Hot Tea and Origami

This is my friend Sarah...she is a fabulous artist/designer, mama, and fellow homeschooler. Early Monday morning she came over for tea and muffins and we had a lovely time.

She and Bella had fun doing origami together. I love an impromptu art class in pajamas!

They made butterflies and a flower. I see more paper folding in our future :)

We were entertained by our other little one's antics. Like Lucy trying to steal muffins. And clothing. And phones. This is a fun stage :)

Sharing daily life with friends is so enjoyable...and even though it takes some planning, it's so worth the end result! We always wonder why we don't do it more often.

Do you have friends that you connect with on a regular basis?
Is it on your calendar each week or is it spontaneous?

Muller Family + Colorado = Fun

The Mullers are in Colorado! That's right...our dear friends from Omaha, NE came out for a few days to visit and we had a blast. These should be familiar faces to you if you've been around my blog for awhile. After spotting each other at the Des Moines Farmer's Market in the summer of 2004 (both of us slinging our babes)...we decided we had much in common and have been hanging out  for the past 7 years.

So...what did we do?

We smooshed into our van so we could drive around together and do fun stuff.

Isaiah stalked all of the best skate parks...and we loved watching his sweet tricks.

We played A LOT.

We drove up to Nederland and enjoyed the mountain views.

Denise showed up sporting brand new baby dreads...how cute is she?! I was so excited to see she finally did it!

We spent time on Pearl Street.

And found cool new shops.

We hiked up the trails at Chautauqua and I only had to stop 4 times to catch my breath. To my defense, I was carrying an almost 2-year-old and a very heavy camera. :)

All smiles on the way DOWN!

The kids loved climbing on the rocks.

We showed those mountains who was boss!

We ate lots and lots of yummy food...John Henry and Annora have celiac disease, so we were on the hunt for gluten-free and vegetarian options. Boulder has LOTS of that...and we were pleased.

But most importantly...we spent time talking about life. Laughing together over tea and other delicious hot beverages. Reminiscing about times gone by. Reconnecting with old friends is the best.

We can't wait to see them again SOON. We crammed a lot of goodness into just 3 days, but there is still so much to do! You can see the full set of photos here.

Oh, and be sure to check out John Henry's company, What Cheer. If you need a website created...he is your man. Seriously. He rocks. And if you live near Omaha...go to one of Denise's classes at Bhadra Yoga. She just started teaching there and she's amazing.

We have two more sets of friends coming to visit in the next 2 weeks...the Hasslers from Indiana and Monica from Portland. Yippeeeee!! I'm more than a little excited.

Hope you're all having a great week!

Birthday Remix

Last weekend when we were sick, Bella missed a very special birthday party for her friends, Josie and Kristyn. She Skyped (through tears) with them during the party, but it just wasn't the same! So last night, we celebrated again! We had a wonderful time with Kris, Natalie, and kiddos (plus 2 extras!).

Love.

Swings.

Grillers.

Sisters.

Hooper.

Seven.

Supper.

Opening.

Boys.

There is nothing quite like an evening spent laughing and eating with friends. Our hearts are full.