On the eve of our summer vacation, I figured it was time to share how we kicked off the summer this year.

This time last year, we were having a moment. A high stress moment. Jane and Emma had just turned the big ONE, and we were focusing on getting the seller of our house to closing. So much has changed in a year!

This year we enjoyed an extremely relaxing long weekend. Other than one double-trouble meltdown, the rest of the weekend was stress-free.

On Friday, we met our friend Erin (who is now expecting a set of twins of her own!) with her little girl, Olivia. Feels like yesterday we were at Erin’s baby shower excitedly waiting for little Livy’s arrival! We took the trio to our local zoo, where the lines were long but worth it to watch these little peanuts roam throughout the animal exhibits, holding hands and sharing snacks.

On Saturday we went to Livy’s (the girls call her “Via” because they can’t pronounce Olivia) house for a BBQ. We spent the day lounging next to the pool, wishing it were just a teensy bit warmer so we could dive in. The girls didn’t notice, and spent the afternoon playing in the sandbox and begrudgingly taking turns in the tree swing. They even got to play with their newest tiny friend, “Baby AJ!!”

The day inevitably ended in Meltdown City after VERY short naps in pack n’ plays, but we put them down and enjoyed a little bit of adult time with some of our favorite friends, after we took these blackmail-worthy photos of the twincesses.

Sunday we took the girls to the park for a bit where they ran wild for an hour before stopping at the farmers market for some “wallamelon”. That afternoon we lounged in the yard and watched Jane and Emma run back and forth between their 3 different water tables, swing set and okay house that Aunt Suzanne gave them for their birthday. I also finally got to kick back and take a little snooze in my hammock!

Monday, our last day of “vacation”, we spent playing in the yard. We did sidewalk chalk, colored in coloring books, and blew up their little pool for some real water play.

It was so hard to go back to work yesterday, but the girls were definitely looking forward to returning to school with their friends, and we are officially less than one month from summer vacation!

Last week we welcomed our new baby cousin, Brayden Hershey, to the family, and Jane and Emma are so excited to get to spend some time with their baby cousin! We haven’t been able to get down to the Philly area yet to see him in person, so we are looking forward to spending lots of time with him this summer at the beach house.

Above all, we were so grateful to have this past weekend to spend together, made possible by the sacrifices of others for our country and our freedom.

What did you all do for MDW weekend? Were you afraid of turning into a hot dog like we were?

Hope you’re all enjoying the beautiful weather here on the east coast, and if you’re in Texas or Oklahoma, we are thinking of you!

Happy Thursday!

On May 13, Jane and Emma turned 2 years old. I can’t believe that 2 years has gone by since that day that my water broke and we realized that these girls were coming, fighting their way into our world.

Since their birthday last year was spent in a tiny apartment, this year we decided to hold an all-out Cinco de Mayo style festival at our house. And it was one for the books, my friends.

One of my amazing and generous students at school heard that we were hosting a fiesta and purchased little sombreros for Jane and Emma, along with some decorations and sombrero headbands and mustaches. We also saved some money by borrowing some awesome deco from our home ec teacher at school.

I then went really simple with the food and drinks. A taco bar (I made the taco meat in the slow cooker and grilled some chicken on the BBQ with some fiesta seasoning) complete with shredded lettuce, sour cream and cheese; hot dogs and burgers for those who don’t eat tacos; coolers filled with coronas and dos equis; a mason jar filled with a simple red sangria, a pitcher of white sangria, and a punch bowl filled with margaritas on the rocks. Twin Carvel ice cream cakes rounded off the day.

We started the fiesta after the girls’ siesta so that we could take advantage of their nap time to set up, and so that they could get the most of their guests. They went to bed a little bit late that night, but after a full day of running, blowing out candles, eating cake, and getting their very first Cabbage Patch Kids (a rite of passage for little kids everywhere), they were plenty tired and slept like babies.

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who made Jane and Emma’s second birthdays SO very special.  We love you all so much, and are looking forward to plenty of fiestas in the future!  Jane and Emma are so blessed to have each and every one of you in their lives.

Until next time, friends!

Sources:

Cakes:  Carvel  //  Birthday Party Invitations:  Tiny Prints  //  Girls’ Sandals:  Target  //  Sombreros:  Amazon  //  All-In-One Decorations:  Amazon  //  Taco Bar and Drink Signs:  Max and Mae Invites on Etsy