Doesn't this picture make you think of childhood summers? We just turned on the sprinklers one evening and let them run around...it has been SO hot and they had a blast.
The Kittner kiddos came over one afternoon and had a fun playdate!
Blueberry picking for the first time!
Blueberry crumble :) It was delicious!
Rarely will I fork out quarters for rides at the mall....except for this roller coaster simulator. The kids loved it!
Grace has always been fearful of "going under". She's naturally fearless on land but so fearful in the swimming pool despite all our efforts to convince her she would be fine. She has taken lessons before, but this year things just clicked. It probably helped to see her 2.5 year old brother throw himself off the side of a pool despite not being able to swim, haha. After a few lessons, she got bumped up to the "advanced" group and never looked back! She was going under, floating on her back, and doing things she has always been fearful of doing. We are so proud!
One morning I asked Grace what she'd like to do for the day and she said, "use my library card!". You know I was excited about that. Apparently they updated the kids area in the library near our house...there was a new computer center and new interactive IPAD station. I had mixed feelings about it, to be honest, but recognize the importance of technology and the role it will play in our kids' future. So, I let them explore for a little bit and then we got to choosing some books! I'm grateful Grace asked to come to the library because we hadn't visited in awhile.
If you know Wesley, then you know how much he LOVES to paint. There was an interactive finger painting game suited just for him :)
More library time
Jimmy and the kids at swim lessons :) They both took lessons, but someone had to be in the water for Wesley's lessons. *Cue* the best daddy ever...for being able to get in the water and not making this preggo mommy do it.
Gotta love Pinterest: magic paint!
Children's museum play date with the Watkins crew!
Cute bunny!
Play date with Levi-Wesley's buddy who was born just days before him.
Summer is exhausting, y'all!
Happy birthday to Memere and Uncle Linton!
Sewing time with Memere
I was able to leave the kids at my aunt and uncle's house (and my mom was there) to go for an overnight girls trip in Charlotte! Katie, myself, Beth, and Liz have been best buds since college and have done multiple girls trips a year. This time we were able to spend the night at the Ballentyne Reosrt in Charlotte...and boy was that place nice!!
We sat by this pool for most of the day...so relaxing. Then, we went shopping and had dinner in the evening. Beth and Liz put on a little baby sprinkle for Katie (who is a few weeks behind me) and I. Thank you ladies and thank you to my family for watching the crazy kids! :)
Ice cream truck findings
Grace went to vacation bible school for her second year in a row at a church in town. She had a blast! Mommy and Wesley got to spend some time together as well, which was special!
Cutest ice cream date :)
Scrabble Junior
Another date for Wesley and I while Grace was at VBS
Barnes and Noble story time
Abby met us there! These two (plus Grace) played with the trains and read books!
Wish I had take a picture of all the kids, but we were able to visit Abby's pool. So much fun!
Grace can finally play with my hair without pain being involved. It's lovely :)
Jimmy decided to take Grace on a daddy daughter date since it had been awhile. He brought rose home to ask her out on a date and then off they went to her favorite restaurant: Mellow Mushroom. After that, he took her to Adventure Landing (arcade and putt putt place) for the first time. They had a blast!
Where do a pregnant woman and an almost 3 year old go on a date? Ice cream and the toy store to play!
After Grace's first day of summer camp we stopped by Sheetz on the way home for a cold treat.
This recreation center has been a God send this summer...no exaggeration! They offer full day summer camp from 9-3 starting at age 4...for $30/week!! A friend sent the information to me and I had never heard of the place. I registered Grace for two weeks thinking it would be a good thing for her to experience full day activity as kindergarten is fastly approaching. The teachers at this camp were awesome and Grace got to meet such a diverse group of new friends. They had themed weeks, water play on Fridays, the snow cone truck came to visit, and a huge celebration the last day of Super Hero camp in the form of a cookout. Grace absolutely LOVED her time there and we will definitely sign her up next year!
Sci-Works with the Williams clan! Well, only part are pictured and I believe Grace was at summer camp this morning. Such a fun place!
Wesley's dream play date: a tour of the fire station!
Wesley's favorite part was watching the fire man come down the pole!
Attempted group picture :)
You might have an older sister WHEN you like to play dress up and prefer to be Elsa. :) This picture will absolutely be used for future bribery of some form.
Jimmy was finished with his board exam and the kids said, "Yay, now you can play with us!" Haha, don't be too sad for them...Jimmy plays with them every single day! However, they recognized he was finished and had more time to play. It was hot outside so we had a coloring kind of morning!
Double date night to celebrate with the Kittners! Jimmy and Sarah completed their boards!
Grace jumping in the water (big milestone for us!)
Wesley jumping in the water...this boy is fearless! We have been working to teach him how to swim as well because he. just. JUMPS.
My morning view...sitting in the shade on a chair while the kids ride around the cul de sac.
Family Update
Wesley: Wesley is potty trained! I was kind of dreading it, but he literally came up to us and said he was ready and hasn't looked back. With Grace (given, she was younger) I had all these plans and rewards in place and had to make her go potty. With Wesley, he has come up to us each time and told us when HE needs to go. It was beautiful. He didn't have any fears about using public restrooms and has probably had 3 accidents total, all of which he was usually on his way to the potty or had to wait and just couldn't hold it. Thank you Wesley, this preggo mommy is so grateful for your potty training being low maintenance.
Current likes: yogurt, veggie straws, jumping on the trampoline with sissy, tractors and trucks!
Grace: Jimmy and I have agreed that we've been too hard on Grace and sometimes find it hard to balance that firmness with grace, pun intended. She has developed a bit of an attitude with me, but I have recognized I don't see her use it towards others, besides her brother, of course. Anyways, I know there are developmental stages and her personality is coming out, but we also don't want to raise a sassy little lady if you know what I mean. I was riding home (kid free!) yesterday and listened to a tribute on the radio to a 10 year old girl who had passed away from cancer. Tears were welling up in my eyes because it just make me think about how short life is and the fact that we are not guaranteed tomorrow. It softened my heart towards Grace and made me be more intentional with patience, calm words, and just plain not overreacting. While parenting is a a daily battle, I know that it's a gift and I take it for granted. I know there are people who would give anything to become parents and my complaints quickly become trivial. So, I am grateful for quiet moments when I can do some reflecting. Can I also add that Grace will be starting KINDERGARTEN this month?? Not going to elaborate on that because my hormones can't handle it right now.
Current likes: hard boiled eggs (lol), Popsicles, the color red, Owls, PJ Masks (Owlette is her favorite, of course), riding her friend's balance bike
Kristen: Now that I'm finished with graduate school and on summer break from work, I can enjoy being pregnant in this mild summer weather :) Haha. It has been a hot one but I can honestly say I like being pregnant through the summer mainly because of the foods I tend to crave like watermelon, yum. When I was pregnant through the fall/winter with Grace, I gravitated towards lots of breads, holiday treats, etc. It just got ugly, y'all! I've been enjoying the kids this summer and also enjoying some breaks with time to myself. Thankful!
Jimmy: is finished with residency and now his board exam!!! Jimmy began his regional anesthesia fellowship in July and used literally all his free time, mainly on weekends, to study for his board exam. It's a pretty big exam, so the kids and I had to find a lot of things to do so he could get work done. I complained a lot, to be honest. I tried to be understanding but was just exhausted myself. Fortunately it's over now and Jimmy will be around a lot more and we are all excited about that! We are so proud of all his hard work...the road to becoming a licensed physician is not for the faint of heart. It has been such a long road and we are so grateful to be on this end of it!
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