favorite summer style

my sister-in-law hosted a link-up on her blog this past weekend.  i am making it in just under the wire this time...better than the last time she hosted and i didn't make it at all.  lance and i just got back from a weekend trip to lake cumberland, kentucky.  we spent 2 days on a beautiful lake, taking in 90 degree heat instead of the usual 105 degree heat we've been having in oklahoma since july started.  we were there for a houseboat show.  it was a nice little break, but in the back of my mind i kept thinking how on earth would i get my outfit posted since i am not a person to do things in advance.  well internet access was iffy at best so nothing happened while we were traveling.  and it ended up that all these pics were taking on our trip and i'm just getting around to posting.

my favorite outfit in the summer is usually a skirt or dress, a tank and flip-flops.  i feel more comfortable in dresses and skirts...love how they are easy to dress up or down.  if i need to be more office ready, i throw on a cardigan and some jewelry.

this particular outfit is an embellished tank, khaki skirt (i LOVE that it has pockets!!) and glitter flip-flops, all from jcrew.  my sunglasses are aviators from target...i found them on sale last fall and i just love them and rarely go anywhere without them.  my earrings are gold hoops from stella & dot.

our wedding

six years ago...


we've been together for almost 14 years and married for 6 of them. hard to believe. we've been through some crazy stuff. moves, started several new (some successful, some not :) ) businesses, college graduations, three kids in four years, passed an architecture exam, deployments, sicknesses in our families and friends, but i can't imagine anyone better than lance to go through it all with.





lance is my rock. i am the crazy emotional one and he is the calm, stable one. we balance out in the long run :)  looking forward to more crazy years.  




*pictures by sir harrison photography

a pirate party

miles' 3rd birthday party was an outdoor pool party that happened to take place in one of the hottest weeks we've had.  112 degrees was the high that day.  but even with the heat and bees that were overtaking the picnic area of the pool, it was a still a great party!

miles had a blast!!  the water was perfect!  and all of the food we brought with us was happily eaten at the party or taken home by guests.

thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate mr. miles turning THREE!!  and special thanks to my mom and sister...couldn't have done it without your help!

and of course the after party...it lasted until at least 11 that night.  the cousins had a blast.

future marines

that is what they will tell you their hair looks like when you ask them about their new haircuts...

i was completely surprised by the lack of hair on their heads when they came home from the barber shop saturday morning.  lance and i tend to have very different ideas on what exactly constitutes a haircut.  but it has grown on me now (24+ hours later...)  

our summer in pictures: dallas childrens museum

last week the boys, mimi and i made the trek down to dallas to visit the children's museum at fair park.  i had been there when ethan was 2 and miles was just 5 months and while we had a nice time, ethan wasn't quite old enough to enjoy everything.  this trip was perfect!!  was nice too to have another adult so we could each do one on one time with the boys.  they really enjoyed the museum.  the science museum, which houses the children's museum, was having a dinosaur exhibit of some sort and it had these huge robotic dinosaurs right as you walked in.  ethan especially went crazy about them!!  makes me think that we need to make a trip to the natural history museum up in norman soon.

big hits were the silly mirrors, the fire truck, the water area and the farm.  

and this is quite possibly my favorite picture of the day.  LOVE that ethan face!

we will definitely visit the children's museum again!  well worth the trip.

a day of firsts

today was a day of firsts.

a first day of school for the windel boys.

they were very eager (and maybe a bit nervous) to begin school today.  


a first day of a new fitness routine for me.

i was eager (and maybe very nervous) to begin and new fitness routine.

it was a good start to our fall.

fall wants

i LOVE fall!  has always been my favorite season.  i just love the smell in the air, the colors, back-to-school shopping and the excitement about the upcoming holidays.  with summer lasting almost into october here, i start dreaming about fall as a way to make it through the hot days of august and september.


of course all of the fall catalogs have already come out and i have a wish list started for myself.


i love all things leopard print and have for quite some time.  i am excited that there seems to be a lot of it this season.  i have come to terms with not being tall - i used to wear heels almost every day to accommodate for it - but since having kids (really since being pregnant) i've come to love flats.  and these are just to die for.

i have had my eye on a navy school boy blazer for several seasons.  i love the idea of a blazer over a tee in fall and over a sweater in winter.

i found foley+corinna through my sister-in-law and purchased my first bag from them last winter.  i love it and use it daily.  i'd like to add a brown one though and this is just beautiful.

i'm even ahead of the game a bit and have purchased some staples for the kids for fall and winter too.

for mollie kat:

ADORABLE winter coat!!  i think it was the boys version, but i love red, white and blue on girls!

sweater dress

for the boys:

race car shirt for my cars fan, miles

skull & cross bones to continue our pirate themed year.

and last but not least, i am going to try a starbucks pumpkin spice latte again as soon as it is available!  i loved them before having mollie, but my early stages of pregnancy and morning sickness happened in fall with her pregnancy and i haven't been able to love that fall staple again...if it doesn't work, i'll just go ahead with a peppermint mocha...yum.


what are some things you are looking forward to in the fall?

sweet girl * 14 months

she just loves to smile!

and apparently her newest lovie is a dish rag.  

she is also a new walker!  after quite some time standing in place, this past week her walking has taken off.  it is just so cute...i'm sure i won't be as excited about it when we are in a restaurant...but for now the way she keeps her arms in close to her body while she totters along is just too adorable.  video to come soon!

our summer in pictures: 1 & 17

our summer fun list is still going well...i haven't done as much as i would have liked by this point, but hopefully will catch up in the next few weeks.  there is still some summer left even if ethan starts school next week.  it is taking me a while to get my layouts done, but this week was able to finish two of them.

{1: making homemade ice cream}

{17: treasure hunt}