labor day - the symbolic end of summer

I think we crammed in as much 'American pride' into our labor day as possible.  This is where we went and what we did: Walmart, McDonalds, Target, Starbucks, backyard bbq, and homemade cake.  Does it get any more American than that?

Did you know that in high society it used to be considered unfashionable to wear white after labor day?  I always heard this growing up and so I feel this odd necessity to wear white on labor day.  It's not like I won't wear white after labor day, but since it's the unofficial last day of Summer, I like to celebrate it in my own way by wearing white.  Does anyone else do the same?

I love when we have a slow-going morning where Travis can try something new with styling my hair.  I just told him that I wanted braids and to have fun with it.  Here's what he came up with.

First, we hit up Walmart and cruised around for a while.  I was disappointed that they didn't have most of the items on my shopping list!  The store was busy and everyone was cranky, so we went to McDonalds for lunch and ice cream. 

 Lyla got the cutest little box of french fries in her happy meal.  They were just her size.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for...

We all cheered up a bit after our McDonalds treats.  After the kids went down for naps at grandma and grandpas, Trav and I snuck away to finish up some more shopping at Target.  Target had everything I needed (and then some).  After we checked out we hit up Starbucks.  And, to my surprise, the Starbucks at Target was serving pumpkin spice lattes!  They weren't supposed to be available until the 4th!  If you know me at all, you know I love anything pumpkin.  I was very happy.

The rest of the day was spent hanging with some adorable family members, bbq-ing, and enjoying some chocolate cake made by great grandma helen.  Seriously, our kids are so blessed that they get to hang out with extended family like cousins, uncles, aunts, and grandparents all the time.

Lyla and sweet baby Charlotte:

chocolate cake!!!

That was our labor day.  We hope you all enjoyed your long weekends as well!

so ready for the long weekend!

We couldn't be happier about this three day weekend!  We plan to sleep in, BBQ, and just hang out with family.  How about you?

Lyla attempts to beat the summer heat in her old navy black tank and her floral capri leggings from h&m.

Cody stays hydrated with sippy cup always close at hand.  His shirt is from children's place, blue skinny pants from zara, and old navy flip-flops.  Remember last month when I said he wouldn't wear them?  He likes them now.  Every time I go to his shoe basket he asks for his "fee-fops"!

too cool for preschool

Today marks the completion of lyla's first week of preschool.  The verdict?  Thumbs up!  She is having fun, learning a lot about Jesus, and she loves her teachers.  We knew that Lyla would transition really well into preschool because she is such a social butterfly.  Lyla told me on Wednesday that she tried to comfort another little girl who was crying because she missed her mommy and daddy.  She has such a big heart.  But don't let that fool you, she will be up to many shenanigans this school year, no doubt.  This little girl is always up to something.

Lyla is wearing a "bonjour" GAP t-shirt (clearance section +30% off = I paid next to nothing!), old navy skinny jeans, and laceless converse.

Lyla's cute hello kitty style bow clip is from "chic baby rose" on etsy.  It comes in lots of colors and you can buy a 5-pack here.  We can't seem to keep track of hairclips around my house, so it just makes sense to buy in bulk.

Cody is wearing a mickey t-shirt from target and mustard skinny jeans from zara.  Cody is way too cool for school...for now.  In two short years it will be his turn to sport a backpack and lunchbag! 

lazy summer mornings

I have been really bad about rounding up the family for fashion friday pictures.  It's not so much that we have been busy, it's just that I can't seem to get myself out of bed at a decent time in the mornings.  Lately, Lyla has been crawling into bed with us in the wee early hours and falling back asleep (thank you, Jesus!).  It is such a precious time.  She usually comes in with her eyes half open, kisses me on the cheek, and then cuddles up next to me.  If this is a bad habit, I just don't care! 



It has been hot, hot, hot this summer, so Lyla has been wearing a lot of dresses to stay cool.  She particularly loves long dresses and often protests that the dresses we get her are not long enough because they don't go down to the ground.  Sorry Lyla, but ankle-length maxi dresses are as close as we're going to get.  We're lucky they're in style right now.  This dress is from GAP and was purchased in the big girl section...hard to believe that lyla will be out of the toddler sizes and onto regular kid sizes soon.  This dress is a XS, which translates to a 4T/5T.  We're almost there!

And check out mr cool guy.  His shirt and shorts are from GAP and his sandals are from Zara.  He refuses to wear thong sandals that go between his toes, so we had to opt for the straps that go over the top of his foot.  Let me tell you, it's hard to find sandals in his size that aren't too girly looking.  Cody is all boy!

our baptism

Travis and I gave our lives to Jesus 7 years ago.  This past Sunday we finally made a public declaration of our love for Jesus by getting baptized.  To make an awesome moment even more amazing, we were baptized by Trav's brother and we were baptized together!  Nick is the executive pastor at our church, so he got to "dunk" us in the water.  The ceremony started with Pastor Nick introducing us and asking why we want to get baptized.  That brings up a good point.  Why get baptized?

First of all, the bible encourages baptism.  In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus says "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples from all nations. Baptize them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to fulfill all that I have commanded you. I am with you always until the end of this world."

Secondly, it is a public declaration of the inward change that happened when we accepted Jesus as our saviour.  In 2nd Corinthians 5:17, it says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."  We are a new creation in Christ.  That change actually happened 7 years ago when we prayed the prayer of salvation and we announced it in front of friends and family by getting baptized in water.

Thirdly, Jesus was baptized.  In Mark 1:9-11 it says, "It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.  Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

4th of july BBQ - murrieta hot springs

The Calvary Chapel Conference Center hosted its first ever 4th of July BBQ.  It was a day of hot dogs, cotton candy, bounce houses, water slides, dunk tanks, live music, and even a pie-eating contest!  It was open to the public and there were about 1,500 people on our gorgeous 47 acre property.  It was awesome to see all of our staff come together to host this event.  The mayor of Murrieta and the Chief of Police were there to give their testimonies and share the gospel.  How amazing is that?  They are both Christians and have a huge heart for the community.  It was such a blessing to hear them speak.

We got to the conference center after naptime and jumped right into the fun.  Of course, Travis volunteered to get in the dunk tank.

I had to dunk him.  I even got to cut to the front of the line for this.

We got festive with my hair.  This 'do is a 1940's style called "victory rolls".  It was a little tricky to get the big curls just right, but it's a good thing I have a hairstylist available to me 24/7. 

My sweet little man enjoying the festivities.

He is pointing at Lyla in the bounce house.  Cody wasn't able to take part in all the activities like his big sis, but next year will be a different story.

Lyla did not hesitate to get right into her swimsuit to ride the water slide.

Then there was a pie-eating contest.  Travis stepped right up to participate.

...and Lyla helped eat the apple pie right off his face.

He did pretty good!  He did not place, but almost finished his pie.  He had apple pie in his nose for the rest of the night.

Lyla thought it looked like so much fun that she decided to try it out too.

4th of July love.

God bless America!  We love our country and enjoy any chance to celebrate this great nation.  I love this quote from George Washington: "It is impossible to govern the nation without God and the bible".  Well said by our first president!  I hope you all had a fantastic 4th of July.

a very bravo baby shower

Our good friends are expecting their second baby this Halloween.  They hosted a baby shower/camping trip in honor of their baby boy over the weekend.  While we would have loved to camp out with everyone, we just didn't have the guts to go through with it.  I had a long list of things that could go wrong with little kids while camping.  I could just picture a night with no sleep for our entire family!  So, just before we left, we scrapped the idea of camping and decided to just hang out until bedtime.  It was a beautiful evening spent with friends anyways.  Our friends have a 2 year old daughter named Tallulah and will be naming their son...Joaquin!  I love the name they chose.  You can't really go wrong with baby names when your last name is Bravo.  It's got to be one of the coolest last names ever.  We can't wait to meet little baby Joaquin in a few short months.  Here's a few pics of Lyla and Cody hanging with Tallulah at the shower in Anza, which is located about 1 hour drive east of temecula.

 How adorable is little Tallulah?  She has the most gorgeous hair! 

gonna miss this pool!

We will definitely miss having a pool just a short walk away from our apartment. Lyla loves to swim. She grins the entire time she is in the water. It's a crooked grin that she only has in the pool. It must be something special to her.

Beacons

Here we go!
Going right for the water with no hesitation.
I love this picture.  Lyla couldn't have been happier at this moment.

The water felt so amazing.  It was about 72 degrees.
My big girl.  Hard to believe she is turning one year old in two weeks!
Checking out the waves before daddy goes out for a surf session.
Sun protection is key.  Too bad Lyla won't wear a hat for more than 2 seconds.
The beachgoers minus a few who were in the water.

It's rare that we get a day off for some family time.  Labor day was one of those rare occasions where Trav and I both had the day off.  Our friends from San Diego invited us down to Beacons beach for some fun in the sun.  After a good sleep-in, a trip to the store to pick up a new cooler and some sunblock, we were off to the beach by about 2pm...not too bad for us.  Lyla was such a good girl at the beach!  She loved the waves and splashing around in the water.  I am so proud of my little beach babe for being a trooper through a long day in the heat.