Summer Monsoons

The summer monsoons came just in time to cool things off and make the month of July more bearable.  The girls and Josh had a pretty low key month.  I, on the other hand, traveled to Scotland and Ireland mid month with some of the women in  my family and had a whirlwind trip of a lifetime.  I will fill you all in on the trip in another post!

The Fourth of July, my favorite holiday, was fun because we got to celebrate it twice!  On July 3rd the girls and I went to see the fireworks in our neighborhood with some friends.  The girls sat and ate popcorn and enjoyed the show.

On July 4th, the whole family packed up and we went to Tubac for their Fourth of July celebration.  We gorged ourselves on cotton candy, kettle corn, and hamburgers, and then watched more fireworks.

Lillian started swim lessons with her friend Sophie and really excelled.  She has no fear and thinks she is already ready to hit the pool minus her floaties.  I had to laugh every time I heard her swim coach say, "Lillian, you are scaring me a little bit.  Stay on the steps please!"  Her lack of fear for just about everything she does makes me nervous as heck!

We spent our mornings doing our usual activities, running around the neighborhood and playing with our pets. At just over a year old, Bad Benjamin is turning out to be a great little horse.  With a bit more work and some maturity I think he will be a wonderful pet in the years to come. The girls sure think he is fabulous!

Our chickens have also turned out to be a great addition to our menagerie.   They are quite tame and each have a personality of their own.

Freya is learning to be a good little helper and I think she enjoys her time with all of our animals.  Like Lillian, she shows no fear and is always happy to see them.

 The girls aren't only happy to see our pets. They also enjoy being spoiled by their Papa.  He recently started making them push-up popsicles.  The photo below was taken shortly after Lillian pushed her popsicle too high and it fell on the ground. Before she could grab it, Freya swooped in, snatched the dirty popsicle off the porch, and shoved it into her mouth.  Needless to say, Lillian was disappointed.

When the clouds would roll in during the late afternoon and evening we would take a stroll or play outside.  Freya loves Emerson and tries her best to walk him.  He is still a little too fast for her though.

 We like drawing family portraits on the sidewalk and then we compare our artwork to see which one bares the most resemblance.  Lillian's pictures are always hilarious.  They contain round bellies, googly eyes, and crazy lady hair.

When the rain would finally come we would shout for joy and take off into the storm to feel the cool water on our skin or splash in puddles.  The sudden ferocity of the monsoons never gets old. The thunder and lightening can be a bit frightening though!

School is starting up now.  As I listen to other mothers talk about the school year and watch all the kids board the bus, my stomach sinks a little bit.  I dread the day I have to send my girls off to school and our days of nonstop fun 

come to an end.  Oh, how I will miss their smiling faces!  Until then I am going to hug them and squeeze them and have as much fun as possible with them before I have to turn them loose.