for the love of july

Tuesday, June 11, 2019

hawaii || family vacay 2019

the blog has really fallen to the back burner since our tatum has been born.
having three kids is a whole new kind of busy with very very (if any) free time.

i'm hoping i can get back into a little more of a rhythm with it this summer. because i really do enjoy keeping up on it so much!

i love sharing here and if i have the time, or reason to do it, i'm gonna do my best to get it done.

even if it takes me four weeks longer than i'd like! ;)

i can't NOT document our family vacation to hawaii.

this is the third spring we've gone as a family and i love having the post to look back at where all our favorite memories are pulled together.

last year's trip HERE (2018)

and the year before is HERE (2017)

this year was extra sweet as we had grown to a family of five!

tatum was snug in my belly last year when we were in Kauai and now we had him to enjoy the fun and memories with us this year, and he sure added an extra level of sweetness!

we never make for lots of "plans" when we do our family trip.
our focus is to not have any sort of schedule, and just enjoy the week together while of course fitting in some naps for these littles. because vacation mode or not, a tired two year old is gonna have that meltdown- so make the nap happen in hopes to avoid it ;)
one thing we quickly learned while traveling with three kids, the oldest being just four- no one travels with three young children! no one even travels with three children. like we seemed to be the only family of five in the airport and on the island. having three instead of two this year we noticed such a difference in the comments and stares. such a shock to me. but then again, i get it. it's hard work to travel with kids (especially at their young ages) but i tell ya- it is sooo worth it!
if i give any advice to anyone who's contemplating a family trip. DO IT.
it's so fun to experience it all together and make the family memories.
i live for these family moments when it's just us and other responsibilities are put aside.
also this tatum face- - I LIVE FOR THIS TOO!

a photo dump of our trip filled with moments i never want to forget!

-xoxo

enjoy!!

& any wonder or question on traveling with these kiddos (i know it's always a hot topic), just let me know. happy to share!

Xoxo

-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

30th birthday celebration! :: Dallas/Waco

I was so excited when we came up with the idea of making a trip we've dreamt about actually happening! to visit magnolia in waco, and what better reason than to celebrate turning 30! kaylani and i both had our 30th birthdays, being just one month apart in january (her) and february (me), so it worked so perfectly to make this a joint trip.

i had so much anticipation leading up to this trip and couldn't wait to really visit the silos in person! to actually get to see all that has been so beautifully created there- down to the perfect details. I COULDN'T WAIT to step foot on the place i've seen a thousand times on tv and instagram!

with getting grandparent schedules to line up so that between us three couples, we'd be able to leave our five (!!!) other children behind, we tried to make it a quick trip. and then keep in mind we brought along our three babies! all within 4 months of age of each other. we flew out from seattle saturday afternoon, and returned tuesday afternoon. that allowed for us to fit in our day in waco (the reason for the trip!) as well as some time to spend in dallas, where we had our hotel booked.

::SATURDAY::
three babies. grouped together in three rows on a flight. could be a recipe for disaster. but let me tell ya, the three of them did amazing! us six parents (and no doubt all the passengers around us) couldn't have been happier.

take a second and watch this video. REALLY. stop and press play.
as if traveling around with three babies and three strollers didn't bring enough looks + comments, our 'ride' for the four days only added to it! it was so fun and we wouldn't have done it any other way!

we stayed at the crescent court in dallas and had such a great experience there. they were so thoughtful and courteous of our group. and not to mention it was beatiful! i couldn't get over the amazing architecture and detail to the building of the hotel.
once we got to our rooms, we quick refreshed and then headed out to grab a bite to eat.

::SUNDAY::
we hit the ground running. well... brandon and I overslept and we had to delay our "meet time" by about 45 minutes ;) but then we all loaded the babies up in their strollers and off to breakfast we went. the bread winners cafe was within walking distance to our hotel and OMG the food was divine. best breakfast i've had. pineapple upside down mimosa + breakfast tacos hit the spot.
this won't be the last time i say it, but i was so shocked at how good the food was in texas.

after breakfast we headed back to the hotel to refresh a bit (we were already sweating hot!) as well as nurse a few sweet babies. then we headed out for a little bit of shopping before we headed to top golf for the afternoon.

the people we met in texas were so kind! a sweet couple about our age stopped to chat with us for a good 10 minutes as we were just strolling down the sidewalk- which is when this photo op came along ;)

after a few hours, a few cocktails, and a handful of times extending our 'time' at top golf, we headed back towards our hotel (changed again haha!) and then went to a highly recommended restaurant right by our hotel- sixty vines and enjoyed the most delicious dinner!

i can almost taste our meal just thinking about it. tending to a baby didn't really allow me to snap a picture of our food, but the crispy zucchini, chicken fettuccini, and pizza paired with a couple glasses of wine was SO GOOD. i would go back there in a heartbeat.

::MONDAY::
the day that we had come for.
MAGNOLIA.
took our 1.5 hour drive from dallas to waco in our 12 passanger van and voila, we made it!
a little bit of wind here and there, but it was such a beautiful day!

thankful beyond the words i can express for the friendships we've got going on here. there was a time (shortly after moving to washington from idaho) that i remember so often putting in my prayers a request for good friends. i've never been one to have a "ton" of friends, but more so the handful of good, close ones. these people here hold me grounded. and life without them, wouldn't be the life that it is.

traveling together + having babies together continues to deepen those roots.

everything is so beautifully done and all done so well.

the food (here i am again talking about the food), the bakery, the food trucks at the silos, the photo ops, the landscaping + flowers, even the bathrooms were so perfectly created.

it was an experience i soaked in, and i just wish we lived closer so we could make our way back!

maybe i can talk brandon into making this trip happen again! because i am certain he enjoyed it too and what fun it would be to take our kids along.

after spending most of the morning + afternoon, we headed back to the hotel in dallas before heading out for our last dinner.

quick snapped a few pics in the room of these cute cousins! they're just four months apart, and we can't wait to watch them grow together! along with their two older brothers :) between brandon + i and tyler + angela, we've got these four boy cousins who are two years old and younger. so many fun years ahead for us all. and i am thankful for their strong fathers to help in guiding and teaching them!

::TUESDAY::
our last day! we wished we could stay longer, but also were all so ready to get home and get back to our other babes waiting for us.
tatum was completely wiped from the busy days we'd had. zonked out and took a quick little morning cat nap while we got ready and packed up our room.

...and no way we were leaving town without a second stop for the most delicious breakfast we've ever eaten. i would pay top dollar if someone in the tacoma area would open up a bread winners cafe & bakery. the breakfast tacos + potatoes. TO.DIE.FOR.