I'm starting to realize that quiet months just do not exist when you have three kids and a suburban farm. We do find our pockets of rest and relaxation, but for the most part, something is always going on around here! School is done for the summer, so we celebrated at the local frozen yogurt bar with friends, and enjoyed a summer mini market in our downtown as well.
Lucy and Emma had their dance recital this past month, which was a great experience. The studio we are a part of is such a positive family environment and has made a big impact on my girls. Emma had stage fright at the Holiday Show they participated in this past December and at the last minute didn't go on stage. I tread very lightly on that experience, as she was just getting over a horrible flu and I didn't want it to scare her from ever trying again. Will and I made sure to emphasize that we were not disappointed in her, and would be proud of her no matter if she went on stage or not. This was a fine line though, because I also want her to understand that when you commit to something and other people are depending on you, that you need to follow through. So we talked about how showing up is sometimes the hardest thing you can do, but that once you show up, you will be so glad you did. Emma would casually mention that when she was four, she would go on stage. As the recital approached, and Emma was now four, she would still tell us, "When I am four, I will go on stage.""I would nervously remind her that she already is four. Emma would respond with an embarrassed laugh while saying "Oh, yeah." Well, Emma was true to her word and went on stage with bravery and excitement. Both girls danced their hearts out, and I think now understand the amazing feeling that comes from performing and trying your very best.
My favorite part of the entire experience was meeting Lucy and Emma at the stage door as they exited from their performance. Their faces were lit up like Christmas trees, with smiles so wide they brought tears to my eyes. It was an amazing feeling, watching my girls learn that with hard work and great courage comes great joy. They had so much fun back stage too. Lucy told me it was like having a giant sleep over.
The weekend was definitely a peak on this parenting journey, and I think the grandparents enjoyed it as well.
The recital is over, so it's back to the backyard for us. The girls picked bouquets, made a sidewalk chalk city, used bubble solution and mopped the garage floor for us while putting on a Cinderella-esque musical, and put in lots of time on the swing. Charlie likes to live on the edge and sit under the girls as they swing which makes me nervous but so far no cats have been harmed.
As part of our summer fun, I bought a popsicle maker and a set of slush makers. We've eaten homemade popsicles and slushes almost every day and have tried all sorts of flavor combinations including strawberry greek yogurt, orange creamsicle, apple cider and raspberry lemonade - as both popsicles and slushes. We also have played in the kiddie pool in our backyard, made comfortable by boiling two stock pots of water on the stove and then dumping them in to the pool.
Picking berries was a daily pastime that at the beginning of the month was pure fun, but by the end of the month became a chore. We made strawberry rhubarb jam, smoothies, popsicles and desserts with our berry bounty.
One morning I felt inspired to make strawberry shortcake for breakfast. Everything was running smoothly (read: Violet was allowing me to cook) until I realized we didn't have enough eggs. I sent Lucy out to the coop to collect some but there weren't any eggs laid yet that morning. An hour later, as we waited for a chicken - any chicken - to lay an egg, we realized that a watched hen won't lay, and that there is no shame in asking to borrow an egg from a neighbor, even if said neighbor knows you have a dozen chickens. And of course, while we enjoyed our mid-morning strawberry shortcake breakfast outside, we heard at least three different chickens lay eggs.
We have enjoyed many a breakfast, lunch and dinner outside this past month and I even ate an entire meal from my backyard which consisted of a salad with roasted chicken, strawberries and lettuce. It was such a satisfying meal, made special by my gratitude of knowing where each ingredient came from and the work (and sacrifice in the case of the chicken) that went into it. Charlie has enjoyed our outdoor eating, and has been known to swipe meat off of the table. You should have heard us all hollering when he swiped a piece of bacon! CHARLIE!!! Bad kitty!!! Will and I always joke that serving bacon qualifies as a math lesson at our house as everyone is always asking, "How many pieces of bacon a person?" "How many pieces did you eat Emma?" "Lucy, you had three pieces already!" There is no forgiveness for a cat when you are splitting a pound of bacon amongst five people.
We've enjoyed outside crafting at our picnic table this past month...
…and I even got in some crafting of my own. Ironically, while I was making homemade bug spray with a friend, Emma was playing outside and got multiple bug bites. Here I am below, smearing the bowl residue from the homemade bug spray onto Emma's bitten up arms with a spatula. In the bottom picture, two unnamed helpers are observing safety measures while mixing up a homemade sunscreen and will both probably shoot me because I posted this picture. I feel at least as bullet proof as the water proof sunscreen, as their identities are safely hidden by the kitchen towels tied to their faces.
We celebrated Father's Day this past month and had a nice, quiet day at home. In the top left hand picture, Will is opening his Father's Day gifts from the girls in Emma's bed - where he spent half the night because Emma had a bad dream and was woken up bright and early because the girls were so excited to give him the gifts they made. Ah, fatherhood! In the right hand picture below, Will is dumping out the old pond water from our tadpoles so that he can replace it with fresh pond water. Yup, fatherhood sure is glamorous!
We planted summer flowers at the cemetery this past month and couldn't help but wonder what excitement Luke would have added to our summer. Even seven years later, we still miss him every day. Violet is starting to know Luke's name and the other day when I was rocking her to sleep she started staring off into space as a big smile spread across her face. For some reason I thought to ask her if she saw Lukey, and she looked at me and nodded her head yes. Who knows for sure, but I do hope Luke makes his presence known to her like he does to the rest of his family members.
We registered the girls for the summer reading program at our library. In the top left hand picture below, the girls are observing the new automated book receiver at our library. Clockwise from there, the girls are posing as super heroes at the library, reading at home, and enjoying an ice cream social at the library.
We took a one day vacation this past month to a town about an hour away and visited a really cool nature park complete with rescued wildlife that have been saved from various injuries. Unlike a regular zoo, it was so interesting to see animals that are native to our own backyard - from coyotes and fox to bald eagles, hawks, vultures and even a porcupine, bobcat and wolves. I had never seen any of these animals up close, and I was taken aback by how human some of the facial expressions and eyes were. The bobcat was scarily similar to Charlie too.
After spending some time at the nature park, we headed down the road to a Hot Air Balloon Festival. What an amazing experience that was!
It was a perfect day weather wise - not too hot, and beautiful blue skies. We watched the balloons fill up and launch, one by one just yards from where we were standing. As we headed back for home, we could still see the balloons up in the sky as we drove. Our happy glow was soon popped by Violet's epic car screaming, causing us all to wonder if the day and the drive was worth the torture of hearing Violet's high pitched protest for a solid hour to get back home. In the bottom right hand picture below, I found the girl's rainbow breaths from yoga class in the side door of the car. The girl's used their affirmations written on their rainbow breaths to help get through the screaming emitting from their sister's car seat. Now that we are home, we all agree that it was definitely worth the price our ears paid, and we are hoping to go back again next year.
Speaking of Violet's epic screaming. Violet was sick for about a week this past month, and it was definitely a practice in patience for me. Picture having a fever, but not having the ability to regulate your body temperature when you are healthy. It was pure misery for our poor girl, and there was nothing I could do to ease her crying. Emma caught a mild version of the bug but mostly threw random fever fits and even took a nap in the middle of the backyard. Let's just say that I am glad we are all healthy again!
The girls are growing so fast, and I want to savor every moment. Except for when they have fevers. Or are fighting with each other. In the top left hand picture below, Lucy and Emma are working out their differences in a time out together. Fortunately the good times outweigh the struggles. Lucy now refers to Emma as her best friend, which could possibly be one of the best things I have ever heard. Violet loves holding Lucy and Emma's hands while walking, and there have even been several occasions this past month where all three of them were playing together.
Parenting has helped me realize that there is no free ride. Not to a balloon fest, and definitely not to having your daughters refer to each other as best friends. I am happy to report that the price is definitely worth it, and with a little time and the golden haze of memory, I may even think I got a good deal!
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