And Then There Were...: Monsoon June

Here we are, nearly out of June. It has been a wet wet month. Someone told me last year we got 26 inches of rain and so far this year, we've gotten 27 inches. My veggie garden is loving it. However, we haven't been able to break out the pool yet. I am waiting for a dry Thursday through Sunday (since they mow on Thursday). I may be waiting for a while.

Today, we took the girls (and Grandma) on the Garden Walk. We made 3 gardens before stopping back at the house to drop the girls and Dad off for a nap. The first garden was one I've been curious about for some time. It's a brick farmhouse built in 1870 that has a very private yard protected by heavily planted berms, mature trees, and lots of shrubs. Turns out the owner is in my service sorority. And, she likes to garden :) That one was my favorite, but the others certainly offered a variety of styles and features.

Ellie has seen two fireworks shows this year. She doesn't really watch them, but she's done a good job of catching our enthusiasm for them. She's not scared of them, which is nice. Thus far, we seem to be raising a relatively fearless child. I'm working with her to instill a healthy amount of fear in parking lots, streets, etc. Ellie's not much of a climber, but she's taken a few tumbles lately, so she's learning about gravity too. She might have a future as a stuntwoman though. She is pretty good at catching herself when she trips over her feet. There are lots of opportunities to practice though because she does so at least half a dozen times a day.

Calista is growing well. She holds her head up pretty well and should be ready for less supported baby-wearing pretty soon. We might even see some full-fledged rolling here soon. Sometimes, she will roll from her tummy to her back or side. She's currently in a size 2 diaper and fixing to move up to 6 month clothes. I'm still trying to find the motivation to transition to cloth diapers and move her into her crib from the bassinet in our room. Since she's been sleeping through the night for a couple months now, it seems like there's really no reason to delay. We still use the rocking feature of the bassinet, although she really doesn't need the incline and she's almost too tall/long for it.

E was having accidents at school for a while and when we tried to express disappointment she had a few meltdowns. So, we've been working more on positive reinforcement instead of negative. She's been responding well and takes great pride in telling us when she's had a "dry pants" day.

This summer has been full of exceptions to the normal rules. We've been to the drive-in three times (Ellie doesn't fall asleep until 10:30 or 11), with another visit planned this week. The two "late nights" with fireworks, and all sorts of goodies like lemonade, orange juice, cake pops, several visits to the ice cream parlor, extra screen time, and pushed naps (which today did not work out so well) are causing me to stress a little about too many treats. I realize that summer is for having fun and that I have a tendency toward stick-in-the-mudism, however she's so young that it's hard to communicate to her that these things are special when they seem to be happening all the time. Tonight, Ellie lost it in the bath because Dad told her that she was going to bed afterwards. She wanted to go to the movies. And, when she learned THAT wasn't happening, she bargained for fireworks. She had to settle for keeping a book in bed since it's not a school night. And, she was perfectly happy to do so.

Father's Day was a success. Dad did get a big hint when a few days before Father's Day, we got two subtle BRIGHT ORANGE Shutterfly packages (thanks, a lot, Shutterfly!). One of the packages contained his "sentimental" gift of an 8" x 8" photo book skimming over the past year or so of highlights. He also got a tennis ball key-keeper alien that goes on the fridge (Ellie and Isis both agree that it does not belong to Dad), a Star Wars game of Operation, and an egg separator (because Mom hears all).

Aunt C had a pretty good birthday, I think. We had her pick out a cake. I guessed she'd go with something pistachio. And, she did not disappoint. She picked out this one, a triple layer pistachio-apricot monstrosity with a cream cheese frosting. The celebration was quiet for a 30th, but we dragged her along to the company picnic and "gave" her a fireworks show for her birthday. She also got to split an elephant ear. We're tentatively planning on a Bob Schneider concert in Chicago for a delayed celebration since C is all about her music and Schneider is an old favorite.