Where Did July Go?

Another month has passed without me blogging. I guess that we have been staying busy. Sawyer is taking Preschool Cool on Wednesdays through the Plano Parks & Rec department. It's pretty much a cooking class for kids. He is having lots of fun. It's two hours away from Mommy and he's doing really great. I don't even have to hang around anymore, AND he's stopped bringing George to class which is a HUGE deal. He left him at a store a few weeks back and ever since then I made the rule that George stays home unless we're going out of town.

We have also been attending presentations at the Wylie library on Tuesdays and going to story time on Wednesdays before Sawyer's class. The kids also did the Texas Reading Club. They only had to read ten books. I obviously read to them because of their age, but they still counted. They each got a certificate and a book. I was so excited for them because I remember how much I enjoyed doing that each summer.

We went to the dollar movie at Cinemark Legacy this morning. They were playing a VeggieTales movie and it was PACKED! I think that the kids had a good time, though. Jamie gave me the idea of the dollar movie. They have a deal that starts at the beginning of the summer where you can see ten weeks of movies for only $5...what a great deal! Of course my soda cost more than the cost of our admission, but that's another story!

We got to see Jason, Tara, Nolan, and Riley this month. They were coming up for a wedding and stayed the night with us. They came up on a Friday and we went to the Museum of Nature & Science at Fair Park. It was a good choice because there was something for everyone. Lorne grilled burgers when we got home. We stayed up and visited after the kids all went to sleep and caught up. I really wish that we could see them more. They're the kind of folks that you want to keep in your life.

Another big deal from this month is that we started potty training hot and heavy last Monday. Sawyer hasn't been in a diaper in over a week. He still wears Goodnites at night, but that doesn't count I don't think. He starts out the day in his "Elmowear." He is allowed to wear them until he has an accident and then we switch to Pull-Ups. He also wears Pull-Ups while we're out and while he is napping. He is doing so awesome! He used the restroom twice at the movie and the library today. He is staying dry during the day too. He still gets wet while he's sleeping, but I know that can take quite some time to master. It's so crazy to me this time around compared to last summer. You'd think he'd been using the potty his entire life! We think him seeing Riley use the potty a few weeks ago was very helpful. She won't be three until next month and she's already fully potty trained so that couldn't have hurt for him to witness.

Sawyer had his first dentist visit this month. We went to a pediatric dentist and it cost $75 out of pocket so we weren't really happy about that, but I wanted him to have the most positive experience possible. I think it may have been a little too watered down because all she did was use a regular toothbrush and then another brush to apply the fluoride. We've been reading books and talking about the dentist for the last month so he was ready for the motorized brush and the whole nine yards. She said that they usually don't use the motorized ones until age four, but that Sawyer would be fine to use it in six months. I'm thinking he would have been fine the first time around, but I guess they have much more experience than me.

I am still working out in the early mornings. That's another reason why I don't blog like I should. I've been taking lots of naps. I have reached my goal weight, but I'm trying to get to 75 total pounds lost before I stop. I am at 69.2 so I'm almost there. I've been getting lots of compliments on how good I look so that has been really motivating.

I guess that gets everyone up to date! See you in August!

A Weekend at the Lake

We went to Mark's house this weekend. Matthew, Mark, and Mom were there. Kayla was feeling under the weather so she and Jackie stayed home. Matthew had to do quite a bit of work at the lease so we didn't see too much of him, but we still had a good time. We stopped at a restaurant in Waco on the way down and again on the way home. We boarded Rosie so we took advantage of not having her in the car and took our time getting there.

We had lots of fun on Saturday. Mom stayed at the house with Chloe while Mark took Sawyer, Lorne, and I out on his boat. Sawyer got to ride in the boat, fish, help drive, and even swim in the lake. It was a red letter day!

Mom stayed with the kids Saturday night while Lorne and I went with Matthew and Mark to see The Dark Knight. I've been wanting to see that movie since it came out. There has been so much hype around it that I wanted to see what it was all about. I felt like it didn't disappoint. It was an awesome flick!

Sawyer had fun shopping for his life jacket. He wanted one that matched his T-shirt.

Sawyer loves his fishing rob.

Sawyer loved driving the boat. He thought he was such hot stuff.

Nine Years!!!

Lorne and I have been married for nine years. This month has been really nice because we have been able to celebrate twice. We went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse while Lorne's parents were here July 4th weekend. Lorne had a $150 gift certificate he earned from work. We also went to Carrabba's while Mom was here the following week. Even though the actual day was pretty much a normal day I just reminded myself that we'd already gotten to celebrate.

We always exchange gifts according to the anniversary year. The ninth anniversary traditional gifts are pottery/willow and the modern ones are linen/lace. Lorne got me the "Together" Willow Tree Angel and a leather-bound copy of The Wind in the Willows from the kids. I got Lorne two bottles of wine from the Willow Crest Winery in Washington and baked him some Oatmeal Lace cookies. It is always so much fun to try and be creative and get the best gift for the anniversary year.



Lorie sent me this picture of us from July 1993, the first summer we were together. Mom's side of the family had gotten together at Matagorda Beach.

Fifteen years later, and I wouldn't change a thing.

Chloe is Sixteen Months Old!

Chloe Bug has gotten more and more vocal this month. She is saying some words that I think only we could understand, and usually only under context, but they're words all the same. She says, ice, Annie (her favorite thing on TV right now), duck, quack, Daddy, eye, and thanks. She will quack every time we ask, "Chloe, what does a duck say?"

We've dropped the morning nap this month so that has caused some growing pains around the house. Sawyer and I have gotten very used to having a few hours in the morning to do things that Chloe is too little to do. We usually paint or color, play with Play-Doh, or play a board game or cards. Those are all things that Chloe will either eat and/or doesn't know how to play. Sawyer is really struggling with having to share with Chloe during this time.

This is such a ladylike pose!

My sweet baby girl!

It is so tough to get a smile out of these two!

Success! I wish I could remember what had made them laugh.

I had to include this one because Chloe has the hugest smile.

Chloe "helped" me clean out the pantry the other day.

Congratulations Stephen and Asia

Lorne's former office mate Stephen was married today. I was super excited that we were able to attend. The wedding was at 1:00 at The Alexander Mansion in Garland. I had driven by it many times but had never been inside. It was really nice. Denise stayed with the kids and even put them down for their naps. We returned the favor and I went to their house tonight so that she and Jeremy could go out to eat and to a movie.

Stephen married Asia (pronounced Ahh-sha) who is from Poland. We met her for the first time at the wedding. She has only been in the US for two months and we haven't been able to get together yet. I told Stephen that I would give them another month before I started harassing him about getting together. I still haven't heard the story of how they met, other than that it was online but not a dating site, and I would love to get the whole story. I'm sure it is very cool and romantic.

The ceremony was happy and sad at the same time. Stephen's dad passed away when Stephen was eighteen so it's just he, his mom, and his three older sisters. It was really somber when his mom was seated. It was as if everyone in attendance was thinking about his dad and wishing he was there. The preacher choked up before he pronounced them husband and wife. He told everyone that he was Stephen's dad's best friend so he was very honored to be the first to introduce them. It was such a special day and I was so glad that we were there.

Here are a few pictures from the day:

The flowers were really pretty.

I thought this watermelon was so neat!

Does it get any better than chocolate-covered-strawberries?

The cake went really fast.

The centerpieces.

This pose reminded me of one of Princess Diana.

The happy couple.

Happy 4th of July!

We had a good time on the 4th of July. I wanted to buy some sparklers for Sawyer and Chloe to enjoy. I went to the fireworks stand and bought some that were supposed to be "safer" than the ones from our childhood. Needless to say, they weren't the sparklers for which we were hoping. They fizzled out pretty quickly and were kind of scary I think. I'll have to get the other kind next summer.

I thought the kids looked really cute in their red, white, and blue.

We went to Founder's Park in Wylie to watch the fireworks. It's hard to believe that we've lived in Wylie over seven years but we've never watched their show. We usually went to the one in Richardson before we had kids, and we haven't been to any since the kids were born. Velma, Lorne, Sawyer, and I went to watch them and Larry stayed home while Chloe slept. We didn't bring a blanket or lawn chairs, and I think it would have been even better if we'd done that. I'll have to make a mental note for next year. They had a really great turn out and the show was really fun. I'm not sure that Sawyer knew what to make of the noise the fireworks were making. He sat on Lorne's lap pretty much the entire time.