The Vance's: beach, soccer, swim, repeat.

We are in the transition of packing in all the summer fun we can manage, beginning fall sports and finishing up summer sports. It's a whirlwind some days keeping all the beach bags, soccer equipment, swim towels and snacks stocked and ready but this season, while busy, is just so fun. Lucy started soccer practice and gets to play on the same team as last year. These girls are such great friends and a few have played together for 4 years now!

We finished up Simon's last few games of t-ball and it's safe to say he loved his first season. He had a great coach who really let the kids have fun, even if they weren't playing exactly correct. Because, let's be honest, herding a team of 3-4 year olds on a hot, dusty field can only get you so far.

Now that Matt's offices have moved closer to home (hurray!!) we were able to squeeze in a lunch date last week too! I absolutely love that his commute has now been cut in half and the kids love the extra time at night they get to spend with him. Of course, all that fun at lunch made for a sleepy boy. Another couch nap for Simon...aka...his summer sleeping spot.

While at lunch Lucy lost another tooth! She has a huge gap in her smile and it couldn't be any cuter.

The next morning we continued with a day of dates. But first...breakfast. I love when I can make a big family breakfast and we all sit down together to talk about the day. One of our favorites is buttermilk banana pancakes topped with creamy nut butter and a drizzle of maple syrup. The kids gobble these up so I always triple the batch to save the extras in the freezer for a quick weekday breakfast.

Then Carter and I went out on a date. We try to have date days with the kids at least once a month. They look forward to the one-on-one time and we really find it's a good way to get them talking about whatever is on their mind. It's usually something simple and easy but always fun. Carter chose a walk around Greenlake followed by a visit to the bookstore and then some froyo for a special treat!

He asked me to squeeze in next to him on this chair so we could read football history books together (seriously, he reads chapter books about old Superbowls, sports trivia and quarterback biographies now!). I love that he still wants to cuddle up. Luckily there was another comfy chair nearby so we didn't have to completely squish each other while we read!

Then we headed home so Lucy and Matt could go out. She chose pedicures and then an afternoon donut. This girl loves sugar, probably a bit too much!

And finally....a date night out for Matt and I! We hadn't planned on going out but our favorite babysitter was moving to go away to school so we wanted to squeeze in one last night to have her over. The kids already miss her terribly and we are so sad to see her go. I whipped up a quick and easy picnic dinner for the kids so they could spend as much time as possible playing outside with Morgan.

Then we went to our first official wine dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants. We were easily the youngest couple there by a good 30 years but still had fun meeting the winemaker, enjoying the food pairings and hearing more about the difference in wine selections.