a few things i’m working on getting added to the shop today thru sunday!
happy friday!
hi guys! speck, here. boy, was today fun. the sun came out and ramona and i were surprised with a brand new red ball.
ramona was sooooooo happy. she loves balls. she runs and barks and bumps the ball up into the air with her nose.
i had a good time just watching! cause let me tell ya- she exhausted me! she can run and run and run. and like i said before- she pretty much always catches the ball, and i pretty much just keep busy running circles around her.
then mama asked if we wanted to play in the pool.
um…. heck yeah!
but first: we drink.
and then ramona just decided she was pooped and she plopped down into the water and stretched out.
it was a great day!
how fabulous are these dolls?! my neighbor is having a yard sale and i got to preview it this morning. i insisted on paying her for these (and some other things i picked up) and she insisted i take them as a gift. don’t you just love good neighbors? i found a whole bunch of stuff i didn’t need 
(oh, wait. what’s that you ask? wasn’t i just in the throws of a major house cleaning and purge fest? why yes i was. but really- can you blame me? these gals are too great.)
they came with their own trunk full of 60s + 70s doll clothes. and between you + me? yes, i had a little fun changing their outfits a couple times. tee!
nearly impossible to believe. this kid is growing up so fast. i’m guessing by the 6th grade, he’ll be towering over me.
hi guys! it’s me, speck.
so today was not my favorite day, i’ll be honest. henry started school and he was gone for so long!! he is my best buddy and i just didn’t know what hit me today with him gone! i pretty much spent the morning looking for him- whimpering and pacing. mama said i was a lost puppy, and i was! i was lost without my henry! to make things worse, it was rain, rain, rain today- which just so happens to be my least favorite kind of weather. good thing for some breaks between the downpours, so ramona and i were able to go out and chase the ball around a few times.
i think mama started to feel kinda bad for us…
which is why she busted out the peanut butter kongs!!! party time!!!
ramona has a neat trick where she holds her kong still with her paw and then she can really get in there and get the good stuff.
i haven’t really figured out that trick, so i spent a lot of my time chasing that kong around in circles and not getting too much peanut butter, shoot! oh well. it was still a good day.
here’s hoping for some sunny skies tomorrow.
in no particular order, some highlights from our summer:
sleeping in: a true highlight for all. nothing beats those lazy days of summer where the scheduling belt has been loosened to nothin’ but comfort. say it with me now: ahhhhh
also: killer finds from awesome places, and roadtrips.
there was ice cream, and lots of it.
plus: a dream come true for henry, kayaking, and the great cicada hatch.
there were crazy fun/funny games of bananagrams
and super epic lego sessions.
in july, we said goodbye to diapers and hello! to adorable hello kitty underwear.
there was swimming. and swimming and swimming. and more swimming.
and indoor camping and sleepovers for little boys.
there was the invention of the pee-bow mah’mok.
also: super delish, super yummy, super fresh good for you foods.
and there were TOMATOES. don’t even really get me started on those tomatoes.
spontaneous carnivals, movie watching, birthdays, staying up late, bird watching, bowling, farm camp, the tail-less squirrel!, date nights, pretty sunsets and so much more. and yes, there were even some days that were speckled with boredom. there were days where it was just too hot or days where it was raining buckets, days where things just didn’t work out. but all in all, i think we did pretty well.
i always have this slightly panicked feeling when we get somewhere close to the end of summer- like: did we do all we wanted to do? did the kids have all the fun they could have? did we make the most of it?
and looking back, i’m thinking we did. i hope my kids feel the same. (i think they do.)
so this morning, we sent henry off to the 4th grade. speckers is walking around like a lost puppy (despite the fun visitor), dotty is missing henry but probably enjoying not having to fight for airtime or attention, and the weather out there? it’s all cool and rainy- a sign that fall isn’t really that far off.
lucky for us, we’ve still got some great summer memories in the making. there’s a VIP arriving at our house in less than two weeks, and then we’re off to the beach to have some serious fun. and i cannot wait.
hi guys, it’s me speck. guess what?! i have a guest this week!!!! her name is ramona, and she is a whole lotta fun. her ma + pa got on a plane today and went all the way across the country to portland. (my ma + pa are so jealous, they could spit)
we’re so lucky, she gets to stay with us all the way until next wednesday!!! we’ve played so much today, and i’m just so exhausted i can barely keep my lids open for a picture!
see what i mean?! i’m super blissed out. my mama says i went to the tyra banks school of smiling: with my eyes. i just might be taking it a wee bit too far. what can i say, though?! i’m happy!!! it’s so fun having someone my size to run and play ball with. and ramona is super into playing ball.
and she catches that ball like, 9 times outta 10. she lets me get to it once in a blue moon cause she’s a good pal. and really, i just like to runrunrun, so if she gets to the ball first, that’s ok with me. i’m so busy running circles around her that i’m having my own kind of fun. it’s a win-win. we make a good team. 
isn’t she pretty?!
we’re having so much fun together. and henry told me a little secret: we get to have a slumber party in his room tonight!!! i’m so excited about that, i can hardly stand the wait! it’s a good thing school starts tomorrow! that means we get to go to bed a lot earlier than we’ve been going all summer long. i love a good snuggle, and after such a busy day, i’m sooooo ready for it.
i’ll be back tomorrow with more on our adventure together, so stay tuned!
xoxo, speck
dotty’s room :: an update
i got bit by the serious cleaning + organizing bug this morning and ended up spending a good chunk of time in dotty’s room. i’ve been meaning to hang that Quiet Zone sign ever since picking it up at an antique mall a few weeks ago- but even more important than that- her room needed some serious editing + updating. i’ve been meaning to sort of take it from baby to toddler for a while now- and though i’ve been pretty good at staying on top of clothing, pulling out things that don’t fit anymore etc, the toy and book situation was getting a little hairy scary.
so up went the sign, and out went a whole bunch of board books and other more ‘babyish’ things like haba rattles and little playschool xylophones and such…
dotty kept busy making soup and eating fake eggs
the play kitchen is new to us- a lucky hand-me-down from henry’s best friend’s little sister.
i’ve been on a real clear out + organize kick for the past couple weeks, which feels really good. getting rid of things we don’t need- either donating, craigslisting or yard sale-ing. i had this vision of going from stuff overload to minimalism and it’s actually happening! i can hardly believe it myself.
ps- i shared dotty’s room on modern kiddo a couple weeks ago. take a peek to see how much it’s changed! a lot less STUFF.