July 2013

July could quite possibly be my favorite month if the year. Lots of exciting things happen in July...our anniversary, our firstborn's birthday which is basically like an anniversary of becoming parents, kids have no school, we get to do awesome summer activities, no stress, etc. 

It wouldn't be a typical Florida summer without a quick downpour in the afternoon. Sitting on the lanai and drinking coffee while listening to the rain is always on my summer bucket list. 

Rainy afternoons lead to fun reading time. This little one likes to wear her pretend glasses when she "reads". 

Of course when the sun is shining, we really enjoy it. 

 Decided it was time to clear out the overgrown gardens. Luckily, we found two basil plants under the mess of weeds. 

Really, this is the first summer where these three can all play together. On the trampoline, helping with the gardens, or just in the yard. 

We're also taking full advantage of lazy mornings with cartoons in mommy's bed. 

See, told you they play well together. Even dress-up...

Quick craft for 4th of July - Popsicle stick flags!

Speaking of 4th of July, I ran in my first 5k race...ever. My goal was to just keep jogging from start to finish, I wasn't even thinking about a goal of time/pace. I proudly finished in 33 minutes. Woo hoo! Came home to my own little cheering section waiting for me with this little drawing. 

After I calmed down from the race, we put on our suits and went to the beach club for a sunny day in the pools. 

This year, Anthony's boss threw a little ice-cream-fireworks-viewing party. 

With some friends that we've known since they were babies- Emma and Ellie!

Ice cream and glow jewelry. Does somebody look like she's getting tired?

Such a fun night. And such a strong daddy!

So...this cat has been periodically showing up in our backyard. It meows at us and walks too close for my comfort. I always try to soho it away, or rush the kids inside because who knows what this cat is up to, right?

Well, after a while of daily visits, it came I to our backyard and just wouldn't leave. The kids wanted to play, but I didn't want them out there with this "mystery" cat. So I put some food out front to lure it out of the backyard. 

He ate, and never left the front door. 

Anthony was his biggest supporter. He kept trying to convince me to keep this cat. We kept feeding it, but I was adamant about taking it to the animal shelter. Long story short - I gave in. 

We had a short, but amazing little getaway to Naples for our anniversary. The kids stayed with aunt Amy for three days while we enjoyed the beach, pool, shopping, reataurants, and gorgeous sunsets that Naples had to offer. 

After Ava's week of golf camp in June, she was set on having a golf theme birthday party. And boy did she. It was amazing. Coach Jason took all the girls out to hit balls on the driving range, then took them all on golf cart rides, and finished up with a little putting contest. Then we had a private room at the clubhouse for lunch and cake. It was sooo perfect for our big 7 year old.