photography trip: the beach in april

Last week we had the coolest opportunity. The man my cousin works for owns several rental properties in Rehoboth Beach. My cousin asked me if I would go down and take updated photos of the rentals for them. We were able to stay in one of the townhouses (which is only one block from the beach) for two nights, and the money I made taking the pictures covered our expenses while we were there. I had just been thinking how great it would be to get away just the five of us when he called me. It felt like such a gift. You never know what opportunities might come through photography :) 

We left on a wednesday night and came home friday night. We took all our food with us, I made hard boiled eggs and sausage and cut up a pineapple to take along for breakfast. For our lunches we had turkey lettuce wraps and I made a tomato mozzarella salad and brought veggies and dip and chips and salsa... and for dinner we stopped at chic fila on our way down, grilled burgers and made french fries the next night, and got burrito bowls from chipotle one our way home. Simple and didn't have to spend hardly any time cooking or cleaning once we were there.

The weather was gorgeous... The first day was windy and chilly but there was not a cloud in the sky. We flew a kite on the beach that morning, then took a long walk in the afternoon. The next day was warmer and not nearly so windy so we played wiffle ball on the beach that morning and even stuck our toes in the water. We took another long walk that afternoon and made a stop to get the boys some chocolates from candy kitchen. :) 

I went to sleep at 8:30 one night, we watched movies together, the boys colored, we sang at the top of our lungs during the road trips there and back, and Jaden boy experienced his first trip to the beach. It was so good, totally worth the packing and un-packing of much baby gear for a short trip. I don't normally edit photos just for us, but I spent  a little bit of time on that this time, after all, it was a photography related trip :)

Here are my favorites:

Running out to the water our first morning there.

Pictures with our littlest man his first time on the beach. 

Flying Kites.

Saiah baby.... hands in pockets on the first day, letting the sand run through his fingers the next.

Us with our big boys...

Playing baseball on the second day. Shaun was all-time pitcher, Drew was all-time batter, and me and Isaiah (and Jaden too I guess) were all-time catchers :)

Warrior Drew taking on the ocean with a giant stick he found in the sand. 

When packing for myself I just threw in my favorite t-shirts, jeans, my favorite over sized gray sweater cardigan in case it was chilly, sandals and sunglasses. Easy, fun and comfortable for time away with my boys :)

So thankful for this opportunity and little break to get away... we loved it :)

Monday Randoms (published on Wednesday)

Spring cleaning has officially begun in our home!! All the windows are open, the beds have been completely stripped (including duvets taken apart and decorative pillows de-covered) and everything is going through the wash as I type... to be hung outside on the clothes line later this afternoon. The flannel sheets are being switched with the egyptian cotton and I can't wait to climb into a clean, fresh bed tonight :)

Also on my list:

wash windows
move houseplants out onto the porch for some fresh air and sunshine
vacuum under beds
dust all light fixtures
switch out winter and summer clothes

Spring has been a lifesaving time of year for me the past few years, whether it meant the end of first trimester pregnancy sickness with all three of my little men, or just because I was desperately wanting to start fresh and spring seems to be the birthplace of creativity and inspiration for me. So thankful it's finally here after a very wintery winter this year...

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Everything above this line was written Monday morning... it is now Wednesday morning, and it SNOWED last night.... SNOWED! How dare it! My poor blooming tulips!!! :( I would also like to say that I did not get to hang our bedding on the clothes line that afternoon because it looked like it might rain. And after putting all the fresh covers back on the boys bed that day... they both wet the bed that night. But ya know.... there must have been some progress made somewhere that day.... there must have been....

Happy Wednesday Everyone! Here's to posts that get published late, plans that get undone, beds that get unmade, remade, and unmade again, flowers that bloom and get snowed on, and above all, to REAL LIFE! :)

Formula for Shopping for Boys Spring Clothes

Last fall I posted my list of clothing that I get for my boys at the beginning of fall/winter. So now I'd love to share my spring/summer list too :) It makes it so helpful for me to go into this type of thing with a very specific plan (especially since we have a very specific budget). Having three boys who were all born the same time of year, I know that I am going to be passing everything down through three little people, and I like to buy things new so that they last as long as possible. But I still don't like to spend much ;) So here is my list and my tips on spring shopping for boy clothes!

List:

5 T-shirts

3 pairs of shorts

3 tank tops

2 pairs of gym shorts

1 Dressy shirt (first worn for Easter)

1 Bathing suit & rash guard

2 Pairs of Pajamas

Sandals

Sunglasses

(In an effort to keep this simple, the above list is my list for Drew. I still get Isaiah 1 or 2 new t-shirts, sandals, an Easter shirt & pajamas, also replacing anything that is too worn out or doesn't fit of the things being handed down to him. And Jaden, being the third boy and still being at an age where clothes really don't get worn all that hard yet didn't need anything but a shirt for Easter this year :) But I'm only trying to show you my "formula" for dressing one boy in this post)

So Before we went clothes shopping I inventoried everything they already had. We got out all our summer clothes from years past and they tried on tons of things and I crossed everything off the list that we already had. Then I looked online for what stores were having sales when... It turned out baby gap was having a 40% off sale that very day until noon, so I got ordered a few things from there, then went to the carter's and children's place outlets that were having sales as well the next day.

So here's what we came home with for Drew: 

Below are his 5 t-shirts. (He is in love with the one with the shark at the bottom and wants to wear it every day. The average price per shirt was $5.)

Below is the one pair of shorts I got him. His khaki shorts from last year still fit, and I think I might add a pair of bright green denim cutoffs as his third pair of shorts. (Sidenote: gray shorts are awesome for boys... they go with everything & are not quite as dressy/preppy a look as khaki shorts)

These are the three tank tops and two gym shorts we got for him. This is pretty much what my boys live in to play outside and be comfy at home during the summer, not to mention wearing the tanks a lot when we go to the beach. I went with lots of navy, white and gray this time so all shirts go with both shorts.

This is his dressier shirt that he'll wear for Easter. I love chambray shirts, and I figured he can wear it buttoned up for a dressier look, we can roll up the sleeves for warmer weather, and he can wear it unbuttoned and open over a t-shirt for a casual outfit too. 

This bathing suit we already had, it was too big for any of them last year so I just kept it to be used for Drew this year and found a rash guard at target that coordinated with it. (by the way, the circo brand rash guards from target have held up the best for me so far... ones I've used from carters have only lasted through one summer and not been able to be handed down like the circo ones because they've gotten so stretched out)

The pajamas are their favorite part... they get to pick out their favorite from the store and love wearing them at night :) I always get a two pack from carters that come with two tops and two bottoms. This year Drew chose whale pajamas and Isaiah chose sea turtles. One pair of Drew's was in the wash and he was wearing the other pair as I took these photos, so he posed in his new jammies for me :) 

Last but not least Drew's sunglasses and sandals. 

This list has worked really well for me the past few years of having boys. I've tweaked it and added/subtracted from it as each summer has gone by. Instead of buying things with a pre-determined outfit in mind, I try to buy things that all coordinate with each other and can be interchangeable to make many, many different outfit possibilities. If you're looking at this list and thinking it's way too short or don't I get tired of the same 5 t-shirts or how do I make this amount of clothing work for all different events, it's really in the creativity of not wearing the exact same thing over and over but mixing it up a bit in the combinations instead. 

I said this in my post of my "fall clothing formula" too, but having less options makes it easier for me to dress them, I don't have an overwhelming amount of laundry, I don't spend an overwhelming amount of money, and it's only for one season... next summer they'll be in something else. If you have boys I hope this is helpful to you!! :) 

Just for fun I had to include my favorite purchases for Isaiah this time too :) 

This little gray v-neck, these adorable jean shorts with the extra detail of ticking fabric sewn in the pockets and where the jeans are rolled.... his aviators and his first pair of flip flops :) 

When I dress Drew I think of him as being hipster/prep... when I dress Isaiah I go for a little more surfer/prep feel... Maybe I'm ridiculous for spending time or thought on their clothing at this age, but it's just how I think, part of my creative outlet, and I love that they are so unique and I like to try to let their little personalities show through what I put them in. :) :)