Tiff's Turn

Aria recently turned 15 months. I adore this age. She has a beautiful personality, makes me laugh and is the light of our lives. Here are five other things I enjoy about our little girl lately... 1. Aria is a wonderful mommy to her baby doll.  She feeds her, shares her binky, blanket, drinks and all her toys. A even has the instinct to rock her baby and give her kisses. Watching her play Mommy makes my day. 2. Aria is losing what I call her "Zombie Walk" and gaining a more natural, speedier stride. She's very independent, but still likes to go on walks holding my hand. As sports fans in this household, we are excited to see Aria be such a great ball-player. 3. She'll play catch with you all the live-long day. 4. Bird-watching isn't just for adults. Aria studies birds everywhere we go and calls out, "Chirp chirp!" 5. She is an outgoing people person, especially with kids. She is absolutely delighted when other

When's the last time a summer in Missouri has been this mild? I'm thankful I can take my girl on walks in the middle of the day without it being too hot hot hot. The view on our walk of our pond has been taken over by lilies pads, though. What a mess! A and I both perspire a tid bit on our walks, but that doesn't stop Aria from wanting to stay outside after our walk. She usually insists, especially once she sees her car parked in the garage. peek-a-boo! I am thankful for sunny days to play outside. I'm thankful my sister and mom got us out of the house for a bit to do some browsing at Hobby Lobby.  Aria loved the flower isle. After all that fun, I'm always thankful for nap time. Have a great day!

How did you celebrate the Fourth? We tried a couple different patriotic bows on A, but she wasn't having it. She much prefers hats. The family packed the day with watching a boat show, a pool party, and of course an insane amount of food. Everyone had a fabulous time and was exhausted when the day was over. Does anyone else add things to checklists just so you can cross them off? I did this with KC's Sealife Aquarium and our Summer To-Do list. Sealife was not on my summer to-do list, but we were invited to go on a hot summer day. Aria doesn't like touching "weird" things, so we didn't spend long at the sensory tank. She thoroughly enjoyed the other sites to see. More importantly, it was a great time with great friends. Have a great Wednesday, everyone!

June flew by! Why? Because we were busy crossing vacations off of our summer list. For our family vacation, we made a road trip to Valentine, NE for a family reunion. We had a lot of laughs, and made great memories together. Having the most amazing view of the beautiful Nebraska Sandhills doesn't hurt either. The family has already made plans for the next reunion in just three years. We can't wait! After returning home from Husker Nation, we had one short day to unpack and repack, get Aria to her grandparents, and prepare for our next adventure- Mexico! We decided to take this trip together to celebrate our five year anniversary. Our anniversary is actually not until December, but with a teacher's schedule and a little one at home, summer is the time to take a 6 day-long date to Playa del Carmen. Our vacation was everything we were hoping for. We met some great people and made new friends, visited beautiful beaches,