Catch Up Post

I have not been the best blogger lately. It has been an incredibly busy couple of months so I am having trouble keeping up with the blog. I usually try and get a few hours on the weekend and draft posts and schedule them to post during the week. But in July weekends have been booked and then finding time during the week has just not happened. So this is a mish mash post of a bunch of things in the hope that I can catch up.

Ally and Becky went to the zoo and saw not only the typical zoo animals like the gorillas and lemurs, but also a bunny rabbit and “the largest slug Becky has ever seen”.

Becky got her hair cut and wanted to remember how to style it so she took a bunch of pictures of herself.

The quilt was made by Becky, Beth and their mom Debbie – it’s a baby gift for cousin Jake, his wife Kim and their new baby Aidan who was born on July 4. The 3 of them have mailed the quilt and pieces back and forth and it was truly a collaborative effort.

Ally got new pajamas it was tricky to find her among all the pink on her bed!

Our public libraries have a great series of summer programs for kids where they bring in all kinds of entertainers and acts for kids. Its all for free. One day after camp Ally and Becky met Willow and her mom for the Reptile Show.

 

Ally is growing up so fast – long hair, amazing gymnastics skills, she is talking up a storm, and has grown an inch since January!

It has been a very busy month.  August promises to be fun filled as well.

Dinner at the park with friends

Becky went on her annual weekend trip to Nantucket to visit Beth, and Ally and I had a fun weekend just the two of us. It started out (after a trip to the doctor) with dinner at the new park with friends.

It was our pre-school group, Stella, her sister Violet, Andy, his sister Charlotte, Erik, his brother Nicky, Liem, his sister Kai and Ally. This crew knows each other well and always has fun. They worked together collaboratively for a while on a complex dam building project.

Class lists for first grade came out and Ally and Erik are in the same class together again. We’re all pretty thrilled – this will make 5 years they have been classmates!

So the doctor visit. Ally experienced her first sports injury at gymnastics. She was on the bar practicing her casting (this is when you are on the bar, arms straight, belly touch the bar and  your push your body off of the bar – “you cast off”) and another girl walked behind her too close and Ally’s foot sliced across the other girl’s teeth! The other girl said Ow, but Ally was bleeding and very upset. She left the gym to see Becky in the waiting area. Imagine the drama – bloody foot, tears – fear, inconsolable confused Ally. So Becky brought her home. We took a look at it – it was pretty big; about a 1 inch cut on Ally’s heel, we cleaned it up and I called the doctor in the morning.

I know from experience that any cut involving a mouth requires a doctor check. The doctor looked at it and prescribed a 5 day course of heavy duty antibiotics.

The medicine tasted awful. So after a return trip to the pharmacy for flavoring and a lot of ice cream (thanks grandma Barbie) we have been able to complete the course.

Julie turns 40

July 26 1973 was the date I was born. Yesterday was my 40th birthday.

Lots of people  asked if I felt older. Not much – I was excited it was my birthday. I love birthdays and in a stroke of brilliance I decided 4 days before my birthday that I wanted to celebrate with friends. I figured that since Ally’s birthdays are always so much fun and she has the Guatemala Girls over that I would have a blast too. So 4 days before I emailed the Guat moms and my fabulous friends changed plans, made arrangements and all of them came for dinner last night to celebrate.

Earlier in the day Becky, Ally and I celebrated at home. They decorated the house, Ally put together a tissue flower arrangement, and I got great cards from relatives and amazing gifts.

Acting silly with noisemakers.

My lovely family!

Becky and Ally worked really hard the past few weeks and made me a wonderful gift. It’s a picture frame and its decorated with “40 things I love about Mommy” Becky worked with Ally to come up with 40 things Ally loves about me. She typed  them up, printed them out, cut out the slips with each thing on it. They decoupaged heart paper on the frame and then decoupaged the 40 reasons on top of the fancy paper.

I love it, and them.

Some of the things:

• I love when you do penny for my thoughts
• I love when you tickle me
• I love how you sing silly songs
• I love how you say oodles and oodles
• I love it when you get me from school
• I love sniggling with you
• I love when you drive me in the car
• I love when you push me in the stroller
• I love when  you help me go to sleep

40 reasons – it’s a real treasure

I received 4 bouquets of flowers!

Ally asked me if we could play musical chairs – of course I agreed. So here we all playing musical chairs. Alice’s mom Cheryl could not come, but her dad Tom came, and we had Roxie’s brother Charlie join us too.

After musical chairs it was mat time and the girls did tricks on the  mat.

We tried for a group photo – but Gabi was feeling too shy to join the gang on the couch. But Charlie, Alice, Ally, Rosa and Roxie were game.

Kim brought margarita Jell-O shots! But not many of us are drinkers – and it was  the first time Julie (not me) and Becky had ever had them. That is Becky taking her first ever Jell-O shot! She said it was bizarre.

After dinner, before dessert the kids begged to go outside and stomp in puddles. So I took them outside, and they all got soaked. And were pretty dirty, so them came in and of their own accord all of them got in the tub together to wash off clean. So how many adorable kids can you fit in a bathtub?

After the puddle stomping and cleaning up – all 5 girls were in Ally’s room changing they dried each other’s hair! It was a beauty parlor in there.

The ice cream cake was melting by then so I really quick got a picture of all 5 of them on Ally’s bed; L-R Roxie, Gabi, Ally, Alice and Rosa.

My mint cookie ice cream cake was delicious! After dinner we played hide and seek, where the kids hide and the parents find their own child. Here are the parents with their eyes covered counting.

After our friends left, the rain stopped and a rainbow (a double actually) came out. Becky took this picture of Ally and I with the beautiful sunset and the rainbow.

It was an amazing birthday. I am so lucky and blessed.

The Show

 

Ally has been attending a 5 week summer camp. July 26 is the last day. The camp focuses on all kinds of Art and culminated in a performance this week. It was at 7:00pm. The teachers established a theme for  the summer and they the students came up with group names, and developed a musical theater presentation.

They have had Art classes, dance, music, acting – its been a wonderful experience for Ally and she is already talking about going back next year!

First up was walking thru the Art Gallery where every camper had several pieces of Art on display.

Apparently our home means a castle in the mountains with an outdoor bedroom to Ally!

I love her picture of the tortuga (turtle) and the landscape out of watercolors is beautiful.

The theme this year was the Earth (Eco) and below is the synopsis of  the performance.

Ally was a Fire Puppy and was quite adorable in her costume.

After the show we went our for ice cream.

Becky and I are so proud of Ally. She sang along to the songs and she was proud of herself and the work she and her friends did to put on the show.