Welcome to Summer!

We did it!

My little crew successfully finished the school year!

Woot woot! 

This is most definitely a picture heavy, momma braggy post.

I will not apologize (wink wink)

First let's have a little fun and compare first and last day pictures.

 I'm just amazed at how much older they look now! 

We kept our normal morning routine today,

dropped the munchkins off at school 

and then promptly returned at 11 to watch the end of the year program.

Will sang his little heart out and Jack was well....

more concerned about getting his hand into his pocket 

and then focused on keeping his hand in his pocket more than he was about singing. Haha!

After the program was over 

the plan was for some surprise fun in the sun back at the house.

The weather had other plans...

75 degrees and rain, rain, rain.....

But I was determined and Mr. Doozie was obliging.

 A HUGE thanks to Memere and Grandpa Bill!!!

Over the years they have outfitted our boys with some spectacular 

outdoor toys!!! What a wonderland!

In lieu of waterballons we will be doing sponge bombs this summer!

So awesome and way more fun for little hands who drop things easily!

 The boys were so surprised when we told them to go play outside!

I love overwhelming them with fun ;)

They could have cared less that it was raining,

and thankfully it was so warm out they played for over two hours!

Up next was a fun pizza dinner

and then it was time for Will to become a First Grader!

So we headed back to the school for the ceremony.

I used to scoff at how ridiculous Kindergarten graduations

have become. Seriously, it's Kindergarten....

But I will admit,

I was an emotional mess, sitting on the edge of my seat, jockeying for the best photo position.

When they played a slideshow of school activities throughout the year,

yeah......tears were a'flying.

So now I'm one of those moms. Haha!

We are officially on summer break now!

And this momma couldn't be more excited!!

Creamy Strawberry Lemonade Pops

Do you have plans for this holiday weekend????

End of school parties? BBQ's?

These little pops should be on your list!

Think old-school push-up pops

with a fresh fun twist.

Creamy, sweet, tart, refreshing

and totally adorable!!!

  If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen me raving about

these (adult only) Margarita Pops that I made last weekend.

They are incredible, y'all should make them soon too!

But when my boys discovered that I had made popsicles

they couldn't eat.....gasp! 

Oh, the disappointment!

How dare I!!!

So I got busy making a kid friendly version inspired by

the yumminess of the original recipe and still keeps all the cuteness factor.

Creamy Strawberry Lemonade Pops (inspired by Host the Toast Blog)

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups fresh lemon juice

1 (14oz) can of sweetened condensed milk (crazy I know, but trust me on this)

1 cup of water

12 washed strawberries

2 tablespoons orange juice

12 (3oz) dixie cups

popsicle sticks

12 lemon slices

In a blender mix all the ingredients together. On a baking sheet pour the mixture into the dixie cups, filling them nearly to the top (you want the lemon slices to be able to touch the mixture). Slide a popsicle stick through the middle of a lemon slice and place the stick into the cup. Freeze for at least an hour. When you are ready to serve, snip the top edge of the cup near the lemon slice with scissors and peel it off the pop. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

Enjoy!

Oklahoma

I was going to write about our strawberry picking trip I took with the boys last week.

It's always a sweet escape to drive out on those country roads 

and find ourselves in the middle of what almost feels like heaven.

But my heart is so broken today.

I know we all are broken and hurting. 

Oklahoma ~

There are no words to say....

Maybe it is because I am a mom of a Kindergartener,

but another tragedy at a elementary school

on top of what is already such horrific devestation

is just more than my heart can bear. 

 Those children.....

 Those Parents, and Grandparents....

Uncle and Aunts....

Brothers and Sisters.....

I told Mr. Doozie that I find myself wanting to super glue

my children to my hips,

to never.... 

 ever....

let them out of my sight...

 But then I'm reminded;

that super glue I so desire?

It should be smooshed, slathered and smeared on between

my God and me.

I should be teaching my boys to do the same.

I need to so desire to be superglued Him,

to never let Him out of my sight.

Especially in the midst of devastation.

I'm finding that is how I can be a strong mother and wife,

that this is how I can walk and not be afraid. 

 Because living in fear is crippling 

and I want my boys thrive in these years. 

So I have to live by example. 

 They will know devastation and heartbreak...

They will know pain and suffering... 

But if I can teach them to know their God,

then I can pray that one day they will become strong, brave men who when faced with destruction

will know where and whom to put their trust in. 

I never imagined the strength I would have to summon

to raise mighty little men

and not let the fear cripple me. 

Us mommas, have a high calling and I'm always so proud to 

see so many of my friends rising to that challenge. 

Today though I am thankful for the days where their hearts are sheltered 

and I can find moments to live in their innocence. 

Pull your loves close today

and if all you can do is give thanks for the breath you just took,

then do just that.

xxoo

'Round Here

It's a love/hate relationship I have with these impromptu 

bloggy breaks I take. 

I see the need to be actively "in" my kids lives

~not have my brain constantly thinking in terms of blog posts.

But on the other hand this little space is an outlet for me,

~as mom I see that as something I need for balance.

The tricky part is that I often swing too far to one side or the other

and that usually calls for me to take a step back and 

work on that oh so lovely word again, balance. 

Does that make any sense? You may have just gotten a dose of my Monday rambling.

Either way, it was a good little break and I'm back

feeling balanced, blessed and missing y'all.

Here is a bit of what I've been up to while I've been away from DD.

 Secret Beach ~ we move next summer and this little spot will be surely missed.

 Fresh strawberries, local honey, and cornbread.....seriously you need to try it!

 I played a lot with my Fuji Instax Mini.

Finally figuring out how to get clear pictures!

 Last summer we were outdoors so much that we decided a half tent was needed this year to give us all a little break from the sun. It's already been the best spring/summer purchase!

We have been taking advantage of the aquarium before the crowds hit.

My boys are so use to the off season that I'm pretty sure they think they own the place ;)

 Who doesn't want to be surprised and satisfied every day!?! I'm loving this verse!

 When Mr. Doozie and I first got married we declared ourselves non-beach people....

Oh how naive we were! Almost 7 years later and I can't imagine not living near the water and our little men seem to have ocean water in their veins :)

 Morning coffee on the deck, a time to pray and be quiet before my day comes at me like a train.

 Jack has had some time to explore with just momma lately and I've been trying to take advantage of our one on one time before summer hits and it comes to and end.

 Mother's Day weekend turned out to be a very boisterous one!

We watched three extra boys for a couple of days and overnights so that their momma

could welcome a sweet baby girl into the world :)

 Sun and Surf=A Sleeping Son

 I learned that 5 boys could be a very fun thing!

Yes, I thought about y'all! Hoping on Friday to put this us for you!

 My Mother's Day gifts. 

The necklace is in the shape of India and Selah's name is stamped on the back.

Mr. Doozie did a very good job this year ;)

So there you have it! 

We've been busy, we've been happy,

you've been missed!

Being a Great Teacher....

is nothing to sneeze at!

 I thought this was a cute, simple and not to mention clever little gift! 

These pouches are the perfect size to hold a pack of travel sized tissues.

I'm thinking about listing them in the Etsy shop.

They would be perfect stocking stuffers, teacher gifts, etc...

It has certainly become a go-to simple gift for me. 

And I even made one to toss in my own purse!

Yesterday we gave our teachers cookies

Just your basic chocolate chip cookie all dressed up in a little paper box.

I loved the stripes on these boxes, so summery and happy.

I hope your week is going well.

If I'm being honest it has been an exhausting one for me,

and not really for a reason I can pinpoint.

Maybe it's the fact that the past three weekends we have been traveling

and then rolling right into our weekdays....

Making me feel like I'm behind on everything.

Do you sometimes wish you could snap your fingers and 

your house would be clean?

I'm just snapping away over here ;)

xxoo