:: family happenings - magical evening

So . . . have you guessed what my favorite

evening at Lake Powell entailed . . . besides karaoke night?

Sky Lanterns!

Just like the ones seen in Tangled

and . . . in the latest season of The Bachelorette

(I'm not the only one that watches that, right?)

Source: google.co.uk via Alice on Pinterest

I'd seen it on a blog and had no clue that you

could go on amazon and buy them yourself!

So that's what I went ahead and did.

One of the best $25 I've ever spent (for 10 of them)

It was magical.

Not only did Ava love it, but we all did.

There were about 15-20 of us trying to light

up these 10 lanterns so we could let

them go at the same time.

We'll definitely be buying more

for our next Lake Powell trip.

(They're made out of rice paper and bamboo

so they're completely biodegradable)

You can find some cheaper ones here.

:: family happenings - our summer vacation

So a few weeks back we had a week long vacation

at Lake Powell with family.

It was wonderful!

No work. No school. No phone. No internet.

Just swimming, boating, wakeboarding/tubing, eating,

being lazy on the houseboat, reading, laughing,

swimming, games, karaoke, swimming, and eating some more.

Okay, so it wasn't a "vacation" the whole time.

We did have to make sure our girls were safe

around the water.

And that can be difficult

when you have a fearless 3 year old

and an 8 month old that just decided to start walking.

Yes. I said walking.

And those families with little ones did have to sleep in tents.

It was miserable a few nights - -

with the heat and the crazy wind.

There was one night where I

thought we'd be blown away in our sleep.

Seriously.

Didn't get much sleep that night.

But other than that we had a blast.

We're so grateful to have generous family members

that share their vacations with us.

Isn't Lake Powell beautiful!

Breathtaking views.

Come back tomorrow to see what one of my favorite

evenings at Lake Powell entailed.

What does the movie Tangled and the last season of The Bachelorette

have in common?

You'll find out tomorrow.

The Help.

I was so bad at blogging last week.

My sister was in town, so between her, a party, work,

and spending time with my family,

the blog was ignored.

One evening we had a girls night out.

Visited my cousin and her cute, newborn

and then went to the movie, The Help.

I was so excited to see this movie

and I was not dissapointed!

Loved it!

I loved it as much as the book.

I cried, laughed, and cried some more.

And did you know that Kathryn Stockett

received 60 rejections for this book?

After 5 years of writing and 3 1/2 years of rejection,

letter 61 was the one that finally accepted the book.

Talk about perseverance!

{can see more in this article here}

Source: comingsoon.net via Christy on Pinterest

:: family happenings - preschool

We recently came home from a much needed

week long vacation.

It was heaven.

Details and pictures to come soon.

But today. . .

was a big day for us.

Little Ava went to her first day of preschool.

She was so excited

and so ready. (so was I)

She had a visit from the

Back to School Fairy

and received a new backpack.

She loves it.

So, for 2 days a week,

3 hours a day,

I'm gonna miss this spunky, little girl.

I think Reese will too.

You can find these "back to school" printables here.

Short or Long? The Ultimate Dilemma.

I have long hair right now.

So long, that I'm really tempted to cut it.

Sometimes I'm not motivated to do it . . . at all.

But then I see cute, to die for, hairstyles like these . . .

Source: None via Amy on Pinterest

Source: citified.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: keikolynn.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: marthastewartweddings.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: isuwannee.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: everythingfab.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: thebeautydepartment.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: elisajoy.com via Amy on Pinterest

and I'm convinced to hold out a little longer.

:: Pinterest Pretties

Source: iheartfaces.ning.com via Amy on Pinterest

:: need to find a puddle!

Source: alemonsqueezyhome.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

:: amazing! bet I could find an amazing sweater at a thrift store and do this.

Source: twotinykitchens.com via Amy on Pinterest

:: PB - check! chocolate - check! pretzels - need to buy!

Source: polyvore.com via Amy on Pinterest

:: cute, casual outfit. loving it.

Source: chiccheapnursery.com via Amy on Pinterest

:: what a simple DIY

Source: etsy.com via Amy on Pinterest

:: love this for a little boys room. maybe someday.

Swim Teacher Gift

So, you get an idea and you think it's so original.

No one else has done this.

Then you decide to google it.

And, yep, it's been done.

Just like this idea.

I wanted to give Ava's swim instructor something cute.

So I thought I'd bag up 3-4 lbs of swedish fish,

make a cute card that said, "thanks for helping me swim like fish".

Well, I found that my same idea had been done here.

She did hers with goldfish. Cute!

I liked the waves she did on her card, so I decided to do that too.

And, so we go to her last day of swim class.

My friend had brought a lovely package filled with swedish fish.

Good thing the swim teacher likes them (or that's what she said . . . )

Go ahead and save this to your computer so that you can print it

off when swim lessons come around next year!

And guess what?!

Ava's swimming!!!

Woohoo!

:: Embrace the Camera 08.11.11

Where has this week gone?

Sorry about the lack of posts.

I have no excuses.

Here's a picture of my cute little girls and I, relaxing on a lazy Sunday.

Love those days.

And I can't believe this summer has ended.

It went by way too fast.

Don't you agree?

:: Pinterest Pretties

Source: hairromance.com via Amy on Pinterest

:: need to try this one.

Source: aplaceforamy.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

:: I'm a sucker for pretty packaging

Source: teamturnbow.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

:: love the colors of this nursery and the quote

Source: sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

:: rolo cookies. yum.

Source: cedarworks.com via Amy on Pinterest

:: skateboard swing. love this idea. just need a tree.

Source: littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

:: this has been on my to-do list since last Christmas. must do this year.

Source: etsy.com via Amy on Pinterest

:: read this everyday.

Happy pinning!