We kicked off the month with a week at Lake Powell with almost all of Todd's family. It was hot, crowded, and a ton of fun. We always have a great time with cousins, even when circumstances are less than ideal. We love spending time with family and making such happy memories.
Hazel and Jack were in heaven. Hazel loved tubing and being on the boat. Jack loved playing in the water near the houseboat. They were both really disappointed when we had to leave. Gemma had a harder time. For some reason, she did NOT want to touch the water or the sand. Every time we asked her if she wanted to get in the water, she shook her head. Mostly she played in the hot houseboat or went along for the ride in the ski boat.
Hazel learned from cousin Easton how to fish. She thought it was quite interesting.
We loved having jet skis. All the kids took turns riding with Daddy. Todd and I left the kids with Aunt Laura one morning and went off for an hour or two on our own.
We were there over the Fourth of July, which is Jack's half birthday. He thought we were having a massive party just for him. He felt pretty special.
I spent a lot of July in the car. We signed Hazel and Jack up for swimming and soccer lessons in Livermore a couple months ago, thinking we'd be in our house by July. Twice a week, I packed all the kids up in the van and drove them up for class. Poor Gemma got paltry 30 minute naps in the car. We had to leave early to avoid traffic, then bum around town waiting for class to start.
Our first week of soccer, Jack stood with his back to the class the entire half an hour. Thankfully, he realized how boring that stand-off was, and he's participated well ever since. He and Hazel are both doing well.
All three kids got pink eye in July, beginning with Hazel, then on to Jack, and ending with Gemma. Thankfully, Todd and I escaped unscathed; although I got so little sleep that week that my eyes were bloodshot and achey every morning, and I kept thinking I'd caught it after all. Yikes! I had alarms set on my phone to help me remember to give all the kids eyedrops every four hours for a week. And we had to quarantine ourselves from all our friends just when we wanted to spend our last few weeks with them. It was pretty lame.
We went on a few family hikes/bike rides. We really need to get a bike trailer! Soon....
Gemma started nursery at church. Jack's in there with her (he didn't turn three until January) so it made the transition completely painless.
Hazel's pre-literacy is getting pretty thrilling. She's started sounding out short words. Sometimes, she asks how to spell out entire pages of her thoughts. She lost to Jack at Chutes and Ladders, and immediately ran to get a paper and pen to write "I'm happy that you won, but I'm sad that I lost," drew a picture of herself crying, stuffed it in an envelope, and gave it to Jack.
The kids have spent a LOT of time on their bikes and the scooter. It's been fun since Gemma figured out how to get on and off her bike on her own, so she could have more independence. She always wants to be on her bike.
Towards the end of the month, it became more and more likely that we'd move to Livermore very soon, so we took advantage of our favorite things while they were still close by. We visited the Sunnyvale Library a couple times a week. My kids have all loved this statue outside the library; they pretend it's Todd and climb into his lap and onto his shoulders.
My best friends Chrissy and Suzanne and I took off to Half Moon Bay for a girl's weekend. We spent Friday night at a hotel, swimming in the pool and lounging in the hot tub and chatting, chatting, chatting.
Saturday we window shopped and got mani/pedis and relaxed at the beach, and talked, and talked, and talked.
When we got home Saturday night, Chrissy's kids were still awake, so instead of dropping her off, we drove over to Target and wandered around, found silly clothes to try on, and dragged our time out as much as we could.
Hazel's my artist.
I love this shot. These three kids are my heart.
We had to scrunch in as much play time with Hazel's buddies Spencer and Nova as we could before we moved.
Our best friends from our time in Alabama (Troy and Rebecca Wikle) are living in Monterey for the summer, so we made a trip down to see them. We went to the Aquarium and the beach, and had dinner at their house. It is always so healing to spend time with people who have stood the test of time and are definitely for reals your friends.
All three kids in the same tub. Rub a dub dub.
Hazel's been going crazy drawing on herself with washable markers. It does come off, but it takes a day or two to fade completely. Gemma's obsessed with markers, and immediately pops off the lid whenever she finds one. Thankfully, she's following Hazel's example and has (so far) only drawn on herself and not on the walls, or the floor, or the furniture. We're trying to keep them out of reach, but there's always a stray.
Our last full day in Sunnyvale, we had our sweet Derham friends over for a swim party. I wish I had spent more time with their mom, Olivia, when I easily could. I'm realizing more and more that I have to be aggressive about my own friendships. Hopefully, I can take what I'm learning to Livermore and be better about pushing myself out of my shell. I really want to give myself the gift of regular friendship with the people I can sense would be good for me, and I'm learning that won't happen unless I really make a big effort for it.
Our last evening, in the middle of the craziness of packing and loading and cleaning, we met up with Chrissy and Spencer for ice cream. Hazel bawled on the drive home. I hope she can make some great friends as well.
