date night

coldplay.

(that's us, not coldplay.)

there they are!

and somewhere up there, too.

(aaaaand, we definitely brought home some of that butterfly confetti as souvenirs for the children.)

"yellow," one of our wedding songs.

great band. great set. great show.

i will admit to feeling a wee bit my age when they handed me the light-up wristband. my first thought being an amalgamation of "i don't want to buy this" and "what's this for?" and my second thought being an amalgamation of "how do i get it on?" and "gee, this wristband is kind of annoying."

BUT i acted chill like all the other hip twentysomethings (cough) who totally go to concerts with light-up wristbands all the time, AND it was super awesome. like a football stadium full of light-up wristbands blinking in rainbow time to coldplay music (while they played on stage) awesome.

bonus! here's a little sample video we made for the kids so that we could show them that yeah, we were *totes* at the coldplay concert, and also, bytheway, we will *so* be embarrassing the heck out of you when you're teenagers, #thoseparents:

family photos at the beach

as we say goodbye to the last vestiges of summer around the pacific northwest and hello to the first official day of autumn--my very favorite season of all!, we have one more set of florida photos to share.

so long, sweet summer.

it was my birthday!

all the wheeler grandkids at kellyn's baptism.

on the first day of preschool

dallin bryan wheeler leaves the nest!

his first day of pre-K 3.

he was ready:

and what, pray tell, did little miss momma do with *her* first day? well, she ran errands and went to appointments for other children, of course! 'cause #momlife.

bonus!

here's some tbt of all the wheelers taking their first small steps into the big, wide world:

notes: 1) looking at summer in this picture makes me want to squeeze her juicy cheeks and never let her age a day over three. 2) was there ever a girl in this world as fashionable as ms. afton wheeler? she slays. 3) the wheeler boys have the *best* swoops and dimples in town. the end.

labor day at the fair, a tradition

step one: would you like fries with that?

forever and ever, amen.

note: this is the first year in several that the little wheelers toured la foire without their cousins, and they were none too happy about it. caleb missing danton especially.

second note: next year we're hoping to hit up this amazing state fair and come home a good five to ten pounds heavier. fingers crossed.

another kinder in my garten

it's here:

caleb's first day of kindergarten!

a landmark milestone in my parenting, this is the first time in almost nine years that i will have only one child home with me for the majority of the day (and, as you will see next thursday when dallin starts preschool, a few hours in the week to spend ALL BY MYSELF!)

i managed to not burst into tears (i'm three for three on that one!), but i did make an unplanned stop at the school to check in on him for lunch and recess because i'm a helicopter paranoid mom like that. i mean, i didn't used to be or anything, but i guess it's come to this.

he barely paid me any heed (in his defense, paying heed is not a strong suit), but he eventually looked me square in the eye and voiced the five magic words every mother longs to hear, "why are you here, mom?"

yes, he had a great day.

(don't worry: this is his happy face--he's doing cartwheels on the inside.)

we love you, buddy! kindergarten just got the coolest cat around.

lucky.

on the beach, finale

rounding up the last of our beach pics from panama city. 

it is so odd to post these as hurricane irma is hurtling toward florida, leaving destruction in its wake, and as the western states rage in fire and ash falls from a hazy sky in seattle. incongruous is probably the word.

thank you, florida, for sharing your stunning beaches with our family this summer (and for emily's amazing tan. no charge.) thank you, southerners, for your unparalleled hospitality. thank you, mother nature, for not as yet wiping out all of humanity. we can do better, i promise. 

stay safe out there.