Ice Cream Party

Yup, the little guy is already TWO (!!) and we celebrated earlier this month with a party at the beach including a special guest: the Ice Cream Man! Ok, so it was really just his grandpa donning an ice cream man hat, bow-tie, and mustache but I think that made it even more special than having the actual ice cream man. Little guy's auntie volunteered use of her white Jeep so it was a really legit affair. It just seemed appropriate given his current fixation on the ice cream man (and mailman, etc. - really anyone in a truck) and constant humming of the ice cream truck melody.

My trusty food tents were back, this time covering the most delicious egg sandwiches from the local bagel shop. And of course we had yogurt-covered pretzels and jeally beans to hold the little ones over till it was time for ice cream. 

 Then we cranked the ice cream truck tunes and the kids flocked to the jeep.

 A homemade menu gave them something to think about. Decisions, decisions!

 It was a gorgeous day and so nice to be right down by the water.

Here the little guy and his grandma watch with great interest to see if the strapping lifegaurd (on summer break from Stanford if you must know) can fetch the balloons that were joyfully released into a tree branch moments earlier. (He did eventually nab them).

Happy Birthday, little one!!

Floor love

Things are coming together nicely on our Modern Farmhouse renovation/addition, including the floors which turned out beautifully! A nice good sand took out all that natural orange tone of the fir and we promptly stained it a warm, rich dark brown. 

We tested a few custom stain combinations and this is where we ended up - not too light, not too dark. We were overjoyed watching it go on. Love the grain of the wood coming through the dark stain. Many people like fir in its natural state, but I think it is phenomenal stained dark. One guy applied it while the other followed him up to ensure even distribution. 

 So pretty, no??

We are so in love with these floors. Old-growth fir (and fir in general) is so seldom used these days, it really lends a massive dose of character and interest since the grain is so uncommon.