls around. although it was chaos, it really was a fun little get together. and with the hail mary win, it was a win/win for all of us.

after the game, we headed up to coalville to spend the night for judson's blessing. which i have NO pictures of! i'm so sad! he's the cutest sweetest chunk of a baby and i can't get enough of him. it was such a special day. afterwards, back at my parents' house the little ones got to play in the sand boxes, which keni could do all day, and the adults played kan-jam and visited.

we also found out that keni loves loves fresh from the garden peas. she ate more than i could keep track of and would still be eating them if they weren't all gone. 

we headed home that night so that james could play flag football in the morning and the girls and i went shopping, complete with fountains, and donuts.

for lunch, we grabbed steak n shake and headed to a park for a little picnic. it was a beautiful day and a perfect day to be outside. a tad too chilly for swimming however.

we ran errands, which included keni being obsessed with this hat, and james and i almost buying it because we couldn't stop laughing. it was hilarious!

dinner was supposed to be up the canyon for one last cookout but we ended up at a little park nearby. it was just fine. especially because there was a playground. we roasted hot dogs and had s'mores. the perfect ending to a basically perfect summer i'd say.

we really have lucked out being able to do so many fun things this summer. especially as a family, and especially with jeremy and chelsea since they moved to bountiful and literally live a block away from us. it's been fun to be able to just fly by the seat of our pants and get the girls together, or walk down to festivities on main street, all that good stuff. summer will sorely be missed, but i have a feeling the next few months will be full of fun as well.

g o o d b y e  summer !

the weekend.

when friday morning came i had this sudden panic attack about summer being over. while the girls ate breakfast, i got all my dishes done, and got the pools and other water toys out. we were going to have a pool day at home! i wanted to spend all day outside. and it was a good one.

kendall went down for a nap and brooklyn and i headed outside. she lounged in the pool, played with her toys, and i laid out and browsed some magazines. it was awesome! then when keni woke up, she joined brooklyn and james came home soon after that. the girls were so excited to have their daddy home to play in the water with them.

we ate peanut butter and banana sandwiches by the fist full and sipped on diet coke and capri suns. it was such a good hot summer day. 

before we headed in for tubs, it was popsicles all around. james mowed while the girls got ready and then we went to meet up with friends for some s'mores and good conversation.

we stayed way too late but went to bed so content and happy about our day.

saturday brought some cleaning and packing. we headed up to coalville for my nephew's birthday party. his first to be exact. whit made him the cutest cake! the whole set up was so darn cute. it was a 'gone fishin' theme.

sunday, we had ryan's farewell and dinner afterwards. the girls loved spending the night at grandma and grandpa's and of course, spending time with family all weekend.

it was just the kind of weekend i needed. i just need one more to give summer a proper goodbye. we've got some planning in the works and i'm hoping to make it a good one. byu football kicks off this weekend so you know what james will be doing. football and fall make the transition away from summer so much better, and so do my fall candles that have been lit and smelling up my house (in a good way!) all day.

h a p p y  s e p t e m b e r