August

A few moments from our August.

My Elena Dorothy has been afraid of water as long as I can remember.  She doesn't like it on her face in any way, shape, or form... splash?  NO!  mist?!  NO!  spray?!  NO!  So, I thought that signing her up for swimming lessons had potential, but would probably end in catastrophe.  I waited patiently for her first lesson to end, and as I thought, she was a little teary-eyed and afraid.  I talked with her that evening about why she was scared, why swimming lessons would help to make her safer, and so on, and from that point forward she loved it!  My big, little lady started dipping her face in the water, and has even jumped in the water herself a few times.  I'm so proud of her.  She really hopes to see her teacher, Austin, next year to tell him to show him her improved skills : )  I love watching her confidence grow.

and her silliness.

We can't talk about silliness without flashing a picture of my little Annika.  This kid keeps me on my toes, but laughing all day long.  She doesn't like ice cream (it's too cold!) but will eat Schwann's orange push-ups.  Anni has recently started holding my cheeks in her hands when she's feeling loving towards me.  

Melt. My. Heart.

My cousin Carol got married.  It was a beautiful day, beautiful wedding.  I couldn't be happier for her!

In August we picked tomatoes by the bucketful.  Our plants are bigger than any others I have seen, and produced quite well.  I've got loads of spaghetti sauce in the deep freeze, just waiting for meatballs!

Our girls have really started to enjoy and ask for what we've named "Family Night".  One of these nights we went to our local 50s diner for supper.  We love it there.  The food is typical diner fare, also serving breakfast at supper time!!, the music is loud (50s!  yay!), and the waitresses don't seem to care when our children take off running across the restaurant.

After family night we went to a circus.  The camels and llamas would attack your hand if you bought some feed.  Annika loved feeding them, from her safe place on my back anyways!

Finally the circus started, and the girls were entranced.  It was probably the worst circus in the entire world, but they didn't know the difference!  One particular 'disappearing act' was so hideous that Nate and I were laughing, but Elena couldn't stop talking about it on the drive home!  I think 'Family Nights' will continue as long as the girls let us.  

I'll end the pictures with a shot of my sisters and I.  I had a rare Mommy-day and took my sisters out to run errands with me.  We had a lot of fun, and now I'm craving Starbucks!