Friday Night Photo Dump | May-July 2016

The last few months have been super busy and the summer has completely flown by! Here is a little recap thanks to all the random photos from my iPhone...

Enjoying one of the last cool weekends of the spring (note the sweater) with a stroll down to a neighborhood cafe. Ava insisted upon pushing the stroller.

Jill and I will never be too old to snuggle up on the couch...or laugh hysterically. 

Bubble blowing in pajamas. Doesn't get much better than that. 

This picture is super blurry, but it captures their love for hide-and-seek.

Popsicle date with my best girl at Steel City.

Bunny and Aunt Charlotte came for a fun visit in May.

We enjoyed a girls' night out at Victor Tangos that Friday night.

And then they watched the kids on Saturday, so Josh and I could enjoy a date night at the Dave Matthews concert. 

Ava looks like such a big kid here.

Rylan was so sad to leave Maestra Caro and Maestra Emma's class, but PK-2 here we come!

Crazy hair day at school (chalk + a little water works quite well).

When you don't have anything to wear for superhero day, "Bandana Boy" it is. 

Testing out his birthday gift. It's cheap. It's plastic. And he absolutely loves it!

Ava got in on the action as well.

And they cooled off with a little fun in the sprinklers.

Baby Alex made his debut, and he is absolutely perfect! 

We took the kids to see their first movie at a theater: Finding Dory.

It started out well, but things quickly went downhill during the second half of the movie. Josh spent the last portion out in the lobby with Ry, and Ava had to be convinced to go back in after insisting upon joining them. Maybe next time.

What a crazy Friday night looks like these days. #TurntUpToddler

Nothing to see here...just a couple stuffed animals.

The stomach bug hit our entire family with a vengeance. Blerg.

We also lost power one night due to a strong storm, and Ava kept us entertained outside.

Josh and I enjoyed a fun night out at my Firm's casino night party.

Never trust a quiet kid.

Wedding dress shopping with Hannah!!

Ava and I are so excited to be a part of Hannah and Jordan's special day.

Girls' night shenanigans.

Precious cargo.

I traveled to Austin to host a baby shower for Lauren at the end of July, and Josh kept the kids in Dallas with the help of Grammie. While they held down the fort...

I got to hang out with my Dad and all the Bratton sisters...

Taste Grampsie's famous homemade garlic butter (and keep him up way past his bedtime to watch Stranger Things)...

As well as enjoy some kid-free time in the pool with a margarita in hand. Heaven.

The summer is coming to a close, and we couldn't be more excited for fall!

Rylan's Dino-mite Splash Party

Our little fella turned TWO on June 21, and his family and friends gathered to celebrate that weekend at our local splash park. Due to Rylan's current obsession with "di-saurs," we opted for a dinosaur-themed event. 

I used Paperless Post for the first time and was so happy with how the invitation turned out (the customization options were super easy). 

We reserved (and paid for) the splash park pavilion a couple months in advance; however, upon arrival, there was no indication that the area was reserved and another birthday party was already set up on a couple tables. The unpleasant mother of the birthday girl was not the least bit concerned by the fact that I had reserved the area and "didn't need to see my receipt." Lovely. While it wasn't that big of a deal in the end, I do wish the Dallas Parks and Recreation Department would indicate some sort of reservation if they are charging for the privilege. {Rant over.}

Luckily, the weather worked in our favor as it was cloudy and not ridiculously hot. It was even pleasant enough to forgive the strong winds that were not so friendly to all my table decorations. 

And speaking of decorations, we bought some dinosaurs that served both as table decor and presents for Ry, and I clearly had to make them little party hats to match the invitation...

Other than the dinos, we kept the decor pretty simple with color-coordinating balloons, tablecloths, napkins, plates, and plasticware all from Party City. I also found this fun, yellow holder-thingy in the $3 section at Target (score!).

We had a typical kid-birthday spread of Chick-filuggats, hummus and veggies, cheese and crackers, and fruit served in Josh's amazing dinosaur watermelon creation. Unfortunately, the heat caused the poor dino's neck to get a little droopy.

As with Jill's shower, Hayley Cakes & Cookies came through with an amazing cookie cake based off our invitation. Thanks to Bunny for schlepping it up from Austin!

We also had some Blue Bell vanilla on hand thanks to a very cold Yeti cooler (rock salt added to the ice is key).

The kids had so much fun running around at the splash park, and the blow-up dinosaur party favors were a huge hit!

Our sweet boy did such a great job of blowing out the candles after, as he calls it, the "AppyBirdayToYou" song....all one word :).

Rylan had such a wonderful afternoon celebrating with a bunch of his favorite people.

Happy Birthday, sweet boy!