Drum Circle

I should have posted these pictures a month ago. They were from our trip to DC.  On the third day that we were there, we walked back to my brother's apartment through a huge park that sat across the street. We hadn't yet seen the park because it was surrounded by a stone wall that hid most of the park behind it, and it was easier to walk up the sloped streets than the many stairs that lead to green grass and tall trees. But on this night, we were lured to the park by the sound of beating drums...

What we found was a magical place filled with lush gardens, beautiful fountains, people of all shapes and sizes, performers, and, of course, drums.

And no drum circle would be complete without...

 more cowbell.

xo

nessa dee

Puddle Jumping

I don't know about you, but for us, summer's been much busier than our busy school year. I had planned on getting a few rooms cleaned out, brushing up my illustration portfolio, blogging, and spending the rest of the days lounging [okay, chasing kids] around the pool. Instead, I've been packing, leaving, coming home, unpacking, washing clothes, repacking, and leaving again. And maybe I'm just old, but travelling so much with three kids in tow is exhausting, not to mention the work that piles up when we're gone. I'm panicking now because we are a good week into July and I've yet to cross anything off my summer to-do list. And thus, the annual sacrificing of want-to-do's in favor of need-to-do's has begun. 

But enough about that. Let's have a gander at a fat baby jumping in puddles after a much needed rainstorm:

 

 

Happy Monday!

xo

nessa dee

The fields

One of the perks of being in a farmer's family...

xo

nessa dee

Finnanigans

Our family suffered a huge loss this past week with the passing of our grandmother. She was the anchor of our family. I intend to write about her soon, but I need a little time. It's so hard to even begin to tell you about her life and the light that she was without breaking down. We will miss her intensely.

I thought our family could use a few smiles, so I'm posting some Finnanigans.

:: Mom, what if when we're done eating, our food went up to heaven.
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Note: Our neighbor has beautifully restored an antique car from the 1920's.

:: There's our neighbor's car again...the one from the 80's or the 50's.
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:: [Talking about his favorite Halloween candy] I love Milk Dubs and Jolly Rangers!

[After sorting all of his Halloween candy] Mom, that pile of candy over there is candy that I don't like that much, so I'm just going to eat it to get rid of it.
Nice, try!  
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:: Popcorn is something that hibernates in your teeth.
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:: [Talking about Lego Camp] Mom, our instructor knows every single Lego there is, except for a few.
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:: Audrie, why do you want to do cheerleading? Cheerleading is just dancing with your legs up!

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::  Me: Hey kids, go pack your bags for our trip, and only pack what you need because we don't have a lot of room in the car!
After arriving to our destination...
Me: Finn, why did you pack an astronaut suit?
Finn: Well, I thought I might wear it.
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And we can't leave Audrie out...

:: Me: Who is Attila the Hun
  Audrie: Well....she is....a man.

xo

nessa dee

On the outside [grain bins edition]...

I held my breath...

until about this point...

On the inside...

On the inside, looking out...

xo

nessa dee

On the grid...

I fell off the grid last week. It wasn't intentional, but it was much needed. The kids and I spent the week visiting family and being bums. We stayed at the Roeder Resort [our Aunt Susan's house] which has a pool, lots of good treats, and a fabulous hostess who has a knack for spoiling people. The internet was being fickle, so I used it as an excuse to lay off social media and just be lazy for a week. It was nice. The kids swam enough for a whole summer.  I did a lot of sketching, and even more eating of the cookies.

These few sketches are from the week:

But now we're back, and I'm trying to blog with a baby fussing at me, all the while picturing that wonderful lounge chair out by the pool, sketchbook in one hand, cookie in another, baby sleeping in his grandma's arms, kids happily swimming. It was a good week.

xo

nessa dee

See this handsome guy...

he's another year older today.

he'll be celebrated as a dad tomorrow.

and I'll love him forever.

happy birthday , my love!

xoXXOxxooOOx

ness