back in the saddle again.

so, we're back. we spent all of last week on a family roadtrip from texas to kansas to minnesota and then back! we had so much fun and got to see so many of my favorite far away friends and family, even got to help celebrate my grandpa's 89th birthday! so fun! we had planned this trip a few months back, for many different reasons. 1. we haven't been back to minnesota in over 2 years and that is just way.too.long. i have so much family up there that i absolutely adore and needed to go home and visit! {i was born there and only lived there for a few months, but it still feels like "going home"} 2. we wanted to help welcome my cousin's baby into the world! {little did we know, he waited for us to arrive! coming into the world about the same time we drove into minneapolis! and we thought he would be around a week old when we got there...already has a mind of his own!} 3. perfect excuse to stop in and see my bestie and her sweet husband in kansas, although i am definitely in need of some one on one girl time with her...that will have to wait until summer!
i have so many pictures to share from our trip of all the fun we had and people we got to visit, but that will have to wait for another day. i am exhausted and have been trying to catch up on laundry and housework for two days and getting back into our own routine around here.
i really just have so much grattitude for all of the special people in our lives, near and far. i don't know how we got so incredibly lucky.

so for now, i'm going to share this short and sweet clip of ava holding her new second cousin. maybe third...not quite sure how all that works. he is gorgeous, and perfect and seriously, i wanted to sneak him home in my pocket! ava adores him and alex and kirstin were so sweet to let her hold him for a bit. she did so good and even sang him a little twinkle, twinkle in the softest sweetest voice that only he could hear {and if you've met my girl, you know she's loud, this was just way too sweet!}...which i must say, made this mama so proud. she is growing up so much. more photos and memories from the trip coming up later this week! xo