4th of July

 For the 4th year in a row, we attended our neighborhood Independence Day parade.  We spent a few hours the day before decorating our bikes & scooter to ride.  Here we go...

 It's such a fun group of neighbors & so low-key that it's right up our alley! 

(not that we have an alley, but you know what I mean)

 Andrew was off like a flash, Teresa was riding FAST but looking everywhere but forward!  I felt like I was human bumper pads & she was the bowling ball all the way down the street.  :P  If there just weren't so many friends, puppies, & decorations to look at...

 Rebecca spent a long time on her bike.  This photo doesn't really do it justice.  It turned out so cool! 

 Neighbor Caleb was seriously decked out (especially with the red, white, & blue popsicle goo covering it all!)

 What do you do when your hands are all sticky from a popsicle?  That's right, PET A DOG.  Mmm.  Then have it lick off your hands.  I actually laughed aloud at myself at this point.  I would have completely flipped out at that identical situation just a few years ago.  No more first-time-mommy-alerts in me!

 The rest of the day we just played at home & enjoyed the "show" around our house.  It was actually a lot of relaxing fun.

 The kids had been begging to camp out (in the basement) so we figured that would be the perfect night.  They were already tired from a late night prior & it's quieter down there than upstairs amid the artillery outside.  They loved it!  Thanks for the idea, Stephanie!

They all wore their glow necklaces to bed.  It was nice to peek in at them & know where they were!

3rd of July

 Happy 3rd of July!

We always get to celebrate a day early, too, with Darren's family.  It's so nice to have a regular time that we all are able to get together!  We had a fun night. 

Lots of snaps

 Hayrack ride through Green Grandpa's farm

 Lots of pretty exploding money  ;)

 & even glowing accessories!

Wrap all that up with cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles, & way too many desserts...

you've got quite the party!

Best buddies

How can you not love baby Gus?

Teresa was especially thrilled to have a "playdate" just with him this week since all the big kids were at Totus Tuus.  He's a very loved little boy!

A whole herd of pigs

Amid suppertime discussion we discovered that Rebecca thinks there are

rows & rows of piggy banks

at THE bank with people's names on them so they know whose is whose!  When we get money out of the ATM, they go to our pig & pull out a $20.

Then Andrew "corrected" her by saying that they keep all the money in one big pile all together in the bank.  To which she replied,

"I guess they just write everybody's name on each piece of money?"

Question of the day

"Mom, can I wear my 'tard?"

Leotard that is.  ;)  She always wears it when she does "ballallet".

What we've been up to

 Castle construction

(complete with the purple "logs" to roll down on you if you cross the moat)

 Rocket rendering

 Grandparent reading

 Pretty posing

 Too tall tower building

(This one actually touched the basement ceiling!)

Still not sure...

40 years

 Darren's parents just celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary! 

The whole family attended Mass together & watched them receive a special marriage blessing.

 Wearing red roses just like on the big day, we all enjoyed a fantastic brunch at Mahoney State Park.

 Then we trekked back to the house for fun in the sun complete with sprinklers, water balloons, Red Rover, & duck duck goose.  My favorite part was enjoying the awesome smile & giggles of our nephew Cody.

 Isn't he adorable?

As part of their gift, Katie took pictures of all the grandkids holding these letters to say "We Love You" & then put it all together.  Didn't it turn out awesome?  She also interviewed each of the grandkids & kids to put all together with wedding photos in a video.  It was very amusing & very nice.  They danced to their 1st dance song "My Happiness" right there in the living room.  I think it's a new favorite for me!  Such a fabulous day.

Happy Anniversary!!!

Water Babies

Thanks to the recommendations of a few fabulous friends, we opted for indoor swimming lessons this summer.  It was so nice not to have to worry about the weather, not to see their little teeth chattering, & not to have to sit there forcibly holding Teresa from jumping in the whole time!  I can not believe how much Andrew & Rebecca learned in one week!

 Andrew really took to the water.  (There he is floating in the camo trunks.)  He was swimming the short length of the pool unaided, which is a HUGE step from where he was last year.  He hasn't learned how to breathe while swimming yet & instead treads water until he's ready to go again, but I think that will be the next step.

After almost negative progress at swim lessons last year, I had no idea what to expect with Rebecca.  Well, she still isn't actually swimming along, but she's bobbing her head, joyfully putting her face in the water, kicking like crazy, & front floating with support.  She also jumped off the board which BLEW MY MIND! 

The most amazing part: she did it all with a smile on her face!  Hallelujah!  There is hope.

On the last day parents were asked to come & watch to see what they had learned.  It was such a great feeling to see their progress.  I loved watching them jump off the board, especially.  The video is Andrew's second jump.  (not loading  :(  )

Teresa of course joined me on the sidelines.  What I didn't know is that she had put on her swimsuit under her dress when I wasn't looking.  About 5 minutes in, she whips off her dress & sandals all ready to go!  No dice, Tootsie.

Summer Days

Nothing like a popsicle on a hot summer day!

(I can't believe how much the new "popsicles are only to be eaten outside in the grass" rule has reduced the stickiness factor of our kitchen floor!)

Can it be true?

 

Happy 11th Anniversary, honey! 

So blest to be with you!

Dance Party

Looking back at old pictures, hanging out with forever friends, & agonizing over which class to take this fall all have me reminiscing about college.  MOST of the memories are good.  ;)  Some of my favorites involve Newman Center dances.  SO much fun to be surrounded by people that actually know how to dance for real or are willing to learn.  (Crazy dancing with friends who I never had to be self-conscious around was awesome, too.)  Nights out at Play-mor, twirling around the "red" floor, all those Padre trips dancing for hours & hours with such great friends... makes me smile! (and recognize why I was in such better shape then!)

I was feeling "in the mood" for a little Glenn Miller Orchestra this week, so we've been listening to it in the kitchen & dancing all over the place.  Andrew's almost getting tall enough to pretzel for real!  Rebecca could dance on her own forever.  Teresa LOVES big band music & keeps requesting it.  Right now her favorites are "Chatanooga Choo Choo", which she calls

"noogie choo choo",

 & "Kalamazoo".  She's a special fan of that one because she's an alphabet lover.  ABCDEFGH I got a girl...

Changing

Rebecca is really changing.  She is finally actually growing...woohoo!  It's a little agonizing for her as I pass her clothes straight from her drawer to Teresa's (who has never STOPPED growing) but we have a few hand-me-downs like this pretty dress that she gets to enjoy instead. 

Her affection for others continues to grow as well.  She'll hug just about anyone!  Twice!  She's more interested in playing with others than she used to be, though she can still engross herself in solitary play for a long time. 

My favorite change is the development of her sense of humor.  She loves to laugh & has understood quite a bit of comedy for a while, but she's finally making her own.  She says funny things all day long.  Most involve changing the words of songs or poems intentionally.  I especially love it when she "gets" Andrew & he loses it simultaneously.  Her giggles make us all laugh regardless of how honestly funny her joke is.  Just the other day as we were driving along, we saw a large herd of cattle out in the field. 

"Look!  It's a cow party! 

They're going to eat grass, drink milk, & play hide-and-MOO." 

Giggle, giggle, giggle, snort, giggle.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to my Dad, my brother, my brothers-in-law, friends, & so many wonderful dads out there!  We celebrated with the house favorite on Sunday.  =]

I awoke to the sound of Teresa tearing the wrapping paper on Darren's present that was sitting on the kitchen table.  As I went to repair her handiwork, I reminded her that the present was for Daddy for Father's Day.

Teresa:  But I want it to be MY Father's Day!

Good luck with that one, Tootsie!  He opened his new fishing reel & enjoyed his cards from us.  Then we had a nice leisurely morning & headed off for Mass together.

Rebecca:  Dad, do you know you're SO awesome?

We enjoyed lunch at Runza & then let Daddy (& Teresa) took a nice big nap per his request.  :) 

Then we made a visit to the cemetery.  

 Had to round off the outing with a stop at Yogurtini.  Dads ate free on Father's Day!  Hope they do that again next year... we are SO there.

 Finally, I made a fancy steak dinner at home with the kids' help

 & his favorite, carrot cake, for dessert.

Happy Father's Day, honey!

I love being by your side as we continually learn how to care for these sweet little souls God has given us.  Thank you for all you do for us.  We all are so glad to have you as Daddy!