berries & candyland

we had another wonderful saturday together. we headed back up to the berry patch - this time to pick raspberries and blueberries! we loved it. after a quick stop in marine on st.croix, we headed into stillwater for the afternoon. our favorite stop was the candyshop!! hard not to smile spending the day picking berries and hanging out in an old fashioned candy shop, picking out sugary treats!!

strawberry jam.

We made strawberry jam!! I am so excited for homemade jam. We tested it tonight, and we all loved it. Adelie was eating it by the spoonfuls!! She had been asking to eat it all day long, staring at the jars asking when it would be ready. When daddy came home, we ate it up! 

It was really fun to make the jam together!! Oh, and of course we had to make homemade whipped cream to go with all the rest of the strawberries & biscuits & pound cake! Yum! Adelie was loving it last night - she got to stay up extra late to finish off the batch with us. Fun memories.

a perfect day.

There are days in life that seem so perfect. Today was amazing. I love days like today. It makes my heart so happy. I adore my girls so much. I am so in love with Nate. 

We spent the morning picking strawberries at a darling strawberry patch up north near Stillwater - The Berry Patch (www.berrypatchmn.com). I think Adelie ate a pound of strawberries in the first 15 minutes we were there...I guess we should have paid an extra $2 for her snacking! The girls had a good time, but I'm sure I had the most fun. There's something so special about these memories as a parent, and I am sure these memories from today will be long lasting happy mom-memories for me. 

After we filled two flats full of strawberries, the girls were ready to call it quits. So we headed to a darling town that I've wanted to visit for a long time - Marine on St Croix. It was perfect! It was a darling little place. It's my new favorite getaway town. So charming. We had lunch at a tasty small spot, and then had yummy yummy cones at the ice cream shop...and then shopped at a super cute shop for some charming new pieces for our home. Now we are home - ready to find some strawberry jam recipes, and watching the girls (especially Kennedi) loving the sprinkler!!

I am so thankful for special days like today that make me so grateful to be a mom to these beautiful girls, and married to my best friend who enjoys days like today just like me.

happy 4th.

the 4th of July was perfect! we drove to Wisconsin & spent the day at great-grandma and great-grandpa's house!! it was so much fun. the girls loved the parade - well, they loved getting candy at the parade! we enjoyed the afternoon at great-grandma & great-grandpa's. very nice day. my favorite memory from the day: I asked Kennedi who her best friend is (expecting her to say "Adelie"), and she pointed to great-grandpa and said "that guy!!". so funny!! they really love their great-grandparents!! so special!

we finished the night in Excelsior watching the fireworks! perfect 4th!

snuggled up.

sometimes the best snuggle spot is your bedroom floor. I have slept a couple nights on the girls bedroom floor recently - only because I wanted to snuggle close to them (the night before we left for Jamaica and the night we got back), and I've been sneaking in a couple naps with the girls in there too...snuggled with them on their floor. last night the girls were difficult to get to sleep, so finally I gave in and got snuggled up with them again, on their floor. tonight, they wanted to snuggle together on their floor - so sweet! Kennedi wanted Adelie to hold her hand the whole time...too cute! I love how much they love each other.

morning swim.

we had a great time swimming this morning! we had the pool all to ourselves & it's a beautiful day. I love seeing the girls swim. they love our pool! they are both really great swimmers too. best way to start our day!!

summertime!

best friends.

these two have been best friends lately, and I love it. nothing makes me happier. so sweet. I am so happy they have each other.

goodnight, puppy dog...goodnight, panda bear.

the girls sure love the face painting! tonight we had a puppy dog and panda bear roaming the cartwright house. too adorable! well, the panda bear was a bit frightening - but she loved it, so that's all that matters. I was laughing so hard, adelie told me, "calm down, mommy!!". fun memories with my favorite girls!

punch balloons!

punch balloons are an endless amount of fun...and very entertaining. kennedi is bouncing on hers saying 'pop! pop! pop!' and rolling around the floor with hers! adelie is practicing her punch!! so great!

minneapolis farmer's market

we had a fun morning at the minneapolis farmers market today. adelie was loving her roasted sweet corn!! well, we all loved our corn!! oh...and the homemade lemonade was delish! we are bringing home some fresh peaches and sweet corn! yum!

playful hearts.

Playful hearts. A two year old, a 3 year old...and some face paint...magical! 

Moments like these make me smile so much. We had such a fun time painting faces tonight. The girls were loving it...and then Adelie painted mine! So fun. And then it started pouring outside. The girls booked it towards the garage & had their rainboots on & umbrellas out in no time! They were hilarious, jumping in the puddles in the pouring rain. I love them so much.

bliss!

“Life is about love and truly experiencing the beauty we are meant to know.” -excerpt from "Bloom." 

I wanted to write a quick note on the blog. I am so in love with these little girls. They are my everything. I am so grateful for both of them, and the beauty that they create. They fill my life with bliss, and fill my heart with gratitude. I am so lucky.