August?? What?!

I can't believe it's August. I mean, I feel like we were just complaining that Summer was never going to arrive in Washington, and now we've been having so much fun that it seems it's flown right by. And with a completely jam-packed-full-of-fun month ahead, the rest is sure to go by even faster. You know...Christmas is right around the corner. :)



I thought I'd give you a little rundown of what we've all been up to...haven't done that in awhile. So, I'll start with Taylor. She is such a little girl. No toddler in this house. She talks up a storm and when she's tired or hungry she'll get an attitude and talk-back. She's been having a blast this Summer and has a tan that most of us would envy. Her hair has gotten super light with the sun and we're currently in the process of growing her bangs out. We pull them back everyday now and her sweet little face looks even cuter than it did before, if that's even possible. She loves all of her babies and toys equally and can usually be found having a conversation with one or more of them. Imagine...she's sitting at the table with her little buckets of markers, and this is what I hear..."Hi Red! Oh, hi Pink! How are you? I'm good, how are you? Good, thanks for coming to my house! Thank YOU, Red, I love you so much! Aww I love you so much too, Pink! You're my friend!" More colors join in and this continues on for quite some time. She has such a lovely and sweet imagination! She loves everyone and never forgets to pray for all of her friends. She wonders where the baby in my tummy went, and asks if she can help me find it so she can be a big sister. She knows our baby is in heaven with Jesus and doesn't understand why we can't go there. She constantly asks "Why?" It was cute at first...not so much anymore. I remind myself that this is how she's learning about the world around her, there are so many questions in that little mind of hers and she's trying to figure out how everything works. I answer the best I can, but sometimes my answer is "because that's just the way it is" or "because I said so." It takes a lot of energy having a conversation where everything you say is followed with another question. She has skinned up knees but only leaves a Band-Aid on for about an hour, then takes it off 'cause her owie is all better. She's super fast on her trike and will ride it any chance she gets...say, like when we're getting in the car to go to the grocery store...after putting my shoes on, I will almost always find her in the driveway cruisin' back and forth. She colors pictures daily and puts tape on the prettiest ones and hangs them on the wall. We have them on every door in the house, down the hallway and even on a few walls. She wants to do everything herself, and can pretty much do everything herself. She wears underwear except for at nighttime, and most mornings wakes up dry. She still has an accident every once in awhile, but it's usually because she's waited too long and the bathroom isn't close enough. She can do puzzles like you wouldn't believe. She always wants to hold hands and give hugs, especially with other kids. She recognizes several letters and numbers and points them out to us when she sees them. She gets very frustrated if she can't figure something out, or can't get out what she's trying to say. She throws her arms up in the air, gives a little growl ("uuughh") slumps her shoulders and hangs her head and says "Ohhhh, I can't do it." or "Oh no, I can't remember!" It's heartbreaking and hilarious all at the same time! She's got some awesome dance moves. Her current favorite games are hide-and-seek, ring-around-the-rosie and duck-duck-goose. She tries to make friends with all the kids at the playground...and it makes my heart ache when kids ignore her or walk away...she just stands there like "why don't you wanna play with me??" UGH...I'm getting teary just thinking about it. She looooves to be outside and has decorated all of our patios quite beautifully with her chalk paintings. She tells me I'm beautiful. She still wants to snuggle when she first wakes up in the morning. The smell of freshly-washed-but-slept-on hair and skin, mixed with sleepy-morning-breath all snuggled-in close just makes my day. She swims like a fish. She never wants to take a bath, and also never wants to get out. She's been staying up way too late and sleeping in every morning. She thinks anytime is a good time for a treat. (Wonder where she gets that from?!) Most of all...she makes us HAPPY. Like, really, really happy. I'm not sure that I ever anticipated loving my child like this...so completely...all the time...no exceptions. All seems right with the world when I look at that girl.♥

Next up...Matt. Still working hard, and now has even more on his shoulders being our sole provider. He's taken it in stride, and although it gets a bit stressful sometimes, now that we've lived it for a few weeks, neither of us would want it any other way. He's enjoying his Harley and dreams of someday having one that we can both ride off into the sunset on...but come back, of course! (His seat isn't all that comfy...my limit is an hour, tops.) He suffered the loss of a good friend not long ago and that was hard. He misses his family and friends back home. He finally got himself a beer fridge in the garage! He's super stoked for football season to start, and even got tickets to the Packers vs. Vikings game at Lambeau Field! He's heading home in October to go to the game with his brother. He's such a good dad. He plays babies...and colors...and puts puzzles together. He reads books and brushes teeth. He appreciates that I mow the lawn so he doesn't have to. He's been wanting to watch the Band of Brothers series for some time now, and we recently started watching them. Amazing. We're both hooked. He's got a few business trips planned in the coming months, both down to California. He's so good at what he does...he really was a born salesman. He makes friends with anyone and everyone...I don't know anyone that has met Matt and hasn't liked him right away[unless he's had too much to drink, then he can get a little...uh, loud. And an ex-boyfriend or two. ;)]. He desperately wants to take Taylor to Disneyland and really wants to work in a weekend visit while he's in Cali, which of course would be super fun! Basically, he's always taking good care of his girls.♥

And, then there's...me. I'm loving my new role as a stay-at-home mom. I am much more patient and much less stressed. I love taking care of my family and my home. I love that it's now my job. I always felt like it was my responsibility before, but I still had a job, too. Now my family gets my full attention and energy, and we're all much happier because of it. I still love to shop though, and that gets me in trouble sometimes. I've been exercising more regularly and I'm feeling pretty darn good. I'm working on my diet, too. I really eat pretty well, but I just can't kick the sugar habit. I crave it. All the time. I've had several tests done in the past weeks, trying to find some answers about my repeated miscarriages. Everything has come back normal...as far as my doctor can tell, there's no medical reason for my losses. I had an appointment with a specialist, but cancelled it. Our insurance doesn't cover it, and we've decided that, given this newest information, we're just going to try again on our own. I believe that it's God's will for me to have another child...and I pray that I will. I believe that I will. I'm unbelievably excited for every weekend this month! This weekend Matt's parents are visiting, then we're going camping with friends, next we're celebrating our anniversary and going to the Seahawks game, then we're gonna dance-party with some super fun peeps, and last we're camping at the Gorge for the Dave Matthews Band concert. Add in another fun, family pool party at my sister's house and that's a pretty great month we're looking forward to!! I've been having a good time baking and trying my hand at a few new things around the house, too. I made raspberry jam for the first time a few weeks ago and that was really fun...and delicious! I had just as much fun decorating the jars and giving them to friends and family, too. I just bought new bedding for the spare bedroom and really like the new look in there. I've been surprised at how well all of my flowers have done this year...I guess it's probably because I've had the time to take good care of them! I'm already making mental lists for a birthday party in October. I've decided to buy a jogging stroller after borrowing my neighbors and walking the Chambers Creek Trail today. If you haven't done that walk, do it. It's a beautiful place and a great workout! Upon recommendation, I tried a new vodka...Pinnacle Whipped. Yum! I've been spending as much time as possible soaking up the sun and taking in all of it's uplifting energy. And also, really thanking God for all that he's given me. I've realized so much in the last few months that, although I don't have everything that I dream of, I have everything that I need. But, that doesn't mean that I have to stop dreaming.♥

Happy August, friends! :)