4th of july 2018 || suncadia

boy oh boy. 

the fourth was daysss ago. 

like  f i v e  days ago. 

but for us it feels like it has just ended.

the never ending holiday. but definitely NOT complaining! cause it was so so great :)

we made a getaway of the fourth. left tuesday morning and just got back home saturday afternoon. we’ve made this trip to suncadia over the 4th two years in a row now, along with some very best friends of ours. after we had so much fun vacationing together with our families last summer, we knew we had to try our best to make this summer happen too. there’s a high chance this could become an annual thing!

each of our families have two kiddos (making four) and we're both expecting our number threes this fall! so before we know it there are going to be six babes between us!

it's so fun to grow our families together. 

harper + aubrey are only two months apart.

tanner + adelynn, 8 months.

and these next tiny ones will be only a month apart!
we somehow didn't manage to take a whole group shot! ;( but the kids will do!

we looked around a little bit at houses to rent that would fit our families and ended up going with the exact house that we had stayed in the year before. 

we got to thinking- why change something that isn't broken.

it was so fun to reminisce on the memories we had had over the fourth of july last year. and to experience some of the same this year around too!

we turn the temp down on the hot tub and the kiddos use it as a pool all day every day.
last year harper + aubrey lived in here.
this year they had to make room for tanner boy to join too!

matching jams + all the festiveness we could manage!

besties from birth. and now til the end of time.

they lived on otterpops from morning til night. 

these colorless ones (i found at costco) were soooo great! mess/stain/stress free ;)

jacob giving the 'serious' low-down on the rules to the fireworks.

haha i can't even take him serious (at least they did!) ;)

the line up for their pop-its to throw.

so fun seeing tanner being a "big kid" right in the middle of the girls!

kids kept jumping into this picture, and it just kept getting cuter and cuter :)

P H O T O  D U M P
of all the others :)

 

 

  we all came back with our cups so full along with a handful of mosquito bites each ;)

Xoxo

-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth

hawaii || family vacay 2018

HAWAII!!

this trip was so good for all our souls and refreshed us all in so so many ways.

to take a trip as a family is so important to us. it gives us intentional, uninterrupted time where it is just the four of us. we made this same trip last year and knew we so badly wanted to try to make it happen again this year. which we're already saying about next year now too!

the winter/spring here in washington gets to us. we have such a desire for the sunshine and getting away for a week helps get us through til summer. (but now unexpectedly the weather here at home has been so great!) 

you can see our trip to hawaii last year HERE!

it's so fun to be making memories a year later at the same places. we stayed in the exact same condo as the previous year because it worked so well for our family. same time of year too!

making this family vacation/babymoon happen was the perfect timing where I'm feeling good in the second trimester and before our sweet little brother is here with us.

traveling with little kids isn't easy, but no doubt it is worth it!

every.single.bit. of it.

our kids do pretty well traveling. tanner is just at the age of being one-and-a-half where it's tough to sit still ;)

so many pictures to come here (sorry, not sorry!)

there is no justice put to these pictures right here- hawaii has the most gorgeous sunsets!

and little miss cutie buns here makes it all the sweeter :)

first ever leis for both us girls! we saw them before heading to the condo and harper was so captivated by the "flower necklaces"

B E A C H  D A Y S!!

these were our absolute favorite of days. we just knew the kids were going to have the best of time at the beach. and they did! i tell ya, they could've sat there and played in the sand for the entire day. neither were fans much of the ocean. (though harper loved it last year!) they both had moments where they worked up their courage to get in, but definitely preferred playing in the sand.

just plopped their cute little selves down with bucket + shovel in hand.

happy as could be.

P O O L!!!

at the condo we've stayed the pool is literally in our 'backyard' just a few steps from our back porch. we stay on the main level and that too makes all the difference when children need naps.

the kids can get all the napping in that they need while we're still able to enjoy outside.

it's when we put in most of our pool time :)

a couple of days brandon and i even scored by both kiddos napping at the same time and it became a little 'date' by the pool for us!

F O O D!!!

one thing we have LOVED the two times before when we had been to kauai was the food on the island. and this time around we found even a few more places we just couldn't get enough of!
- - - ACAI BOWLS.- - -

ah-mazing!!!

that's it. that's all i'm gonna say.

we walked to get one for breakfast EVERY morning. and once i finished, i couldn't wait til the next morning when i'd get another. obsessed much?? ;) nahhh

---DA CRACK.---

best mexican from a little hole in the wall restaurant.

I say restaurant loosely since it's really just a pick-up window ;)

--PUKA DOGS---

polish dog + sweet fruit relish + a grilled bun.

i can almost taste it now! SO GOOD!!

---and good 'ol SHAVED ICE of course!!---

we always go to the same shack and it never disappoints!

---WHITE pineapple!---

pineapples alone in hawaii are unbelievably good! the sweetest i've had.

BUT if you can track down a WHITE PINEAPPLE at one of the local farmers markets. get one!

bring a $20 bill and don't expect much change back. most spendy pineapple, but truly worth every bite!

there's always a bit of jealousy to whoever winds up getting the last bite :)

...how my ideal food intake for the day would look like if it were all up to me...

breakfast: sau sai acai bowl

lunch: puka dog with mango relish

dinner: da crack burrito bowl

snacks: shaved ice + white pineapple

all that x7 days in.a.row! :)
the morning i was up before all the rest and took a solo walk on the beach watching the sun rise.

nothing like it.

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P H O T O   D U M P

---all the beautiful memories we made---

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Xoxo

-Brittney
follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth