Five years later and our first B&B

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, hubby and I got to celebrate five years of marriage this summer! As always, our anniversary snuck up on us and I was left scrambling to figure out how we should celebrate. As much as I'd love for him to surprise me with some big adventure, the reality is that late summer is his busiest season and he can't afford to take the time to do that. I'm the party planner around here by default I guess.

I got this idea in my head that we simply must go to a bed and breakfast for the night of our anniversary. We never ever go anywhere for just a night for fun. If we get a hotel, it's usually because of a wedding or event that we are in town for, not just because. The problem is that there really aren't any bed and breakfasts close enough to make it worth it (note: not too much driving). 

I stumbled across a tiny b&b right outside of my hometown, only about 35 minutes away. It's a very old house that has been kept up by one family for generations and the current owners enjoy running the b&b on the side for a little extra income since they are retired. I was a little worried that it would be awkward since it was in the country, nobody else would be there, and we had never been to a b&b before. Amazingly, it wasn't awkward at all! It was charming and sweet, and the couple that live there were easy to talk to. Who am I kidding though? Hubby and I are history nerds that love talking with old people about their lives. It was right up our alley.

I took a few pictures to capture a glimpse of how charming and sweet their home was, but unfortunately they didn't turn out very good. I hope you can see through my phone camera's inadequacies. :)

The master suite:

There were three closet spaces in this room. One was a walk in with a huge step down (so strange) which then led to a closet the entire length of the room. There was a sweet old window that looked out across the whole prairie in the closet. It was just bizarre.

Another of the closets was decked out with a toddler bed and old toys. Pretty cute!

The bathroom off of the main suite was sweet and country-esque. I loved that big old bathtub.

There was a sitting room right off of the bedroom with a grand fireplace and built in benches. Actually, there were built ins all over this house, and they still look awesome even after all of these years.

The main entrance with an open staircase. The railing was so short, definitely not to code. :)

Off of the main living room was a music nook. I kind of fell in love, even though the piano is not playable at the moment.

The main living space: 

Another favorite place, the library! Built in shelves, another fireplace, and a sweet old library desk.

A peak of the wood work and one part of the huge dining room:

It was such a great place to go to get away from our home and the city. I'm glad we found this little b&b and I'd recommend it to anyone. 

Also, yay for being married a whole five years!

Josie Grace, three years old

I've got a lot of updates to share in the next couple of weeks, but for now, it's time to slow down a second and revel in the fact that we have a three year old. 

I know. It's crazy, but so very true.

Her birthday snuck up on us and suddenly she is a preschooler and no longer a toddler. While she completely looks and acts like it, that still shocked us a little. (Insert all the other cliche sayings here).

So we celebrated our little lady with a birthday dinner amongst our family, homemade cake (made with so much love but also so much frustration) and gifts. She felt so special on her day, which is what we wanted. It's our goal to make each of us feel special but not spoiled on birthdays. I think we succeeded this year.

While my mom and I worked on the cakes, she entertained herself with this requested box. For an hour at least. 

We also celebrated my nephew, Deano, who's birthday is just two days after Josie's. In an over-achiever sort of way, I decided to make two separate cakes. That probably won't happen again as I don't necessarily enjoy being in a hot kitchen all day long in the middle of summer. :) The humidity won out and Deano's cake kind of flopped, but it tasted great, which is all that matters right?

Audrey dressed up to celebrate her sister. (We take every opportunity to wear dresses seriously)

Josie picked out her birthday dress (from Costco) and headband. We did a mini photoshoot (because that is what you do, right?) and got a bunch of goofy faces. I'll take it.

Josie got a bunch of great gifts, but this one in particular really stood out. The little puppy barks and walks around, and the pure joy that each kid expressed was the best part of the party. Audrey, in particular, was hilarious. She screamed out over and over again and followed it around even while everyone else moved on to the next fun gift.

Even Hannah the dog was completely fascinated.

Blowing out the candles went smoothly. Deano went first with some help, and Josie rocked it on her own. She totally understood exactly what to do and loved all the attention while we sang to them. Also, note her decorative headgear, all her choice.

My little lady, not even close to a baby. She challenges us daily and definitely knows how to keep us on our toes. One thing is certain, though. We wouldn't trade her for anything in the world. 

Happy birthday, Josie girl.

Girls weekend at the lake

The girls and I got to go to the lake this weekend and it turned out perfectly because my sister and mom were also there. Did you catch that? No men! A true girls' weekend. We were a bit pumped up for this since it never happens. It did not disappoint either. It was truly fun.

The weather was perfect. It was windy but not to the point where we couldn't enjoy the sunshine and general outdoors. The little girls were just itching to be outside. We hiked, played on the swingset, went for walks, and rode bike (minimally). They just couldn't get enough.

A chair just her size!

"Can I pick it??" Please do, sweetie. Pick all the weeds you want!

My dad put up a fence of sticks to keep the kiddos protected from a bunch of barbed wire that was left in their yard years ago. I think it looks pretty sweet!

We also went to town to see Great Grandma (we try to go visit her every time we go to the lake). I wanted pictures of the girls with my grandma so much but they were being shy and wouldn't sit on her lap long enough to get pictures. I'm stubborn, though, so I did get a few. Their shyness just showed me that we need to see Great Grandma more often. She's really the sweetest lady. No need to be shy, little ladies!

Books are always great motivation to try something new.

Mostly I just love that I am figuring out how to get the aperture juuust right for this blurry background effect.

"What happened?"

My lovely mama and her lovely mama

They could do this for hours. Good thing its only about 50 steps from the house instead of half a mile away like the closet park!

Everybody look to the right...

Everybody look to the left... (the rock couch)

Usually there are too many weeds/plants to get to this tree, so we took advantage of the cold weather and climbed up and down over and over again.

Does Audrey look like she's doubled in age? Man, she's growing up too fast.

We came back late on Saturday night for church and some time with hubby on Sunday. We finished the weekend with some time with hubby's family. It was honestly the perfect Mother's day. To celebrate, the girls picked daisies from their grandma's garden, Josie drew me a pictures in Sunday school, hubby got me salted chocolate bars, and my sister and I got pedicures (gel polish - new to me but I can see why everyone loves it). Seriously, does it get better than that?? I just looove this little family of mine. 

Hand picked just for me. :)

Well, at least we're all looking!