InstaKings...

We had the best week every because RYAN WAS HOME ALL WEEK! Yep. From sunup to sundown he was here, at our house, with US!! And we got in some quality couple time as seen below... 

Since he was home and we haven't fully figured out child care for the last week of summer, I went in to work a couple of days. It is absolutely amazing how much work you can get done when no one is around! SO MUCH stuff - it was nice to get out of the house a few days and get me ready to go back to work in just one week. 

While I was at work, this kid got his ears lowered and we can see his whole face! We have tried our hardest to be supportive of his desire for those long locks (and I think we've done a pretty darn good job, too) but it's nice to not have to tell him to get his hair out of his eyes. I predict he's going to want to go even shorter before school starts. 

We used this time with Ryan home to take the kids out on their annual "back to school dates". For three nights in a row we got to spend uninterrupted time with each kiddo doing things that they picked. My only regret is that we don't do this more often. (Full post coming soon!)

We scratched our next-to-last item off of our bucket list and buried a time capsule complete with a few notes and answers to questions picked by the kids. The plan to is to dig it up in a decade...hopefully we remember that we buried it!

I had to snag this picture of Ryan explaining the ins and outs of filling up the car to Radley. I predict that I will no longer have to get out of the van to get gas in a very short amount of time. He's been so intentional lately of teaching Radley big things - he mowed the front and back yard last week - complete with tears, but still finished. I love watching Ryan being a dad. 

My obsession with Texas started at a young age - Riggins would be proud. 

On Friday we headed to Houston for our annual weekend with Ryan's best-friends and their kiddos. We spent the day at Lake Conroe on Saturday and the kids couldn't have been happier. 

And these three were pretty excited, too!

As soon as we made it back to the house, I changed clothes and Kacey and Stephanie dropped me off to hang with the Dixie Chicks. We bought these tickets in November  and it was soooooooooo worth the wait. (Even counting the decade that they've been, ehm, not in the spotlight.) Two hours of a singing songs with the friends that made them fun. During Wide Open Spaces I couldn't help but tear up as I linked arms with Chrissy. That's exactly what college was - a wide open space waiting for us to meet new faces, see new places and find our way in this big old crazy world. 

They put on a great show, full of old favorites and new covers. Their tribute to Prince with Nothing Compares 2 You was incredible...the only negative part was that it had to end. 

Kacey picked up a jar of this salsa for the weekend and y'all, if you are near an HEB, GO FIND THIS STUFF! She let me take it home we loved it so much. It has CUCUMBERS in it which it gives it this amazing freshness mixed with that spice. Oh my word, the goodness. 

I don't know if men get the chance to celebrate friendship like women -- it's not often talked about or encouraged for these strong leaders of our families to nurture the parts of them that grew up all those years ago. So grateful for these 3, their 25+ years of friendship and the fact that we all get to celebrate our framily time! Another /// weekend is in the books and we're already planning for another one!

As if the weekend was amazing enough, I was surprised with this sweet softy goodness at my door. I just couldn't pull the trigger to get it for myself so Ryan surprised me which was an even better treat! I can already tell that I will be adding another one to my collection next year. (Mainly because the kids are already begging me to let them wear it around. It's so soft!!)

We rounded out a gold-medal weekend with our own Olympic watching party...

where I was reminded that we all have unique gifts and mine is different than that icon of a gymnast that can spring 20 feet in the air while I sometimes don't even really want to get out of bed. 

And that's us in an instant!

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