August 2023

August was mainly spent in AZ with Nana J!

I unfortunately didn’t get a lot of photos on this trip…oops!

On August 5th, we packed everyone up and went to Nana Js for 2 weeks. We love spending time with her and helping with the house.

Plane rides are always an adventure and both the kids did great. We even got an ice cream cone from McDonalds. Blakely and I went walking around the airport while we waited for our flight to board and it was fun looking at the murals on the floor and pretending certain colors were lava. Who ever said 3 was the worst… it’s the best!

Bronson did great as well, except from the ride from the airport to the house. He was over the car seat and cried super loud all the way there. Poor guy!

The weather was nicer than Texas! It was bearable to walk around the block in the morning or at nights when the temperature went down.

We did a few fun things during our stay. We went to a Youth Cinderella play downtown. It was super magical for Blakely. The story was different which was hard to explain to a toddler but for the most part, she loved it and asked to go back. I love exposing her to art.

We also went to the children’s museum. It was fun and I would go back. However, I think ours in Waco is better.

While in AZ, I committed to do 2 weeks of a homeschool program and see how she reacted to know if I should continue for this year. It was a huge success! We did it after breakfast and it was all about the letter A, and apples. The program gave me a bunch of fun things to do with her that I never would have thought of! So when we got back I printed off the book and she has loved doing it since.

Here are a few random pictures that Blakely took while we were there.

Bronson got a low grade fever while we were there, but it passed in a few days. He is a really happy kid, but man… when he isn’t, you will know it!

Swimming!

Oh man did we swim! Joannas next door neighbor is a saint. Literally. She inspires me to be a better person with how much good she does. Her name is Ellie Pace. First of all, she offered to watch Blakely for a few hours during the day so Joanna and I could work on her house (I am helping her clear out things she doesn’t need before she tries to sell it.) Then she has a pool, tramp, and playground that we just walk over and use. We went swimming everyday when Ben got off work to get outside and cool down.

We also went swimming at Aunt Kathys house, as well as the Dastrops. Both have super nice pools. Aunt Kathy has a diving board and Blakely didn’t hesitate to try and dive off of it. I love to brag about my kids and I am so proud of Blakely for her courage. Everyone kept saying how great of a swimmer she is. The Dastrops have a gorgeous pool with a little seating area which Blakely turned into a stage and danced for us. She also swam into a rock formation that is attached to the side of the pool but she was ok.

All in all, it was a great time that left me wondering… do we need to move to AZ?

Something I really loved about Nana Js house was her Bed… Mainly because her room was so inviting you just wanted to spend time with her there and hang out. Blakely loved cuddling with Poppa Bear, and one day she took a nap with me. This is a rare occasion but when it happens I love to sleep next to her. These kids are a blessing everyday.

Back to TX

On the day we were suppose to come back, our flight was delayed so we would have missed our connecting flight. We DID NOT mind spending another day in AZ! We just booked the same flight but for the next day.

Everyone did well and it went smoothly. It was after midnight when we got home! But the house was fine and everyone went right to sleep.

Bronson and Sleeping

Well… we finally put him in his own room. I was a little sad. He slept great the first night but the next few night he was struggling. I think he was teething and I was stressing about sleep training again. Well! The next night we figured out he sleeps a lot better on his stomach so after I fed him, and got him sleepy, we would put him tummy down in his crib and he has been a champion sleeper. We are so blessed by this guy!

Blakely likes to play with is sound machine and there is a “music box” sound that she will dance around the room like a ballerina. It’s really sweet.

Sticking with Homeschool!

Well, homeschool has continued to work well for us. Blakely will sometimes argue about doing it but that is usually solved by the “after school treat” bribe. The other day, we strung fruit loops on a piece of yarn. She made 2 big necklaces and worked by herself for over an hour. I cleaned up, sat down, turned on some classical piano as she worked and felt the next level of motherhood. It was awesome.

Back in the Groove

We are heading into September and I am thinking about “Fall Semester” for my kids. Essentially that means, what are we doing every week this fall before the holidays. We have Gymnastics, swimming, toddler time at the library, and Homeschool every day. I think it will be a good holiday season. Now it just has to cool down…

Everything Breaking

This was an interesting week leading into September. On Tuesday, our car battery died. That night our AC Went out, and then the next day our Garage door tension spring broke. SO! We have some unexpected expenses to take care of. Here is to home ownership!