Our Five Ring Circus: July 2013

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Goodbye, July

The last full month of summer vacation has come to an end.  Although there are many exciting things to come in August, I am bummed that summer is almost over!  As we bid farewell to July, I can't help but wonder if this was the last month with just three kids?!?

Here's what we have been up to over the past 2 weeks:

WEEK 29

July 16th

Woke up and took Lily outside, despite the heat.  Enjoyed my coffee while she played for a few minutes.  My dad came over and we hung up the chandelier in the girls' room.  Lexie packed her bags and went home with him.  She was going to spend a few days at my parent's house, just like Dylan did 2 weeks ago! Dylan, Lily, and I headed to my 32 week OB appointment, then went to the library to pick out some books.  Just as we got home, a big storm hit, so we sat in the car for a while, until the storm passed.  Nesting is in full force, so I got a ton of stuff done around the house while Lily napped.  After dinner, Dylan and Lily had a sleepover in Dylan's room, while Grant and I hung out.

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July 17th

It was another really hot day.  We spent the morning and afternoon at home.  My parents stopped by to pick Dylan up to go swimming with them, so I got a chance to see Lexie for a few minutes.  Lily and I met Grant at Applebees after he was done working, to grab some dinner.  Afterward, we stopped by Lowe's to pick up some paint chips. Later that evening, my parents dropped Dylan off.  Dylan and Lily immediately went to bed, and Grant and I watched TV together. 

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July 18th

Really hot again.  Spent most of the day inside, only leaving to run to Lowe's, TJ Maxx, and Target.  Returned home and cleaned the house.  After dinner, Lily went to bed early, and Dylan played some Minecraft, so Grant and I had several hours together before bed!

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July 19th

Spent the afternoon visiting my parents.  My mom, the girls, and I went shopping.  After having dinner with my parents, we headed home, where I spent the night finishing up laundry and cleaning.

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July 20th

Our last relaxing Saturday for the next few weeks (months!). We spent the day at home. I finished quite a few projects around the house.  The kids had a movie sleepover in Dylan's room, while Grant and I spent the evening together.

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July 21st

I woke up early to meet my cousin, who was in town from Vermont, for breakfast.  It was so nice to see her, and she's coming back in less than 2 weeks!  Shortly after coming home, I headed back to bed for a bit, due to a rough time with morning sickness.  I spent the afternoon organizing arts/crafts supplies, sorting through baby clothes, and painting Dylan's nightstand.  We had a nice family dinner, and soon after, the kids went to bed.  Grant and I spent the night watching a movie before heading to bed. 

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July 22nd

Aubrey came back from her 2 week vacation, so we woke up early to watch her.  We played outside for a bit before the rain hit hard.  It was a typical day for us.  Worked on potty training Lily, the kids played, I cleaned, ran on the treadmill, and refinished Dylan's bookshelf. We ended up having a relaxing night at home.

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WEEK 30

July 23rd 

We spent the morning outside, watched Aubrey,  went to the last storytime session at the library, went to the park, and stopped at the store to buy snacks and drinks for Grant's birthday the following day.  That was pretty much it for our day!

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July 24th 

Happy Birthday to Grant!  While he was at work, we went out to buy him a birthday present and stopped at the grocery store to pick up ingredients for his special birthday dinner.  After Aubrey went home, we had a great dinner together, and the kids spoiled Grant with all the gifts they chose.  After the kids went to bed, Grant and I spent the evening hanging out together. 

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July 25th

We had a calm day at home.  The kids played with Aubrey while I got things done around the house.  My dad stopped by to help hang up the new light we bought for above our kitchen table. That evening, we went to Amber's house for dinner.   After Grant and the kids went to bed, I took advantage of my pregnancy insomnia and spent time painting trim in the girls' room and bathroom.

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July 26th

We spent the day visiting my parents.  After having dinner with them, I dropped Aubrey off at her house, then we went to Amber's house to visit for a few hours.  The girls and I went home late, leaving Grant and Dylan behind.  The girls went to bed, and I spent the evening cleaning.

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July 27th

We had a really busy day! The morning was a rough one for me.  Between morning sickness, hormones, and really cranky girls, I was ready to go back to bed!   We had a birthday party for Tyler and Braden at noon, and the kids had a great time!  Once home, I took a short nap before Grant's mom arrived to watch the kids so Grant and I could go out to dinner.  He chose Red Lobster for his birthday dinner, and we had a great time together!  That evening, we went to Jocie's house for an after-birthday-party, but I ended up leaving early with Lily because I was having a lot of cramping.  The big kids stayed behind for a sleepover, and Grant stayed later, so I got to spend some quality time with Lily before we headed to bed.

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July 28th

Around noon, I picked the big kids up from their sleepover, and we spent the rest of the day at home, getting things done around the house.  My big kids were exhausted from their sleepovers.  So exhausted that Dylan went to bed before 7, and the girls soon followed!  Grant and I ended up having a nice evening together!

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July 29th

Spent the morning outside, watched Aubrey, cleaned, went through the girl baby clothes and pulled out all the newborn-3 month clothing, had a quiet evening with Grant after the kids went to bed, and spent the evening painting trim after Grant went to bed!

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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Trendy Tot Tuesday



I am linking up with Kelly,  Megan,and Lindsay for Trendy Tot Tuesday!

{Liliana}

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Dress:  Cherokee (Target)
Headband and Flower Clip:  Girls Crochet Headbands

{Alexandria}

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Dress: Youngland

{Dylan}

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Shirt: Adidas
Shorts: Old Navy

{Baby #4}

Hopefully I'm going to return home today from my errands with a coming home outfit for our baby!  I will have to buy a boy outfit and girl outfit, then return the one we won't use.  It's hard to believe that our fourth baby will be here in about a month or less!  EEEK!  


Sunday, July 28, 2013

Fun For All

July has been a calm month for our family.  We are usually ridiculously busy, and the past few weeks, we have cut back on activities.

I feel so bad that my big kids didn't get much of a summer.  Between feeling so sick, getting a ton of contractions/pressure, and trying to get a lot done in our house before the baby arrives, we haven't really done much.  We didn't even get to go on vacation, which was a huge bummer.  

Yesterday, however, was a really fun day for my kids.  They went to a birthday party for their friends, Tyler and Braden, in the early afternoon, and then the fun continued that evening at an after party.  They played hard all night, and even slept over there!

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The kids loved playing in the indoor ball pit and playing the arcade games, but their favorite part was the kiddie rides!  The big kids got to ride the coaster and the giant swing and the toddlers rode the coaster and the teacups.

Dylan and Lexie had so much fun!  Lily, despite her serious face, had a great time, too.  It was her first time on rides!

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After the party, Grant's mom watched our kids while Grant and I went out to dinner for his birthday.  He chose Red Lobster, which is his favorite restaurant, and it was great to spend time with just him!

We returned home from dinner, and shortly after, we went to Jocie and Tom's house for Tyler and Braden's after-party!  The kids had such a great time playing together, riding the toy roller coasters, and jumping on the mini-trampoline.  They played outside until it got dark!

By that point, I was feeling miserable.  I was very nauseous all day, and then I started having horrible cramps.  Dylan and Lexie had planned on spending the night, and Grant decided to stay longer, so Lily and I returned home alone.

Lily fell asleep in the car, but woke up as soon as I got her out of her car seat.  Instead of putting her straight to bed, I decided to take advantage of the time with just her.  We soaked in a bubble bath, then cuddled on the couch watching TV.  After her snack of cheeseballs and a freezer pop, I let her
sleep in our bed.

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It's so hard to believe that she's going to be 2 in less than a week, and even harder to believe that she's going to be a big sister in just a few weeks!

This weekend kicked off the rest of our busy summer, which is going to be filled with birthday parties, family reunions, picnics, playdates, trips to get ice cream, mini-golf, movies, sleepovers, and eventually, a new baby!

I'm hoping to make the next few weeks as memorable as possible for my sweet kids!