JUNE!!!
This happy mama celebrated her 34th birthday. I love being in my thirties! I just feel like these are the years I'm going to look back and say, "Remember the good ol' days?" That's now! So I'm trying to make them as good as I can.
I was spoiled enough to have not one, but two yummy cakes! Keith made me a lemon one that was deliciousness in my mouth and my friend Jessica showed up with a gorgeous Key-Lime pound cake. You bet your buttons I ate way too much that night and sent most of it to work with Keith to save my rear from expanding. Keith spoiled me with presents and homemade ice cream. He really went all out this year!
Lily was so funny, she came home and excitedly announced that she had a great present for me. For my birthday she was going to be...PRINCIPAL FOR THE DAY! This was a prize she earned for having excellent behavior in her classroom. I had to go see her in action. She had her whole outfit laid out days in advance. She wore her favorite mermaid dress, high heels, and her hair in a low ponytail with a white flower.
Her teacher stopped me one afternoon and told me she overheard a conversation with Lily and a girl that would be sharing the Principal for the Day spotlight. Lily turned to her girlfriend and said, "Listen Joleen. I am a little bit concerned. We have to be principal for the day on Monday and I am not sure if you have picked out what you're going to wear. I know exactly what I will wear: my high heels with the sparkly bow, my mermaid dress, and my hair in an Elsa braid (she changed it the morning of). If you aren't sure what to wear I'm going to give you my phone number and we can figure it out together. I can even come and do your hair."
Oh dear. Already doing makeovers.
We learned that June 6th is National Donut Day. We had to splurge. After I ashamedly admit that I learned it was the anniversary of D day too from WW2. Not as exciting, or tasty, but maybe next year we'll talk about it over our sprinkles of fun?
BTW- if you are planning on celebrating National Donut Day, get your donuts first thing in the morning. We had to go to a number of locations to find some decent donuts at 3 in the afternoon.
With the arrival of June came warmer weather and we have been hitting up beaches and pools like mad. This picture cracks me up. I think you can see that Grant's thighs might just be larger than Lily's. What a cute chunk. Lily loves to hold her brother, but he is quickly becoming too much for her as he continues to pack on the pounds (twenty two lbs. now!)
On June 7th we ran a race as a family. Lily and Sawyer did a fun run first and I was so proud of Sawyer for focusing to finish the whole thing. He was by far the smallest thing running the race. I sent Keith to run next to him half way through so he could finish without running off to chase a squirrel or something.
Then the kids played on the playground while Keith and I tackled a hot and hilly 5k. Our friends came to watch the kids for us and we were grateful to have support from the Avilas.
Keith and I were both struggling a little on the hills and in the humidity, but we finished! Keith finished with a great time, and despite having to stop and walk for a few minutes I had my best time ever and even placed 3rd in my old age division! Wahoo! (Lily promptly stole my medal and I haven't seen it since.)
I'm really proud of Keith. He has been training for his first triathalon and working really hard to get in shape. He runs, bikes, and swims a couple times a week during his lunch breaks, or tries to get to the gym early to fit it into his day. He runs his triathalon in a couple weeks and has started pushing himself harder than before. I can't wait to go down and cheer him on with the kiddos.
This little chubster turned 5 months old. Such a happy little guy! He is starting to chow down on pureed solids and has a deep distrust of anything fruity. "Pass the green beans ma! These apples are nas-ty!"
With the warmer weather I have been trying to get out in the yard and work. So much work to do! I decided this year to opt out of doing a vegetable garden and I am SO glad I did. It would have been way too much on my plate with a little baby around.
Going outside for yard work is always a stressful challenge. We still have one large pile of dirt in the back, and you bet your buttons Sawyer always makes a beeline for it the minute we cross through the fence. I don't mind, but I know it turns me into a crazy person. I have a limited amount of time to get as much done as I can, before the chaos truly erupts and halts any progress. It goes something like this:
I announce it is time to get ready.
45 minutes later we get out the door.
I find a shady spot for Grant to sit in in his carseat.
I get out a bunch of tools I'll need for my project that day.
Sawyer gets out his outside toys, shovels, and rakes, and runs up to his dirt hill.
I drag my tools to wherever I'm working and put on my dirty gloves.
Sawyer announces that he needs to pee.
I stare at Grant and wonder if I could leave him unattended in the backyard while I run Sawyer in.
I look at the dirt all over Sawyer, and decide that God made dirty little boys equipped to pee outside for a reason.
I help Sawyer (so he doesn't pee all over himself) as he proudly pees on the fence or a bush and runs back to play.
I work for 10 minutes.
Grant starts to get fussy. He needs to be helped to go to sleep. I go and rock him for a few minutes.
Sawyer is thirsty, but I tell him to wait.
He flops in the dirt and cries bloody murder, thinking he is dying of thirst. He screams loud enough to wake up Grant and I start to bristle and shush him like a mad woman.
I look at my shoes, covered in dirt and debate going inside to get him a drink.
I work for 5 minutes, then can't stand the whining and against my better judgement run inside to get a drink for Sawyer while he sits on the front step.
Yes, Grant is sleeping in the shade in the backyard. I debated for a long time lugging all 40 lbs. of his carseated self up to the front door. I decide to latch the gate instead and run like a madwoman.
I get to the front door and change my mind.
We go back for Grant. He is still sleeping.
I track dirt all over the house going in to get Sawyer a drink and sigh because now I have to clean that up too.
We return to the backyard.
I work for 10 more minutes.
Sawyer needs to pee again, so we stop and take care of business.
Grant wakes up, hungry and howling.
I count backwards from 10.
I clean up my tools as Grant cries.
I chase Sawyer and all his toys and tools down as Grant continues to cry.
I strip Sawyer and me down and we take a quick shower together as Grant starts to howl with fury.
I feed Grant in my bathrobe while Sawyer runs around the house laughing because he is naked and I stare at the dirt tracked all over the house.
I try not to get mad at the sort-of-clean Sawyer who is now rolling on the dirty floor.
And I smile because at least I wasn't dumb enough to try a vegetable garden too.
Lily finished her last day of school. I was so proud of the progress she made in Kindergarten! She is reading on a beginning second grade level now and cruising along nicely. This summer we are going to work on Math and have some Science fun. But most importantly we are going to swim and bike and play!
And he is cute. That's all.
Lily found a pair of fake eyelashes in one of my makeup drawers a couple weeks ago. She has been oggling them ever since, constantly begging me to put them on her and do some fancy eyes like mommy and Jenessa. I finally obliged one day and she was so happy.
I bet you'll never guess who wanted some fancy eyelashes too...
We said goodbye this month to a very important part of Sawyer's life: His road. Since he began to walk he has been driving his cars back and forth along this bay window sill. It was the perfect height and he could watch the cars and people passing by as he played game after game with his cars. We are talking at least an hour. Daily. On this little sill.
I sat Sawyer on my lap the night before all this happened and explained to him that we were going to change his road. I was surprised to feel my own eyes welling up with tears the day our contractor showed up. It felt like an end to a car era in our home and I had to say goodbye to all those sweet memories.
You can't really see, but the window was rotting through on the outside. When he pulled it down I knew we had made the right decision to replace it.
I forgot to take a picture, but now it is just a flat window. I almost regret not putting the extra $1000 towards the bay window, just so Sawyer had a little road again.
Last but not least, in June Lily had her first lemonade stand. It truly was a group effort. Sawyer and Grant and I watched as she worked her magic on all the passerby's. She waved like crazy at every car, and yelled to anyone walking within 20 feet of our house that she had some yummy lemonade for them. It was cute as can be. Let me say, that little one is a sales woman in the making!
Lily: What kind of lemonade would you like? We have regular, strawberry, and diet.
Customer: I'll take regular.
Lily: And I bet you're going to love a muffin too. They are delicious. How many?
Customer: No thank you.
Lily: Really delicious. How many?
Customer: No, that's okay.
Lily: Would you like to buy another cup of lemonade then?
She made $61 in just 3 hours. I was flabbergasted by this. I expected her to make about $10-$20 max. After she paid me back she and I took the night off and went on a mommy-daughter date to an amusement park. Seriously something we both needed. We spent the evening laughing and running around like goons. We even went on a water ride in all our clothes, soaking our underwear and just laughing about it over cotton candy. Lily was so proud to pay for her own wristband and cotton candy and splurged on a pink blow up dolphin. She was in heaven!
I have such a great life!
