Chit Chat.

Vivian was the first one to wake up this morning. Usually, it is Julia who is the first to wake up.  Julia gets up between 7-8 most days and then quietly (well, as quietly as a child who only talks/walks/plays in exclamation points can be) comes into our room to let me know she is awake and hungry. Sometimes, Vivian will wake up at that time too, but sometimes V will sleep until 9 or later (I know! I'm totally keeping her!).  Elisabeth, who is daily turning more and more into me (may god have mercy on our souls) wakes up no earlier than 10. Of course, Ebeth stays up until at least 10 every night reading, which is fine.  It is summer break. :)

Elisabeth and I are on the final book of Harry Potter. I'm pretty sure I started reading the series to her the summer before she started 2nd grade, which makes two full years of reading all 7 Harry Potter books. I will be sad when we are done. It's been fun seeing her fall in love with the books and characters. She wants to listen when I started reading them to Julia when she turns 7.  :)

 At least once a day, one of the older girls tells me how much they love having a baby in the house.  It's super sweet.  Part of the love has to come from the fact that Vivian is such a smiley, funny baby.  At first we kept comparing her personality traits to the other two girls, but now, there's no denying she's just Sweet Baby V--her own little self.  She is just so content, which makes her a fabulous third baby...especially when that second kid is Julia, who, let's face it, needs a lot of attention.

 So, I am a total Pinterest fan, and have decided that for the remainder of the summer, I'd utilize the fabulous craft ideas for the girls.  I've made a very fluid activity calendar for Monday-Friday for July and August.  I needed a little bit of structure to depend on so I wouldn't LOSE MY MIND every day when the girls get bored and start bickering. Honestly, they find something to fight about every single day. Plus, Elisabeth is already asking when school will start (not till August 27th!!!!) and I kind of wanted to get Julia used to a bit of activity structure at home because I plan on doing a very lazy version of homeschooling her preschool next year (very lazy...makes me sound so put together, yes?)  So, I have at least one small thing planned and a bunch of them are Pinterest ideas. The last two summers were spent going on weekly field trips with our Colorado friends, so that wasn't going to work here. In Texas.  Today we are making homemade butterfingers.  Mmm...

Omg, you guys, I have been purging our house of unneeded things.  This past weekend I tackled our basement.  Holy moly, that place was a dump!  Things were just thrown about willy nilly when I was laid up with a broken foot and I just haven't gotten around to reorganizing it yet.  But, with Vivian outgrowing her 6 month clothes and fully into 9 month clothes, I needed to get to the 12-18 month clothes to wash them and have them ready for her next growth spurt.  The super sad thing is that, when V outgrows her clothes, they aren"t being stored for more babies.  They are either getting put in a garage sale pile, a throw away pile, or put into a keepsake box for the girls. Clothes that Ebeth used to wear as a baby that I got to put on Julia and Vivian.  It makes me weepy.  But, I am keeping a few favorites (coming home from the hospital outfits, first Christmas pajamas, a couple of baby outfits that were favorites that we can't part with).  Dude, when Vivian out grew the baby bathtub that all three girls had used, I wanted to throw caution into the wind and say "I want more babies!!!".  Just a fleeting moment of insanity, I promise.