this week {from my phone}

This week has been a crazy one {do I sound like a broken record?} with the start of preschool, shopping for school supplies, meeting with teachers and last of the summer play dates. Luckily we’re planning on a low key weekend at home so I hope to rest up for Baby Girl’s first day of school next week. I know it will be {emotionally} exhausting!

A little PSA for you. Check your license expiration! The DMV doesn’t send anything to notify you, and mine was so expired that had I waited two {2!!!} more days to renew it, I would have been forced to take the written and road driving tests again. And failing the driving test in my late twenties might just have been the most embarrassing thing ever.Saturday morning Alex graduated from USC and we went to celebrate {and get the free lunch afterwards. kidding. kind of. } with our families. I’d like to think I was way prepared and wanted good seats, because we arrived over an hour earlier, but in reality I just had the time wrong. Thank goodness for iPads, ring pops and lots of aunts, uncles and grandparents. Congrats Alex!

Boland was sportin’ big brother’s ‘gasses’ as we waited for Alex by the fountain…along with about 84,000 other people.In full back-to-school mode we’ve been stocking up on not only school supplies, but better fitting shoes and such. Emory picked these out for her brother while we were at Target. I think they look PRECIOUS… or handsome… or cool, whatever you’re supposed to say for boys… and I’ve tried really hard to be the mom that lets my almost-two-year-old boy wear boyish clothes, but I finally just returned them to the store. I’m so NOT that mom and I’m gonna embrace it. Besides, I think his big boy converse would have looked a little weird with a smocked longall. Emory gave up her nap sometime in the spring, but we are always fighting that mid-afternoon need for a snooze. A full nap leaves her a little grumpy in the evening, but she loves to crawl in our bed and take ‘jus a little rest’. Our friends Rosie, Eliza and Taylor were so kind to invite us to their End of the Summer party. There was face painting, balloon animals and ice cream. The kids had fun {although as we pulled up to the house Emory asked, ‘is dere gonna be lots of friends dere? Cause I fink I’m gonna be shy if dere is.} and Watson wanted Cars {Lightning McQueen} painted on his arm.Aunt Kat offered to watch the kids, so Aaron and I went out for dinner with our neighbors. {Yay for fun neighbors!!} We went to a local sushi restaurant and instead of just having ‘Wednesday specials’, they gave everything an S&M theme. So strange. The  mini handcuffs made Aaron’s already-not-manly glass look even worse. But we had a great dinner {with blueberry mojitos to start…delicious!} and enjoyed a night out! Thanks Aunt Kat!Emory has always slept with a few ‘things’ but it is beginning to get out of hand. This is her nighttime entourage. One pillow pet, two Douglasses, one tiny stuffed dog in a tutu, one baby doll, one lovey and three stick unicorns {the newest additions}. That’s NINE ‘friends’ as she calls them. Most nights she also adds in whatever she was playing with that day: a Barbie, her Madeline doll, sometimes a book. Thank goodness she’s in a queen bed or else there would be no room for her!

With the boys beginning school a week and a half earlier than Emory, we’ve had some fun time with just the two of us. This week we headed to Mad Platter to paint pottery with Lauren, Hannah and Sallie. Emory wanted a mermaid on her platter. I was trying very hard to let her do everything herself, but the perfectionist in my didn’t let that last too long. Luckily she was okay with me helping and I think after it’s cooked {and the colors get brighter} it will be adorable! {Although the random fish placement still bothers me a little.}

As always, a fun view of our week from the phone! Happy Insta-Friday!