July was action packed and included a little getaway at the very end. And by "getaway," I mean a long road trip and several night stay in the country with three children, several dramatic crises and very little sleep... so we didn't technically "get away" from anything. Although, the setting was beautiful and there were horseys! More on that at the end.
We were still swimming a lot. Avery was having more interest in getting into the pool this summer. Especially if daddy was involved!
Look at that beautiful smile! Love it when she can relax, enjoy and feel the weightlessness in this body that is always giving her challenges. And look at those legs!!
At this point in the summer, Maddie was at the neighborhood pool pretty much daily, and becoming a total pool float hog.
Random July happenings include:
-An occasion where I picked up a large piece of furniture that took up the whole car, so Avery had to sit up front in the passenger seat next to me. She loved it.
-I finally hit the gym for the first time since having bubba! Felt so good, I didn't go back for another month. lol
-The girls enjoyed themselves at James Coney Island. With hats, of course.
-Bubba started to like the Baby Bjorn, which thrilled mommy immensely
-Nana retired!!!!!!!! She worked so incredibly hard to get to this point. We couldn't be more proud or happy for her. And then she started coming over daily to help with my crazy crew. She's the best.
-Toward the end of July, Lee became a jumperoo baby! just like his sisters before him... with some book assists.
Maddie did a theatre/dance camp for three weeks that ended with an A-mazing performance. She was one of the youngest ones there and had a small part, but still definitely stole some of the spotlight. They performed "The Big Bad Wolf" musical and she played a wolfette. The most darling wolfette you've ever seen!! Here she is with the group--
Her dancing and singing was so fun to watch. She remembered everything perfectly and you could tell how much she was enjoying herself! Our whole family came to the performances. We were so proud of her.
Last but certainly not least, we traveled to a dear friend's beautiful north Texas horse farm. It was serene and magical- the farm that is :). The main house was just gorgeous.
We stayed at a cottage on the property. We got to visit and chat, walk through green pastures, play with goats and puppy dogs, swim, and admire the horses. Our dear friend breeds horses and also trains them. She has a giant horse arena and large barn, where the horses are treated to their own giant stall fans.
Both girls and I got to take a ride, but Maddie took to it the most. She's a natural.
Avery preferred to pet and/or brush the horses.
I'm so glad we took the trip, but it was not all smooth sailing. The night we arrived, Avery had one of the longest, most intense seizures we seen had since her VNS device was implanted in May. It was scary, but she stabilized and seemed better for the rest the trip. The day before we left, Maddie was stung by yellow jackets while trying to swing on the porch. Poor thing! She pulled it together though and put on a brace face. Meanwhile, the baby was in the middle of a sleep regression and being away from home was not helping his situation either. Bub the hub and I were tired, to say the least. Good trip, but ready to be back home.
In the last days of July, Avery received a fun gift from Uncle Rob and Aunt Christine... her very own ball pit! It's the perfect place to relax.
Baby brother joined in too!
