one. summer slidesthese cross strap sandals were a first try for me with the slide trend and I.LOVE.THEM. I’ll also mention that I bought them at full price, which is still very affordable at $35, but I just saw that they are on sale for $25! the leather is super soft and these took zero time to “break in”. I was surprised how comfortable they are and that they actually stay on my feet!

two. patriotic RAGS

I cannot believe next week is the fourth of July! where has this summer gone?! my cuties are holiday ready in their patriotic RAGS to Raches gear- these rompers are a FAV for my littles and before now I hadn’t put the twins in them, but how cute does Jolie look?! cant forget stars and stripes in the hair accessories- thanks to shelby chic boutique 🙂we’re gearing up for a busy holiday week and the fun starts this weekend for us- Jordan and I are going to Celebrate Freedom on Saturday..Sunday we have plans to BBQ and swim with family and then Tuesday we’re taking the big girls to a Ranger’s game and staying up extra late to watch the fireworks at the end!

of course, on the big day we have more plans for parades in the morning and BBQ + swimming with friends before getting a front row seat for a fireworks show that evening. its going to be such a great week of holiday fun! 

three. an amazing week at VBS I was brought to tears this week over how BIG Parker and Jolie have gotten. I’m not very emotional about most things, but for some reason I was nearly brought to tears every morning this week when dropping them off at Vacation Bible School– their first year to attend! they came home every day asking when they could go back, singing songs and telling me stories that they had learned from that day. The Village did an incredible job of transforming into a power house of God’s love for his children- serving 1000 kids with the most generous hearts.  on the last day the parents were invited to come to a closing ceremony of songs and dancing with their kids. after holding back the tears all week THIS image of my precious girl standing in front of me did me in. she was singing so loud and so confidently about God’s love for her. no one wanted this week to end! 

four. instant potI’ve been so scared to use my instant pot. my mother in law and her best friend Teresa generously surprised me with one for Mother’s Day and truthfully it has sat, still in the box, on top of the dryer since then. whats funny is that after posting about my first time to use it on Instagram SO many of you have the same fears about it! LET ME TELL YOU- stop what you’re doing and get that thing out of its box 🙂 Pinterest is covered in recipes for using this machine! I’ve started a board for instant pot recipes and have stuck to the basics for the most part until I figure out how mine cooks versus some of the older models a lot of these recipes call for. my pot does not have a “manual” button but some of these recipes call for using the manual option.. so I have to play around a little to get the timing right for whatever I’m cooking. I have THIS pot- the 8 quart and its the perfect size for our family of six. I made meatloaf and veggies in it the first time (I followed this recipe line by line and it came out perfect! I would skip the salt all together on the potatoes and carrots.) start to finish I had dinner on the table within 30 minutes. it was incredible!

I decided to make tacos for my second attempt in the instant pot. I doubled the meat that this recipe called for and it took about 22 minutes in the cooker. SO flavorful and the leftovers were even better on top of a salad for lunch and in my scrambled eggs at breakfast!

five. Baker’s boho bashwe’re just about two weeks away from Baker’s 3rd birthday and little things for her party have started to trickle in over this last week! were having a boho fiesta by the pool to celebrate Baker turning THREE! last year’s flamingle birthday party was one for the books, still my favorite party ever to date, but I think fun in the sun with our friends will be a blast!

this cake topper is from fancy free finery– my first time to purchase from this shop for a birthday party, but you might remember Baker wearing one of her felt flowers in her newborn hospital pictures! I was scrolling Etsy and came across this darling cake topper.. it matches her invitation perfectly so I couldn’t pass it up!of course I had my friend over at chalk designs by me hook me up with drink tags and a couple fun photo prop signs for the party, too! you might remember me talking about her amazing easter basket tags HERE and she made the perfect drink tags and sign for Brady’s first birthday HERE. its going to be such a great day celebrating miss Baker!