This is a sponsored post brought to you by Filtrete.
Summertime. I feel like this year we milked it. First of all, it should be noted that we had a really, really rainy summer. The rains fell here more in the past two months than I can ever remember….so much that I vote we change the name temporarily to Wetlanta. And during this time, we had few opportunities to really do summer right.
So while the rains were pouring, we made messes….
we chased blocks…
we saw movies with family…
we made silly faces and bounced on beds…
we read good books…
and stayed up way past our bedtime with friends.
And on the rare occasion that the sun popped his friendly face out from beneath the clouds, we milked it. We milked it like an ice cream factory. We rolled in the grass…
took slow walks…
ate outside…
got new freckles…
blew raspberries and picnicked on fresh tomato sandwiches….
we licked our fingers…
and jumped in.
It was oh-so-sweet. Like a three year old kisses. Like a baby laugh. Like a bowl of sweet cherries that already have the pits removed. It was just plain good.
It brought new accomplishments and new challenges. It was my first time maybe ever not celebrating Independence day at home. But I was. Because I was surrounded by family.
We celebrated new family and we squeezed new friends. We talked. Deep and long. With tears and laughs. It was a season I was hoping for…a season where we found home in so many places and people. Which is weird to say outloud but if you get, then you get it.
And we did a whole lot of realizing. Realizing that we need connections and community. We need other pulses around us. around our kids. around our life. We need more than just a nuclear family. more than just talking about dreams. more than just routine. We need intention….and adrenaline…even if it is just swerving to not hit a squirrel with the car or bellyflopping really hard on purpose. It’s hard to put our finger on what exactly we came to realize…what we want to be intentional about. But it’s there. And maybe one day I can explain.
And the one thing that we didn’t do was push ourselves on the house. Because in reality…it’s always gonna be a work-in-progress…so why rush, right?! And with all that sweetness…all that growth…we allowed the simple things in our summer to become priorities and the house maintenance part? That became back burner material. Which brings me to the sponsored part of this post…
5 quick tips from Mike Holmes (of Holmes on Homes stardom) on summer home maintenance:
- Air conditioning filters: Use an electrostatically charged Filtrete Brand air filter to help capture dust, pollen and lint from the air passing through the filter. (CLICK THAT LINK TO FIND YOUR PERFECT FIT!) Plus, changing your filter at the start of every season helps protect and maintain your system.
- Hot water heaters: Set hot water heaters at 120 degrees Fahrenheit or below to avoid potential scalding.
- Stove: Remove and wash stove grates, burners and coils with warm water and soap. Over time, grease can build up around the stove, increasing the chances of a fire.
- Fire extinguishers: Check the expiration dates on your fire extinguishers. You should keep one on each floor of your home.
- Cracks: Inspect the floor, walls and foundation of the home for cracks. Jot them down on your home to-do list, and fix them before they lead to deterioration and wood rot.
These are the five things that I put on my list as I get back into the house-upkeep-swing-of-things. We are gonna test out the Filtrete Micro Allergen Reduction Filter (Jer already went out and bought it) because we heard that it helps prevent stress on your air conditioning system (we are gonna need a new AC unit sooner than later so we are trying to milk it for all it’s worth!) as well as reduces the amount of energy needed to get to that perfect temperature.
The best part about this post is not even the pictures of those ridiculously cute kids. It’s that there is more…in form of a giveaway. So stay tuned!
I loved this post!!! Gosh you have such a beautiful family!
Aww….look like you had an amazing summer filled with family and memories. 🙂
http://happinessiscreating.com/
I love that ya’ll soaked in every minute of this past summer!! Life is so short and it seems to go by faster and faster with babes in tow so enjoy!!
I love love love that picture of Jeremy giving Weston raspberries. It is amazing and shows a daddy’s love. I could not stop staring at it.
My fave pics – new freckles and the popsicles. Soooo sweet. And yes…we often get so caught up in things…like our homes…when the people inside and outside of them are most important. Our summer has been devoted to building our new home, and I definitely feel the lack of “people-ness” I usually get in the summertime.
That pic of Jeremey with baby W – best picture ever!!!
Holy cow–some of these pictures of Weston made my uterus skip a beat!
Beautiful pictures…beautiful family!
Sounds like the perfect summer to me! 🙂 P.S. loving your trim color in the pic with the kiddies eating ice cream! Looks great!
I LOOOOVE the Cat in The Hat picture!!!!
Thanks for this post, Katie! We just got word that we’re closing on our very first house in a month and I spent all of last night stressing over all of the changes I wanted to make–thanks for reminding me to enjoy this sweet step in life!! (also for making me terrified about my incredibly dirty, never-been-cleaned-by-me-in-the-two-years-we-rented-here oven–just the words “fire hazard” are enough to make me pee my pants–i’m resisting the urge to run home and clean it on my lunch break….)
Beautiful post 🙂 I agree we don’t want to fast forward summer and we make the best of it, rain and all. Enjoy your family of 4 (and congrats on the new baby 🙂 )
Jen
Ooohhhh…a tiny baby Cardinal fan! Makes me love your blog even more! StL represent 😉
The pic of you, Will, and Weston is adorable! I was wondering if you ever nursed the boys while they were in a sling. I am having my second boy in two weeks, and I was thinking about giving it a try so I could, in theory, be more mobile. However, I didn’t know if it would be more of a pain than a help.
Great post! Were you in STL, or just a Cardinal lovin’ family or friend that you photographed? St. Louis is one of the BEST (and cheapest places!) to vacation! So many family friendly attractions are *FREE*!!!!! Your posts inspire me and make me want to enjoy the little things!
My brother in law is from STL and their new son was born with Cardinal blood (according to him!).
xo – kb
This post was really inspiring. I’ve been following your blog and your IG for about a year. I’m a young gal, single, and live in an apartment, aka not much DIY possible except for an occasional gallery wall or spray painted chair. I love reading your blog as a great break from work, you and your family are just adorable
thanks for sharing,
Frances
I did not but only because I was able to let down easier if I sat down and tried to relax. If I could do it, I would totally try though!
xo – kb
That picture of Jeremy and Weston is absolutely scrumptious. That should be the poster for fatherhood. The bliss. The love. The wedding band. Absolutely nothing sexier. (I mean that in a respectful way, not drooling over your man, lol.) Such a great photo!
love, love, love this post! as i head back to work this week from a sweet, summerlong maternity leave, we’ve been having the same conversations in our house….what we’ve done this summer, what we’ve realized and how we want to live going forward. lovely!
My goodness, such beautiful pictures of a beautiful family! (Remind me again when Will became such a little man? How he has grown!)
So sweet! I love all of these pictures, but I think the new freckles are my favorite!!!
What baby carrier is that in the image of you, Weston and Will?
Beautiful photos! Do you make annual family photo books?
I do! Here is the post about what I do.
And the wrap I use is a Solly baby wrap. It’s awesome for the little ones 🙂
xo – kb
The cat in the hat picture is amazing! I want to steal the idea, but maybe a different, more girly book. (We have 2 girls in the house.)
Are you just so stunned that you have another baby in the belly? I keep forgetting and then remembering as I read your posts! Is it a totally different experience this time? You seem really preoccupied with, well, your busy life. I bet this pregnancy is going to fly by. I know you’re sensitive to others who are struggling with their journey, but I’d love to hear more about it! Very best to you!!
Are you kidding me with these photos?? My favorite is Weston in the Dr. Seuss hat!! Gahh!! And I still can’t believe you have an 8 month old walker!
I’m so jealous of your summer, looks like you guys had a blast!
Do you have a pool? That house and property of yours is amazing. Especially the creek and setting. I can see why it is your dream house.
Your pictures are divine! You truly have such a talent for catching beautiful, colorful and meaningful moments. I adore the pictures of Will’s freckles and the candid and sweet raspberry blowing picture. Awesome.
AWESOME! I highly recommend visiting! And Cardinal blood…it runs deep. :o)
It was an amazing summer for your family:) love this recap and the pictures!!
Love this post! Looks like Monroe in that slow walks photo! My husband is from there and his family runs Sanders Furniture Company! Looking forward to a visit soon!
Love the pictures! Especially Weston on the beach…love his hat 🙂
We moved to ATL in March and I feel like it’s rained ever since! I feel like we almost didn’t get a summer. I won’t complain about the lack of triple digit temps though! Love the pictures. I need to use my big camera more.
Very sweet pictures and oh so adorable! I’ll have to check out Filtrete because I always just assumed that a filter was a filter. (Bad I know). 🙂
Man, that Weston Bower just doesn’t get any fricken cuter!!!!! He looks like such a happy baby!
Love that stripey wrap! Is it stretchy? In any case, it’s not bad persaaaaaay, but front-facing can be uncomfy for babies (I know he prob not complaining and seems fine, but back carries or facing inward supports them way better). You might want to invest in a woven wrap (stretchy isn’t safe for back carries) that will let you wear that little one on your back, or something like an Ergo. Plus, it will be WAY more comfy on your preggo belly! I wouldn’t even mention it bc it really is fine, but seriously back carries/ergo/etc would be way more comfy AND you are expecting again, so you’ll get more use out of it for sure.
I gotta say, I so appreciate your realness, btw. It’s missing from some other places I follow, and I love seeing it here. Hugs, mom!
Love to see how much fun you’re having with your family. Hope you guys continue to have a great summer and oh! thanks for the cleaning pointers!
Where is that slow walk picture taken? Is it Milledgeville?
LOVE this post!! We rocked our few dry moments of summer too! And love that you’re in my little town in the “slow walks” picture – Madison is such a super fun place to be! xo
Those pictures of Weston just crack me up. He really seems like the happiest baby ever.
Those are fantastic pictures! I’m all choked up from this post. Ha ha! I love it!
Such a beautiful family! I love Filtrete filters!
Love love love your blog Katie! That first pic of your walkin’ Weston makes me wonder what you do to childproof in your house? I have a wee one who is 8 months old, and unlike Weston, is slow to get moving, but I know my time of rest will soon be over.
Any chance you have done or would do a post about how you keep little paws off your breakables and out of the light sockets etc?! Thanks muchly!!
We definitely do very little. We do a lot of “NO” training so that they understand that when we say that magic word it means hands off 🙂 But beyond that we do gates and putting covers on outlets. I am gonna probably be adding a few cabinet locks so that they can’t be making messes but to be perfectly honest, we didn’t do that with Will and he’s still alive 🙂
xo – kb
It looks like Madison but it’s not! It’s Monroe 🙂
xo – kb
It’s a small town called Monroe. We have really fallen for it 🙂
xo – kb
Oh yes…we definitely limit his time forward facing in that wrap. We checked with our doctor and she said it would be fine for short times and if he didn’t fuss and I didn’t mind. The Ergo doesn’t seem to quite fit me as well…is it my short waist-ed-ness? I borrowed one from a friend and as much as I adjusted it, I just couldn’t be in it as well as the regular wrap. I definitely need a woven version though so I can start doing back carries.
xo – kb
Oh I definitely remember. It’s hard to forget when I have a little tiger that wants to wrestle all the time and I have to tell him to be gentle because of the baby 🙂 So far, I feel like I am having a harder pregnancy than Will (his was a breeze) but the jury is still out on comparing it to Weston (I had terrible sciatica with Weston so hopefully that won’t happen again!).
xo – kb
Another darling post, especially the Mike Holmes tips… I jest! Love your reflections – truly beautifully written & wise. You and yours are just too dang cute for your own good! Hugs…
Yup, doc is totally right. I just never found forward facing comfy for me, either. As far as the Ergo, there are different brands (Boba, Beco, etc) and some fit people better than others. You can check and see if there is a local babywearing group (http://babywearinginternational.org/pages/chapters.php) – they will have carriers at meetings that you can try out to see what fits, and will also help you pick and learn to wrap with a woven. Best investment ever for me. Babywearing dog walks around the neighborhood are my favorite thing – still wrapping my 1.5 year old for walks, rather than a stroller! babywearing ftw 🙂
I know, right? Good-looking men being all cute with cute babies. Egads.
those.dang.precious.FRECKLES 🙂
Your boys are so stinkin’ CUTE!
Great sponsored post. I hate cheesy gushing over a product, it feels so fake. I dont come to blogs to read ads, especially ones that resemble middle of the night infomercials. Your post felt authentic and natural. Something you would post anyway but with a great tip on the end. Love it! Love the blog! Love your fam!