Our summer

I just registered Julia for first grade today (yes! public school!). They gave me a school supply list, a schedule for the year, and took the wind from my "Yay for summer!" sails. Dude, it's August. 

School doesn't start until the 25th of this month for us, so we'll be continuing with our days full of nothing for the next three weeks, thankyouverymuch. No, seriously, besides a few local trips and the girls having summer dance class for one day a week for 5 weeks, we have had zero plans. It's been amazing.

So, here's a (somewhat) short recap of our summer so far.

July 4th obligatory flag picture with nice faces: 

 With silly faces (although, to be honest, Elisabeth's face is not silly so much as unbelievably frightening):

Evan celebrated his 31st birthday to much fanfare.

 July was oddly "cool" for Texas, so we tried to be outside as much as possible. Please note the bottom of V's feet because the child refuses to wear shoes. Whenever we move to a state that has proper soft grass, she is going to be sooooo happy.

We had a few last bbqs with our favorite people who moved (despite our protesting) at the end of July. Julia and Dutch have been buds ever since they met despite a two year age difference. She is really excited to be his pen pal. When Dutch's mom asked if he wanted to be Julia's pen pal he said, "Yeah. Does that mean I get to marry her?"

Poor Vivian has had a rough time with Dutch and Mac moving. She keeps thinking that they're on a trip and just aren't home yet.

 She still asks every day for "my best friend Mac". It's truly heartbreaking.
At their going away bbq, Mac wanted to show me his marshmallow roasting stick:

More outside playing:

Of course, the "cool" temps didn't stick around long and now it's mutha hot outside. I'm totally blaming my in-laws for bringing this terrible heat wave with them since it started getting over 100 degrees right after they showed up to visit. But, the other night, around 8pm, we trekked it over to the park to play since we knew there was zero chance of melting since the sun was going down. It was a balmy 95 degrees and there was a nice breeze. Perfect.

 Jana and Ebeth frolicking on the playground equipment.

 Dear Lord, watching V climb up that ladder makes my hands sweat and my heart race.

I love this picture:

Vivian is head over heels in love with her Papa. Thank goodness he's made two trips to see us this summer!

So, you all are fully aware of the wild child that is Vivian. I bought her this leashed backpack months ago but she was having none of it. Recently, we tried it again and said, you can either hold our hands or we can hold your string. Dude, she is so happy to be hands free and we are so happy to have at least one way to save her from jumping into rivers, off ledges, and not lose her in crowds. The tantrums thrown when we try to get her to let us hold her or hold hands is almost at 0%, a true win/win when we are somewhere that her safety is more important than whether we're "those parents" that leash their kids.

Hope you all are soaking up these last weeks of summer!!!

Juju's birthday party and actual birthday

This year Julia really wanted a pool party for her 6th birthday. Seeing as we have access to a free residential pool, where they do not require you to reserve or pay to have a party there, we quickly complied. Julia has lots of friends from just our neighborhood that were able to attend and for the first hour or so, the pool was totally empty except for us!!! It was awesome!

Vivian and her friend Erin

Julia specifically asked for chocolate cupcakes with pink icing and purple and red sprinkles. 

 Julia had spent two weeks at swim lessons before her party so she was pumped to show off her new solo swimming skills.

 We actually put her in swim lessons because, as is typical Julia, she just didn't have the confidence to try letting go and swimming solo with no swimming aide. Evan and I tried explaining to her that we both TAUGHT SWIM LESSONS FOR SEVEN YEARS but she refused to believe that we knew what we were talking about and listening to use would lead to her drowning, so we paid for lessons so a random stranger could tell her the exact same things we'd been telling her. Low and behold, the girl is fearless now.

 This kid, though:

 She prefers to stay away from the deep water and screams like we're pulling her toenails off with pliers if we try to hold her in anything less than the zero depth area. Her avoiding deeper water is totally fine by me because I can contain her and not have to worry about her doing something crazy.

 All the kids we invited showed up and their parents all stayed, which is great because there's no life guard at this pool and I didn't feel comfortable watching 10 kids and try to set up a party.

Vivian patrolling the pool with her deputy.

 The best thing about having all the grown ups was that I got to take pictures! Usually I have about 5 minutes to get pictures before I have to throw the camera back in the bag and continue following Vivian around.

Vivian investigating this pile of beach towel. No worries, it's just her best friend Mac.

The elusive Elisabeth! She's usually underwater and not close to me to capture a picture of.

 I asked all the kiddos to sit in the pool for a picture. No normal picture was taken.

Evan had so much fun.

 On the actual day of Julia's birth, Evan took the day off so she was able to open her presents as soon as she woke up. Vivian was very interested in watching Julia open gifts...

 until she realized none of the gifts were for her.

 And just like that my Julia is 6. She wanted donuts for her birthday breakfast, lunch at her favorite restaurant Le Madeleine, and dinner to be tacos. I made her a star cake (chocolate with pink icing and purple and red sprinkles) and she declared it the best birthday ever.

Six just seems so much bigger. It doesn't help that she has grown so much lately, too. Her feet are too big for most of her shoes, she's totally going to be growing out of size 8s by the end of the year, and she is way taller.

Growing up is so hard. For me. It's hard for me.

June Book Log

Seven books read this month!!! I was pretty excited about two of them because they were books by a couple of my favorite bloggers. :)

Style, Sex, and Substance: 10 Catholic Women Consider the Things That Really Matter 
edited by Hallie Lord
Hallie Lord writes over at Moxie Wife and was one of the first bloggers that was recommended to me when I joined the Church. They were right and I have loved reading Hallie's blog. When I heard she had a book where she'd asked some prominent women in the Church to write a chapter about being a Catholic woman today and what it means, I figured it'd be a good investment. It really was. Ten authors wrote a chapter each on topics ranging from marriage, a sense of self, children, work, being single, and embracing art & technology. I really loved the chapters by Jennifer Fulwiler (surprised?), Hallie Lord, Simcha Fisher, and Barbara Nicolisi. A fabulous read for a boost of faith.


He Leadeth Me 
by Fr. Walter J. Ciszek
It took me a while to read this book. It is a fascinating book about Fr. Walter's time in Russia where he'd originally gone to be a priest before World War II. Truly a dangerous time to be a religious leader in Communist Russia, Fr. Walter was soon picked up and put in solitary confinement for four years and then to a work camp in Siberia for 24 more years. Throughout all of his trials and tribulations, he faithfully stays true to his vocation and tries to minister as he can in Russia. I think this will end up being a book I will need to re-read to really get all that he says in this book.


The Mortal Instruments: 
Book One--City of Bones
Book Two--City of Ashes
Book Three--City of Glass
by Cassandra Clare
Elisabeth got these books for Christmas last year and has been telling me how much I would love them but that I would find them addicting (she knows her mother well). She was right and I read the first three books (out of 6!!) in basically one weekend. Thankfully, she doesn't own the other three books, so I can take a break and join the real world again. Clare is a great story teller and I was captivated by her characters. The story revolves around Clary and Jace, two star crossed teenagers who, through some real "can't put this book down, fend for yourselves children!" plot twists find themselves in love with each other when it is impossible to be so. Throw in the fact that they are Shadowhunters--keeping the human world safe from demons and the Underworlders--and these books are great summer reads. I plan on investing my time in reading the other three before school starts up again, but if you love Young Adult literature, I'd recommend this series.


The Leaves are Falling
by Lucy Beckett
I gave a much longer review at my other blog Mea Cuppa about Beckett's book, but I will say that I do recommend this book. It was so good. A historic novel, the story revolves around a young boy who is a Polish Jew hiding from both Germany and Russia during WWII. He becomes a refugee in England after the war and we follow his struggle to come to grips with the fact that he has lost everything--family, country, sense of self--and that he must rebuild. Heart wrenching, thought provoking, and beautifully written, I recommend this book to any WWII history buffs or those interested in a great historic novel.


Now I See You
by Nicole C. Kear
I had been impatiently waiting for this book to arrive on my doorstep for weeks!!! Nicole Kear is a blogger and writer that I have been following for years over at A Mom Amok. Her memoir about her degenerative eye disease has gotten a lot of good reviews because it is truly fantastic! Kear has a very honest, witty voice and it has flawlessly transitioned from blog to book form. I was laughing out loud in a way I haven't at a book in a long time, crying as she beautifully describes her deepest fears about losing her sight, and was reading snippets out loud to Evan because I HAD to share what I was reading. I loved this book!

Total for the year is 34 books! Not too shabby for a goal of 60 books. Let me know what you're reading so I can add it to my 1,000 mile long to-read agenda!!!

I'm not crying. No really, I'm ok. Can you please get me a tissue?

You guys, I found this draft from 2011 when I was labeling my old posts (do you realize I have been blogging here for over 5 years?! crazy!!!). There were no words, no title, and I have no idea what I was planning on writing, but I couldn't just delete these pictures.

Sometimes, when we're driving around here in San Antonio, I still find myself looking for the mountains. It is definitely much more rare now than when we first moved here almost three years ago, but it still happens.

Even though these pictures made me gasp when I saw them, made me feel nostalgic for Colorado again, I didn't feel angry about being in Texas. Man, I was so bitter about leaving Colorado for a good year after we left. I refused to even try to like things in San Antonio. Unfortunately, because of my stubbornness, I lost a lot of time wallowing in self pity when I could have been pouring out a positive outlook on a new situation. I could have given San Antonio a chance sooner and discovered the things that I now love about being here.

True, I will never love Texas the way I love Colorado. I don't have plans on ever moving back to Texas in my future unless circumstances say we must, but I will be sad when we do eventually move away. I will miss our neighborhood, Ft Sam itself, downtown San Antonio, our parish, Central Market, Alamo Heights, and all the other places and areas we've become familiar with and grown to love. This is the city that Vivian was born in, where she's lived her whole little life, the only house she's known. I'd be heartless to say I won't cry when we drive away from it for the final time. Of course, we don't really know when we'll be moving. Technically we're scheduled to live here until the summer of 2016, but you know how the military is--unpredictable.

I think it's funny how much a place can mold and shape you. I loved Colorado Springs from the minute we drove up, but I really missed things about Illinois--long, rainy days, the greenness, trees, being able to breathe. Illinois was the only state I'd ever lived in, where I grew up, so I think I will always think of it as my home, but Colorado will probably always be my second home. So many people there became family to us and I miss them all the time. While I may never think of Texas as another home, I can confidently say that I will think back on living here with fondness. This is the house we've lived in longest as a family. This is the school district Elisabeth has attended the longest. This is where my sister and I got to live in the same city since we both moved out of Pekin in 2005; where I got to be here for her pregnancy and meet my nephew. This is where we became a family of five. This is where Roosevelt died and where we brought Eisenhower home. This is where we joined the Church, where Elisabeth received her First Communion, where we became part of a parish. There are so many happy memories that happened here in San Antonio.

It was nice to find these pictures, though. Ugh, I really miss Colorado. How lucky was I to have this be the view down my street?:

Julia is 6.

Six years ago today, our Julia came into the world. She was my second baby and showed me that I could, in fact, love another child just as much as my first.  

 She made Elisabeth a big sister.

 Evan fell instantly in love with her and vice versa.

From the get-go, Julia was demanding. She needed cuddled, loved, rocked, nursed, swung, swayed, and slung twenty four hours a day. Her sweet smiles made up for it, but there was a time when I was pretty sure I was going to expire from lack of sleep. Julia was definitely that "high needs" baby I had heard so much about from others.

She was a pacifier baby. An eyes on me constantly baby. A has the ability to roll, crawl, move, but chose not to baby.

 But, regardless of her high demands, Julia has always been generous with her love. Hugs and kisses are still her favorite gift to give and receive from those she loves.

Julia is passionate. Currently, that comes out in talking excitedly (and LOUDLY) in exclamation points, crumbling into a pile of tears if she is upset or frustrated, and being enthusiastic in everything she tries to accomplish. While that passion is often overwhelming, it is something that, once honed, will serve her well in life.

Julia is my sleeper. Lord help us if that girl does not get in her 12 hours of much needed rest.

 Julia is a reader, which you all know makes me endlessly happy. She can read on her own now and will occasionally read quietly to herself, but as with most things, she prefers we read to her.

 Julia favorites:
Color--Pink
Food--Apples
Drink--Water
Book--Junie B. Jones
Movie--Frozen
TV shows--Play doh YouTube videos

 Julia loves to: dance, sing, ride her scooter, dig in mud, play with play doh, be outside with her friends, go to the pool, visit the library, make art projects, draw, color, dress up, play Legos with Evan, have tea parties, play catch, help me cook, make pancakes on Sunday with Evan, listen to Elisabeth read to her, make Vivian giggle.

 I think today may have been so bittersweet today because, of the three of my children, Julia was my baby the longest. Elisabeth and Vivian are both of the mentality that they can do it themselves and quickly shed off a lot of "baby" habits early (naps, pacifiers, being held, etc.). Julia is slow to change. She napped until the month before she turned 5, has the most lovies out of the three, needed held and snuggled longer than the other two. But, lately, I've been noticing her slowly starting to grow up.

She's gotten taller and has lost all that toddler chub in her thighs, arms, hands, and even her cheeks. She's not relying on us as much for things, taking matters into her own hands, becoming slowly more independent. Julia is less shy, more outgoing. Watching her go from a preschooler to a truly big kid has been an amazing journey full of lots of heavy sighs, tears, laughter, and joy (and those are just my reactions to it all!!!).

 Happy sixth birthday, my JujuB. Stay funny, sweet, and goofy.

May you always be joyful, full of laughter, and awe at the wonder of the world around you.

 I can not wait to see what this year has in store for you.

 My beautiful, sweet girl.