The End of June

Can June really be almost over? What the heck, you guys? We are almost half way done with Summer. Yes. I'm keeping track.  We have 12 weeks of Summer and we are 5 weeks in already which means we only have 7 weeks left! Waaaahhhhhh! It just can't be happening this fast; it feels impossible! Christmas is in exactly 6 months from today and I have a feeling that 6 months from now I'm gonna be thinking "no way did Christmas come THIS FAST."  It seems like every year goes by faster and faster....

June has been pretty dang good to us though.  We've had some great storms (which is nice because it gives us a little reprieve from our scorching Summer heat) and we have been able to spend lots of time lounging by the pool.  NO schedule= relaxation. Sully is full-on swimming this year (well, with floaties, but able to get around by himself) and the girls are little mermaids at this point.  No floaties for them.  They are great little divers and can spend hours just throwing things in the water to dive for, or coming up with fun ways to jump in over and over and over.  Which means that for the first time in years I am able to relax a little when we go swimming.  Well, let's be honest- not totally- Sullivan is still crazy and there are times I am up chasing him or dolling out snacks for the kids or helping get swim suits pulled up after potty breaks, but other than that, I don't have to hover over them like I used to.  It's so nice to get a chance to actually chat with other moms! Last year Sully was going from beach bag to beach bag stealing people's snacks and not wanting to swim the whole time so it wasn't very much FUN to go to the pool, and then the year before that he was an itty bitty infant who had to be held in the water the entire time. This year, the pool is actually relaxing! 

 Because we swim a lot, the kids pretty much just live in their swim suits. I looked outside the other day and found Piper had picked out the best outfit I've ever seen! It was so funny. I just had to sneak some pictures.  That girl ALWAYS has a wedgie!

Anyway, we spent Father's Day watching The World Cup and golf (out of all the things you can actively do with 3 little kids, that was at the top of Shawn's list, go figure....)  He said sitting in the A/C watching a soccer game "that only happens once every 4 years" would be more fun than wrestling a 2 year old in public so sitting is what he did! I hope he felt at least a little pampered.  I tried to let him relax more than usual, I promise!  He got a golf net so he DID venture outside for a little while to practice hitting golf balls.  All in all, it was a nice day :)

The kids have actually been pretty good so far.  I mean, there have been some epic fights and sometimes I just pray the neighbors aren't home to hear them, but for the most part it's been a nice break. I'm not anxious to get them out of the house and back to school quite yet, and even though Shawn has been gone almost every week so far it still has been a good 5 weeks.  We've stayed busy with library trips, visits from the Tooth Fairy, playing outside, snow-cone and candy store stops, tennis, and as I said, lots and LOTS of swimming!

I will miss her cute gap-toothed smile because once they start losing the top teeth everything changes! But she was so brave and pulled her 1st top tooth last week!

In other news, we signed Piper up for some Occupational Therapy last week because we are trying to get her anxiety under control.  She is SO good one-on-one but her flare-ups happen quickly and when she blows up, she BLOWS UP.  When her routine is messed up or people interrupt her or she feels embarrassed in any way she get's pretty upset beyond what is considered "normal behavior." Lucy is her hottest trigger point, which is kind of sad.  Lucy and her get along SO well together for the most part, but when she is pushed she goes straight to "fight or flight" and there is no turning back.  With her anxiety diagnosis we knew therapy would be a path we'd have to take in the future. We have struggled with her temper for years and hoped that once she started school she'd get "better."  She hasn't though.  She's great at school but when she gets home she has days where she just loses it and can't get a grip on things.  OT is supposed to help re-train her brain and get her to be able calm herself down and work through her frustrations in a healthy manner rather than letting herself become uncontrollable.  She's had 2 sessions so fingers crossed that in a few months we will start seeing some progress. 

Anyway, we are looking forward to a fun 4th of July with our friends next week and we will just keep on enjoying our Summer!

Hope you all are making the most of your breaks as well :)

Let's All Just TRY To Relax....

I posted this on Facebook earlier today even though I knew it would upset some people. I think that half the people who commented on it were offended, but a lot of women totally understood me and agreed with me whole-heartedly.  Either way, I wanted it in my blog books so I'm posting it here as well :) I wasn't meaning to step on anyone's toes.  I just wanted this put out there in the Universe because I think the world is a bit crazy.  Anyway, here's my take on life these days....

"OK, this is LONG and I’m about to get real personal here which is always intimidating but here I go… I was scrolling through my newsfeed last night after my girls were in bed and I can’t even tell you how many pictures I saw of green smoothies and girls in their sports bras doing before and after’s and clean eating recipes and people talking about how amazing the results are from their current workouts etc. etc. etc.… You get the point… and the thing that bothered me is I had just had a really fun night with my daughters that would make a crazy dieter/workout fanatic cringe. We watched a Disney movie and ate Twizzlers and caramels and buttery popcorn and painted our nails and laughed a lot and had what I felt was the most perfect night. And then later I scrolled through social media and I saw all of these people who are completely obsessed with fitness and claim they are “being their best self” and pointing fingers saying “obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated.” And I got really fed up! You guys, THERE IS MORE TO LIFE THAN CLEAN EATING AND WORKING OUT! I promise!!! And you might be looking at me thinking “oh, she’s just someone who let herself go, of course she’s saying that.” But you know what? I WAS one of the obsessed, years ago, before it became acceptable in our society to be obsessed with working out and eating clean. Between the ages of 16-26, I was hard-core obsessed. I never took a break from working out. It was ALL I thought about. I almost never skipped a day. I would kill myself just to make sure I got my workout in even if I was dead-tired.  I looked good, but was I as happy as I am now? Nope. It wasn’t until I had my second daughter that I was able to slow down, really look at how I was living my life and realize I had it all backwards. I’d look down at my beautiful, plump, gorgeous baby daughters and think... man, I need to change how I live because this is NOT who I want them to become. Since I am not a naturally thin person I had to choose between killing myself just so I would like how I looked, or letting go a little and feeling a deeper sense of happiness.

When you can finally see your faults, you can finally work through them. I didn’t even know I was obsessed, even though a few people told me I was. I didn’t recognize how dangerous that mindset actually is. As cliche as this sounds, it was a journey of self-discovery.

I can tell you that last night, not worrying about what we were eating and not thinking “oh, I’ll have to run for hours tomorrow to make up for this” is WAY more satisfying than killing yourself to look good. I have been on BOTH sides of this so I know from personal experience. You can tell me you feel great when you make spinach “cookies” and green smoothies and have less body fat than you did 2 years ago. But I’ve been there. If it’s all you think about, then it’s actually not healthy because no matter what you say, it’s not healthy for your mind to care more about that kind of stuff than actually living. Having a healthy mind is the most important thing.

And, ok, I think running marathons and doing triathlons and all that is AWESOME and I applaud those people. I come from a really active family and we have so much fun together when we hike, or play basketball or go on bike rides or whatever. I know working out a few days a week just to keep yourself healthy and limber is vital to living a long life. I go to a gym. I like certain workouts a lot (especially outdoor workouts). This is NOT a workout shaming post. It’s just a post to point out that being OBSESSED is not healthy. There is waaaay more to life. Sometimes I’d rather eat an ice cream cone with my beautiful kids on a hot summer day than make sure I get a good workout in and THAT’S OK. Because life is all about balance. And if you can’t just enjoy it without feeling guilty (and mentally planning your next workout because you ate a brownie {or being the type that won’t even touch brownies}) then I think there’s a problem.

I’m not claiming to be perfect and have it all figured out (because I don’t). And, lets be honest- I wish I were 15 pounds lighter. Ok-20😜. And I have days where I feel insecure (don’t we all!?) But right now, I’m busy raising little kids and I’m trying hard to make sure I don’t give my daughter’s insecurities about their bodies. I want them to enjoy their childhood and not hear me stressing about my weight. I don’t want them to see me taking before and after pictures because I don’t want them to see me obsess over something like that. All that will do is put negative thoughts in their heads. Someday, when my kids don’t need me every waking minute of every single day I might be able to shed some pounds and dedicate more time in the gym. But I won’t ever let myself become obsessed again and make working out a higher priority than spending quality time with my husband and kids. It’s not a fun place to be. Society makes it seem acceptable because it’s ALL around us (thanks social media), but I promise, there is SO much more to life. 

You just have to find that out for yourself to believe me."

Summer Has Begun!

Whoooooooo-hoooooo! School is officially out and we have been on Summer break for exactly 2 weeks! It feels great.... Like, amazing actually. Getting out of school is just as exciting for me as a Mom as it was when I was younger.  Kids just don't realize how much a Mom does for them for school; I know I never realized it! Being a Mom during the school year is EXHAUSTING! But we have 85 days until School starts back up again and we are going to squeeze out every ounce of Summer and soak up as much sun as possible!

Piper had a little graduation ceremony at the park on the last day of school.  Her teachers were SO, SOOOOO amazing this year.  She couldn't have had a better first year. She was so nervous for Pre-K but ended up loving it SO much that she cried on the last day of school because she didn't want it to be over.  I just know Heavenly Father was looking out for her because she needed Mrs. Cotton (and Mrs. Mace- the assistant-) in her life BIG TIME.  Mrs. Cotton absolutely adored Piper and Pi killed her end-of-the-year tests as well!  She is crazy smart!  It was a perfect year!  I cried saying goodbye to Mrs. Cotton!

(I have a picture of her in a cap and gown somewhere, but it's not digital so I couldn't post it)

Our first 2 weeks of Summer were amongst the busiest and now that they are over I feel like we get to start this relaxing business I've been dreaming about. 

As soon as the girls' leaped for joy out the doors of the school building on the last day we drove straight to Louisiana for a trip.  We dropped the kids off on Thursday night and the next day Shawn and I snuck away to NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana) for 2 nights while Grammy and Paw Paw babysat. Now, I am known for taking too many pictures in general, but when we were just by ourselves we didn't take many.  We didn't have kids to pose in front of things and we actually just walked around hand-in-hand together with our phones put away (for the most part).  We took a few pictures here and there, but mostly it was just me and him treasuring being ALONE and unplugged and NOT seeing the world from behind a screen.  We cherish those times so, SO much and we really are trying harder to live "in the moment" and not let screens interfere too much.  We hardly ever get to go on dates so when we do we make the most of it.  I love that man!

Anyway, part of what we were really excited to do was eat good seafood- the kind NOLA is famous for.  Thanks to Nana Smidt and my parents, we were able to splurge on some REALLY delicious food (it was SO nice to not feel like we had to be pinching pennies one night!)!  It was SOOO good! We even got seafood stuffed egg rolls, which doesn't sound that great but OH MY GOSH! It was actually one of my favorite things we ate that night!  But, the chargrilled oysters can't be beat. YUM.  They shucked the oysters right there in front of us and picked us out the biggest ones.  They were HUGE!  It was so cool. We also waited in a LONG line at Cafe Du Monde for their famous Beignets. That is something I wish everyone could try at least once in their lives!

When we got back to Grammy and Paw Paws on Sunday we all had a big Memorial Day Crawfish Boil with the family.  You know me and crawfish.... I can't get enough! It's so good, you guys.... SO good.  My world was changed when I married my Southern man.  I have been blessed to experience so many different parts of the United States and I feel pretty lucky that Shawn's roots are in the Deep South/Bible Belt, because that's probably my favorite section of the nation (in terms of culture).  

Anyway, Aunt Christa and Uncle Matthew asked their nieces and nephews to be in their wedding in the cutest way and Christa asked me to be a Bridesmaid with a sweet, sentimental gift as well.  We are SO excited for them to tie the knot (in April of next year) and be a part of it!  We have loved Christa since day one and even though she isn't "officially" our Aunt/Sister, we have labeled her as such because she's such a sweet soul and we feel as though she's been family all along!

The graveyards here fascinate me so much! Each of these structures has dead people inside.  They can't be buried underground, because NOLA is below sea level! If they dig, they hit water.  It's bizarre!  There was a major flash-flood one afternoon that we were there and the water just shoots high out of the man-holes because it has nowhere to drain.  It floods instantly!  It was cool to see it happen! There is no draining there!  So all the man-holes throughout the city were just spraying water all over the streets. 

We took pictures of these horses for Piper because she LOVES horses.  One had flowers in her hair, and the other one had green "hoof-polish" on.... like nail polish, hehe!

 

Christa and I were excited to discover that our wedding rings were nearly identical! We have similar taste... you know, because we also fell in love with brothers ;-)

Honored to be asked to be a Bridesmaid! Love you Christa!

That dog is Maximus, Keke's dog.  They went and swam at Keke's one day and he joined them at Chuckie Cheese too, but we didn't get any pictures of them together.  Now he's back in Seattle and loving playing with the Sea Hawks!

A few days after we got back from Louisiana, the girls had their big annual Dance Recital (they are in the same class this year- tap and ballet).  It was precious.  I mean, just adorable.  The kind of thing where all the Mom's cry and film every second of it and the Dad's are filled with so much pride for their little princesses. Dance recitals are totally my favorite. Piper wants to do dance again next year and I can't wait!  Lucy, however, has chosen cheerleading.  Both are going to be beyond adorable!

Anyway, Grammy and Paw Paw drove over to visit so that they could attend the recital as well.  The girls loved having them here and we had some good times in their short visit (including lots of swim time!).

 

 This picture is actually their tap routine, but during dress rehearsals they only practiced in their ballet shoes.  But both dances were seriously cute!  And, during dress-rehearsals you can stand front and center and get all the pictures and videos you want!

Now that dance is over, the girls have started a month of tennis and that's all I have them signed up for this Summer.  Once Tennis is over we will not have anything else on the agenda.  That's the way I want my Summers to be- schedule free!  We get to stay home all of June and July this year, which isn't the norm for us.  The only other trip we have planned this Summer is to Coeur d'Alene to visit the sweetest lady in the whole entire world, Nana.  Oh, and Pops too- he's pretty amazing.  We can't WAIT to go stay in my childhood home.  Ok, I didn't LIVE there.... not entirely, anyway.  But, I feel like it's my childhood home.  I spent so much time there (and there actually was a period of time where I lived there when we were building a house) that it feels like home to me.  It is so special to me and I can not wait!

P.S.  Lucy had to go get a "bone-age" test after her 7 year old well-visit appointment because she is SO tiny!  She hasn't grown at the normal rate of a 6/7 year old and they just wanted to make sure that her body knew how old it was.  But, everything came back normal.  She is just extremely petite!

 I hope everyone is enjoying their Summer so far!!