Summer 2018. There won’t always be baby handprints smearing my sliding glass door. There won’t always be baby dolls, fake kitchen toys, tractors, trucks, and balls strewn about like a tornado ripped through our home. In fact, some day I’m sure it’ll be MUCH easier to keep our home clean, there’ll be much more quiet time for me to read a book, and Josh & I will have a full conversation completely uninterrupted by tiny voices or little hands tugging on the bottom of our shirts. But for now, we want to soak in every last second of having a 3 year old and a 1 year old. A clean and quiet home = overrated! We are embracing the chaos & doing our best to live intentionally & envision the big picture instead of agonizing over the small stuff! Summer 2018 has been good to us in so many ways that we hope we never forget. Giggles, silliness, strings of curious questions that never seem to have an end, never truly being able to sit down & relax until they’re both in bed because a certain someone loooooves to see what he can climb, a bond between a sister and a brother that is truly starting to grow (despite the necessity for many reminders to be gentle!), dimpled smiles inspired by the goofiest moments, cuddles while reading story after story before bedtime (always just one more!), and the hilarity that ensues when our kids get together with their cousins. We’re so grateful for this life we’re blessed with & our little family. Thank you for following along with our journey, the lessons we’re learning, and the mistakes we inevitably make along the way. With our priorities straight & love for all as our guiding principle, we grow each day. As I watched the images for this personal blog post load onto the page so I could start typing the words I wanted to say, emotion welled within my heart. I couldn’t hold back the tears of joy that dropped from my eyes onto the tattered old office chair on which I sit. Life is beautiful & each day is a blessing. (And as I prepare to hit Publish on this post, a brand new office chair sits behind me ready to go. . . yay!)
Our babies are cute always (obv haha), but there’s something extra squishable about their little blonde selves in the Summer! 
Kenton is very independent when it comes to eating & he eats much less if we’re trying to feed him than if he gets to do it himself. Bring on the mess! 
We got to meet our newest niece a few months ago & big cousin Tenley was in love at first sight. Madelyn is a doll! She’s Josh’s brother’s baby. Her mommy and daddy definitely made a beautiful little version of themselves! Tenley said, “She’s pretty.” 
The proud Uncle Josh.
The Mother’s Day Banquet at my mom’s church was themed Once Upon a Time & we got to dress like princesses. Tenley was really excited to be Moana. 
We went to the banquet with my beautiful mom. Tenley calls her Grandma Shishi.
To grandmother’s house we went. . . for Mother’s Day! Who wouldn’t want to answer their door to this sweet sight?!
These are the famous cousins. My sister’s kids are adorable! 
I do not know how this baby photo of Kenton snuck into this blog post folder, but I’m leaving it there because WAHHHHH. . . he was so tiny & bald and sweet and gahhhh. . . sigh. Sigh, sigh, sigh. It goes too quickly. Not that I don’t still hold him exactly like this. . . he simply hangs over my lap a bit more these days. 
Talk about Summer feels with that glowy light in our back field! And talk about melting all of our hearts! 
This is a gigantic canvas gallery wrap in our living room. We’re definitely running out of wall space lol! 
Our brindle pug Punky is constantly photobombing us.
Parent photo-taking hack: if you make it into a game that allows your kid to choose a few poses/expressions and then it’s your turn to choose. . . things usually go much better than trying to command their every move. I almost always just shoot candids because I love my kids in their element, but you know I want those looking at the camera & genuinely smiling ones, too, sometimes. I’m a mom, after all! lol! 
Josh gets up super early in the mornings to get work done so when the kids and I finally roll out of bed, we’re all excited to go see Daddy in the office. This is my view almost every morning once we get back there to see him. Heart melted! 
The kids’ toys were overtaking our garage so Josh built a rolling toy box for them. It is sweet! Pinterest find for the win! 
This was the Fourth of July! It’s definitely one of my favorite photos. . . ever! 
My heart can’t take it! It was sweltering that day. haha.
My dad is on the left. His brother (on the right) was in town from South Carolina that day. 
Kenton loves anything with a motor- especially bikes and tractors! 
Tenley LOVES any Papa & Grandma time she can get! She often asks us when we’re leaving to go to work so her grandparents can come over. haha! 
These kids and their cantaloupe & watermelon obsession. I’m not sure what we’ll do when Winter rolls around.
Babywearing has been such a special & meaningful part of motherhood for me. I cherish the closeness & snuggles beyond belief. And the free hands to get stuff done! 
Tenley got to be a flower girl this Summer in Natalyn & Joe’s wedding. This was the rehearsal. We love seeing her make new friends! 
This was my grandma’s 80th surprise party. These photos bring me to tears. She is such a special & wonderful woman. I’m so proud to be her granddaughter & she has taught me SO much about life. She is wise, kind, and strong, & I love her.
My grandma & her sisters (minus one who sadly already passed).
My grandma & her boys.
Grandma & the greats! (Except for the little ones who live in North Carolina who weren’t there that day).
Our niece is a little model.
These next few are real life with toddlers haha. Nobody wanted to stop playing on the swingset to smile for a photo with their mommy.
But I was like, “Come on, Kids. The light is beautiful.” Someday they’ll understand. . . a couple of decades down the road.
This swingset is our new addition to the family this year. The kids have a blast back there on their playground! 
This was my mom’s birthday celebration Part I.
And this was my mom’s birthday celebration Part II when my other sister & her husband could join us from Boston. These are always the best times- when we’re all together. We went putt putt golfing and go cart racing (which was slightly chaotic with this crew) and had a blast! We’re so very thankful for all that God has blessed us with! 
Thanks for stopping by the blog to see our little family! We hope you enjoyed your holiday weekend with the ones you love!
If you’re new to our blog, we are Josh & Danielle, husband and wife wedding photographers in the Youngstown, Ohio area. We love what we do & are always on the path toward living more intentionally each & every day.
If you liked this post, you may also enjoy:
Lisa & Scott’s Wedding in Our Backyard
Menning Family Christmas Tree Adventure 2017
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