July phone pics on the first day of August? I'm on fire!!
Don't worry, I've got a couple posts lined up that are over a year late, so that should offset how current this post is.
The first week of July was Patriotic thanks to the Fourth of July holiday! We started the weekend by watching cartoons from Thomas's new teepee, complete with red and blue lights strung inside it (not pictured).
We spent Saturday over at my brother's house swimming, playing, and cooking out and somehow my camera didn't make it out to take a single picture! Probably because I was in the pool catching my little girl who just wants to jump in over and over and over. And over.
Thomas was Patriotic for church on Sunday in his red and blue plaid jonjon.
Then he helped his Daddy and Poppy install a new garage door opener. His job, I think, was holding the ladder, maybe?
Nothing says 'merica like two kids in the back of a red pickup truck.
We shot our fireworks on the 3rd of July over at my oldest brother's house. Thomas was not a fan of the loud noises. He felt much safer behind the safety of his hands.
But Mimi convinced him to be brave and hold a sparkler with her.
He enjoyed doing that until it got boring... (Or maybe he was just getting sleepy.)
Katie Wynn was really brave and did lots of sparklers all by herself!
She also convinced her older cousin, Bren, to let her drive her car and I think it might've been the highlight of her month.
I didn't get worried until I looked over and saw that Bren had hopped out and left Katie Wynn and Thomas on their own. I think they used my brother's fence as a brake.
The actual fourth of July had rain in the forecast, but this guy was ready for it. Dirt covered face and all.
When it was time to get dressed later that day, I walked in on him wearing his Daddy's boots. As soon as he saw me he said, "Take my picture, Mama?" He's learning. :)
I lost count of how many popsicles Katie Wynn ate during the month of July. It was hot and popsicles were necessary!
Selfies.
For some reason, Matt got out the trumpet he played in the high school band and did some practicing. I guess because we need more noise in the house? Thomas discovered the trumpet the next morning. Thank goodness I found him before he rubbed the tub of salve everywhere.
The kids also found their winter accessories. Just looking at these pictures makes me sweat.
Speaking of sweating, we went to the zoo one Saturday morning. Good grief it was hot there!
I paid for the kids to feed the giraffes and naturally, they were too terrified to do it. So I went up to feed the giraffes and holy cow, I was not prepared for that long black tongue to come out that far!! Maybe the kids were right to be terrified.
Since we got so hot at the zoo, we got out last year's car wash when we got home so the kids could play in the water.
Matt also gave each of the kids their first golf lesson. I'm sure he wouldn't be sad if they took an interest in the game.
Our niece, Bren, had a surprise party at a swimming pool and we were glad to help her celebrate.
I took the kids for donuts one morning and, after taking their pictures, I'm wondering - is this the face I make when biting into a sprinkle donut??
They got to lick the beaters one day and Thomas was so proud of himself for "not getting dirty."
I have so many random pictures from this month! Here are me and Katie Wynn having lunch at McDonald's. She had asked me if one day I would pick her up from school for lunch and then take her back, so one day I did!
Thomas - first with socks as mittens and then post-bath with slicked back hair. I tried to get him to put his hands on his face and scream a la Macauley Caulkin in Home Alone, but he wouldn't do it.
More Thomas - showing off his deep love for bandaids and - probably the sweetest picture of the month - singing the blessing before dinner.
Katie Wynn still naps on her trundle on the weekends. Whatever it takes.
We think she may be a future hurdler, based on the way she plays in the sprinklers.
The book of the month has been this one of Thomas's that is all about trucks. We are all learning so much!
This past weekend we had dinner with some of our good friends. It's a good thing all of our kids go to school together since they all had their faces painted! Might've been weird if it had only been one of them. :)
The best thing for the kids about having dinner at friends' houses is all the cool new toys. The best part for me is that I make mental notes to tell Santa Claus. How cool is this ride-on horse? When the kids go up and down like it's galloping, it actually goes! It can be steered with the handles. And, rumor has it, they make a unicorn version of it...
We had a short visit to the Children's Museum Saturday morning.
Why was it a short visit? Because shortly after ringing up his groceries, Thomas had a major meltdown and we had to get. out. of. there. You better believe I was sweating by the time we made it to the car with him screaming.
The last picture I took in July was this one of my boys. If you get Thomas from his crib after his nap, you better get your arms ready to pick up a lot of extras. You'll need to get Thomas, two pacis, three bunny rabbits, one elmo, and one blanket. A boy's gotta have his stuff, ya know?
I'll leave you with this picture - a teaser of an exciting post that is to come. Ideally sooner rather than later. This is the kids glued to watching some painters work outside at our house. What are they painting? The framing of our new screened-in porch! That's exciting, right? Sadly, half of that framing has been pulled off and is in a big pile as I type this. We've had a lot of steps backwards in this project, but hopefully it'll be worth the wait when it's finally complete. More to come.
