Things have been busy these past few weeks and I feel like I haven’t had a moment to sit down and take stock. Most of the “busy” has been good: weekend excursions, play dates, blog meet-ups, and checking items off the summer bucket list just to name a few. Here’s a peek at what’s been goin’ on!
Strawberries



We have the juiciest strawberries in our garden right now. I’ve never had a store bought strawberry that amounted to HALF of what these are….the taste is indescribable and they are actually red all the way through like a real strawberry should be. They are even better when they are a little warm from being in the sun. We only have a little patch so are looking forward to picking in the real fields very soon.
Hydro’s!


Taking Sky to the hydroplane races was on our summer bucket list so we hit up tastin’ and racin’ on Lake Sammamish. It’s not as big as Seafair but I’m ok with that. We had a great view right on the shore and Sky enjoyed watching the cranes lift the boats into the water {in addition to the giant corn dogs and lemonade we had, yum!}
Living with a 2 ½ year old.
Sky is officially 2 ½ now. We have good days and bad. It’s like living on a roller coaster, literally. One minute he is the best little angel and listens and acts like a normal human and the next minute he is a completely horrid {insert your favorite expletive here}. Sometimes I wonder if he’ll be mad at me one day for describing his behavior to the world but you know what? Kids are just this way and everyone experiences it, some people just don’t talk about it. If anything, I’m preparing him for when he has kids one day, right?

You think he’s cute?? Just wait….
Sky’s vocabulary, comprehension, and memory seem to be on the fast track to first grade. He’s talking in full sentences, cracks jokes, and knows nearly all of his letters, numbers, colors, shapes, animals, construction equipment, and any character on the Disney channel. He is such a chatterbox and nothing gets by him. Gone are the days of me skimming book pages, that’s for sure.
Play dates are really fun now as Sky seems to be getting more and more into playing with others vs. clinging to my leg. Our buddy Gage came over a few weeks ago and listening to them babble is pretty much the cutest thing ever. There was also that time where we let them sit on the kitchen counter and eat whipped cream…

Seattle bloggers!
One of the wonderful things about blogging is making new friends and getting to meet people in person {especially when you’ve read their blog for so long}! On Tuesday, I met up with a group of Seattle area bloggers at Makers, a co-working space in Seattle, to learn photography tips from Ashley, who writes a gorgeous food blog, not without salt. While the session itself was fun and I was able to say hello to a few people I’ve come to know from the interwebs like Lyndsey and Melanie, it was the time spent before and after really made my night.

Before the event, I met up with Brianne {half of the lovely Ravenna Girls} for a quite bite + drink at Local 360. We’ve been blog buddies for a while now and it was so nice to finally talk face to face! I love her and her laugh {Brianne if you are reading this I don’t think I told you that but it’s true….}!
Afterwards, I was spontaneously invited to the Walrus and the Carpenter in Ballard by new friends, Kimberly, Ashley, and none other than Stephanie….a blogger who I have followed for a very long time and love and admire and didn’t even know would be there! After getting very lost on the way over, I eventually bumbled my way in late {but the timing was ok because they had to wait for a table} and pretended to know the intricacies of what I was eating, but because I’m not much of a foodie, I relied on their expertise to guide me. Not only was the food some of the best I’ve ever had, but I ate raw oysters for the first time…..and they were GOOD! Rather than slide the entire thing down my throat, I chewed it and it was {surprise!} NOT gross! I GET IT NOW!

The company was equally as good as the food. Rather than go into detail about how a lot of times I don’t feel like I fit in…or that I feel 12 {but really am 30…} or how I second guessed everything I said all night….I’ll just tell you this: being in the presence of these amazing women really made my week. In fact, it made my month. Just listening to them talk or hearing their thoughts on the state of blogging….or raising children….or balancing life….or that Kimberly lives on an amazing farm {my dream!}….it’s just…sigh…SO GREAT.
S’mores



I’d like to note that this s'more isn't perfect. The marshmallow is not cooked enough! But, it was the only picture I had.

Look what we found in Grandma’s garage! Totally hazardous and probably illegal…but fun to throw on the fire.

One evening, we spontaneously decided to have a fire in the backyard and toast marshmallows. In case you aren’t aware, I have a strong affinity for s’mores. These things always seem fun in theory but between gathering the wood, making the fire, preparing the supplies, dragging the lawn chairs into the back, and trying to calm a melting down toddler….it was exhausting. The fun part lasted about 10 minutes and then it was all over and time to take little one to bed after he decided to have a tantrum for all the neighbors to hear. He wasn’t THAT into his delicious dessert sandwich so we may need to re-try this sooner rather than later.
And lastly, to round out the week, some random cell phone pictures as of late. I REALLY WISH I HAD INSTAGRAM. I love my Windows Phone….except for that teeny tiny detail.

{Linking up with a good life and life rearranged}
Whew! I feel so much better now that I’ve gotten all of this out of my brain! I hope everyone’s summer is off a wonderful start! Here in the Pacific Northwest, we’ve had 2 sunny days this week and are back to a little gloom until mid-week next week {I think}. Summer usually kicks in on July 5 so I’m not worried. Happy Friday friends!