A loved in home

The past week has been a mixed bag of hosting 3 parties, a U2 Concert (thanks Paulette!), finishing up several kids committments, and being proactive about getting our summer routines started well. 

Some friends surprised john with filling up our back patio for his birthday. It was casual, "small" and fun. 

Memorial Day was spent cleaning up from a baby shower I'd hosted and evening BBQing. 

As traditionally promised, I let Kyler invite a few boys over from school. I'm not able to do gigantic, "invite the entire class and whoever you want" end of school year swim parties and sleepovers anymore. I'm too old. I'm too tired. True story.

Braydens end of the year party is next week. We divide and conquer these days. 

I have so much I'm leaving out but my other photos are on my laptop. So I'll pick up again when I charge that. 

I've been really pensive with another school year ending. I want to make summer count. Make it memorable. And that also means not cramming every last hour with things "to do".  Not stressing out about the housework. 

I had several comments on our home this week, a couple that I want to remember. One was from my niece. She let out a big sigh and said "I just love your house aunt kristin. I love being at your house". I expected to hear it was the water slide or junk food. But when asked, she said "it's just. I don't know. You just want to be there. It's not a cover of a magazine". I laughed because her perspective is probably NOT what most women want to hear, ha!

But I loved it. Kids feel at ease here. That doesn't mean I don't flip out at mine once in awhile to shovel out their messes :) feel free to ask them. But they DO know their friends are welcome here at any time. We have A LOT OF LIFE here. And it's ok that life can be messy.  

I realize that our home is full of people. People we love, people we are still getting to know, people who we may never see again but felt welcome and cared for while they were here. 

Another group of ladies toured our home this week during a celebration. Among the comments, one approached me tearfully and said "this is a home that I hope to have". Expecting to hear the features she specifically liked, she cut my thought short by saying "it's gorgeous. Don't take this wrong:

But it's a lived in - wait I take that back. Loved in- house. It's not perfect and I can look around and see that you guys really have fun together & enjoy it. That's what I want. That's what I hope to have".

And I was thinking of many years ago, when I wouldn't always step up to open my home, because I didn't feel it was "together enough". Too messy. People would judge me (I'm just being real). 

And then I realized that most people don't care if my house is a mess. Yeah I have a few that judge me. But they're probably (secretly) even harder on themselves. 

Think about that for a minute. 

So I tell everyone our home is always open. It's not perfect. Well not by the world's standards of a magazine. 

But it's perfect for the Merwin zoo. 

Happy summer. 

hope you also embrace the many imperfections of it.