When it's your bestie's birthday, and you decide to extend your sleepover one extra night, and you take the Littles to the zoo and there is a seal show

and a butterfly garden,

 flamingos and a giant zipline,

then and have a cocktail lunch, take a nap where everyone actually sleeps during the day, and then get the floor seats to the Dixie Chicks??!!!

 Say what?!?!? Hands down, best day every. And sweet Thelma - I love you and hope you had the happiest birthday because I certainly did.  I promise I will never ever ever in the history of forevers mock Matt's obsession with Craigslist ever again.

As summer winds down, we are preparing for school to start - but the fun is not over yet!  Next up, the annual ProJac State Fair Extravaganza!!!  Omgosh, this is a weekend we all look forward to, and this one was even better because Grampy decided to join us for Friday - which just happened to be Prince Day - so we all dressed in our purple garb.

Knowing that Harper would not be able to hang for 12 hours at the fair, we dropped her off at Albert, picked up Matteo and slugged our way to a parking spot near the fairgrounds.  I spend the afternoon with the boys - walking the grounds, people watching, craft beer drinking, eating, catching the lumberjack show, eating, camera bombing the local news broadcast, eating, and checking out the biggest pig - and did I mention we there was some eating?

Grampy left around 5pm, and AP, Tbone and the girls joined us, for the second shift.  The next 6 hours included some repeats (like the craft beer and eating) but also included rides and rides and games and rides!

The kids were incredible, and we even got to see the fireworks on the trek home around 11pm.

 Seriously - impressive.

Grammy came to take us school shopping!!  We all look forward to this tradition, and Harper was first on the list.

 Sweet Gnomeo came home with bags and bags,

and then proceed to try on each and every outfit.

Bennett energetically announced the first 45 minutes, and then decided to go play outside.

Bennett was the second to hop in the convertible with Grammy.

 He, too, came home with an updated wardrobe

but decided not to make us endure another runway.

I was third in line for the shopping spree,

and came home with new dresses for the first week of school

We are so lucky to have this adventure each year with our beloved Mom and Grammy.  #bestmomever