Worrisome

I think my Baby might grow up to be a homeless person.

Should I be concerned?

Goings On

Update: We have not sold our condo.

Update: I don't appreciate you rubbing it in.

Conclusion: My niece will move here and live in it.

What?!

You heard me. 

My niece phoned and said she was going to move to our quaint town. I was overcome with excitement! She asked if she could live in our condo and I said no. 

True story. I wanted to sell it. We had 3 showings set up for the week that she called. After telling her no, my husband chastised me. He told me that we had an empty place and she needed a place and we should let her live in our place.

Always the good guy.

I prayed and told God that if none of the showings resulted in an offer, I would take that as a sign that the condo was meant for my niece to inhabit. 

Well, no offers...so my niece is here!

Look at all the fun we're already having.

Thank goodness our condo didn't sell!

Under the Sea

It's summertime so that means theatre camp! The show this year was The Little Mermaid. Sissy was one of the daughters of Triton and she did a great job. I always love watching her on stage. 

Practice was all day, everyday, for a week. Most mornings after we dropped Sissy off at the theatre, Baby and I would go on an adventure walk. She loved sitting in the big rocking chairs near the theatre and running wild through the park. It was a glorious way to begin each day.

I was slightly worried about how Baby would behave during the actual performance, but she was a superstar. We ate popcorn so that helped. 

It was another successful show for Sissy!

After 4 performances in a row, we celebrated with pizza and Bottle Caps.

Cuz that's just what you do.

Congrats to Sissy!

Papa

We had a marvelous day celebrating the father in our house. I always love Father's Day because I know there will be steak. Sure...I have to go out and purchase it, then I have to prepare it, but hey, it's still steak!

We ate the steak while sitting on the porch. We also had rolls with apple butter. It was delicious!

Baby and Sissy drew cards for their dad.

 

Baby also drew a little something extra for herself. 

And then the nerds got to work doing nerdy things. I don't ask questions.

This is what the nerdery produced! I must admit that it looks pretty cool.

It was a productive and lovely day. We sure love Mykey and we're blessed to have him.

Happy Father's Day!

TWO!

My Baby turned 2-years-old! It is baffling how quickly the years pass. The colossal enigma is that we're 2 years in and I still haven't shed one single pound of baby weight. Odd.

So my Baby turned 2 and I'm still a chub.

You're all caught up.

Nevertheless, it was a most delightful birthday. Do you want to know the most delightful part of all? I didn't have to spend any money on gifts. Not one single penny!

You may think that I am a cheapskate. You would be wrong. I didn't buy her any gifts because everyone else did it for me. I didn't feel inclined to give the kid more presents than necessary. I'm practical, you see. Practical to my bones.

I did make her an adorable cake though. Sissy helped.

It's a dog. 

We went to my cousin's house since his son and Baby are birthday buddies. He was turning 13. That's even more hurtful to a mother's heart. His cake was Nintendo themed.

Baby had a fantastic time opening presents and singing Happy Birthday. It was magical.

She received a shopping cart and bath toys from my parents.

A stable with lots of horses from Sissy's best friend.

A dollhouse from the lady down the street. We were out for a walk and she offered it to us since she is moving and didn't want to take it with her. Score.

A SuperKitties copter from my cousin that sings that most annoying song. "Kitty cat! Kitty cat!" He did it on purpose. And also from my cousin: a BYU shirt. He definitely did that on purpose.

It was a nice time celebrating our little miracle. I'm incredibly grateful she's mine.

Happy Birthday to Baby!

50 Big Ones

Sissy went on a backpacking trip with the youth from our ward. 

It lasted for 5 days and they hiked 50 miles - some of it on the Appalachian Trail. 50 miles! It was the first backpacking experience of her life and she was a trooper. Her friends all dropped out after the first 2 days but Sissy trekked on in solitude. And guess what else? It rained and rained and rained. Those poor hikers were soggy and stinky when they arrived home. Emphasis on the stinky part.

We were able to meet up with her halfway through the week for dinner at a place called Beauty Spot. It was comforting to lay eyes upon her. 

As we were getting ready to go home she gave me a hug and whispered, "Take me with you."

But...I didn't. She was so close to finishing and I knew she could do it. I didn't want her to regret coming home early.

When we picked Sissy up at the end of the week, our first stop on the way home was to get frozen custard. And then she hit the showers. 

I am incredibly impressed by her perseverance and determination; especially when the weather conditions were so poopy. 

When it was all over, Mykey used his new CNC machine to make magnets for all of the finishers. They looked pretty darn cool.

Hooray for Sissy!

Finita

You can mark 6th grade as finished!

It was a bit of a rocky transition from elementary school to middle school. It was an even rockier transition into the hormoneees. 

BUT - we survived! Sissy did tremendously well academically and found herself a group of wonderful nerd friends. They filled up an entire table in the lunchroom. I was happy for her.

We celebrated by driving directly to Wendy's after school for hot frenchie fries.

And then Sisiy and I went on a date that evening to a performance of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by the homeschool kids in our ward.

It was a delightful way to kick 6th grade out the door.

Congratulations to Sissy!