When I don't blog for a looong time there is only one way to catch up: Family Updates. So, in an effort to reenter actually recording the comings and goings of our family here is my attempt to get up to speed so I can resume blogging.
Let's do this.
MATT
Matt has spent the bulk of his free time this Summer building his own banjo. It started as a collection of parts and wood and I have been amazed to watch an instrument slowly taking shape! He has had a few bumps in the road, like when he stained the neck with three coats and then it dropped and dinged up the final coat. He had to sand it down to the bare wood and start again. So frustrating, but he carried on and he should be playing it any day now!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
EMILIE
I've been doing a lot of baking lately. The Great British Baking Show is my TV passion and I love making recipes from the episodes each week. This Summer a sister in our Ward has been going through chemotherapy. I take a dinner to her family each week and I have really loved having this service to look forward to each week. The kids and I love to plan what we think their family would like and Evangeline always goes with my to deliver the meal.
I'm trying to make this Summer fun for the kids, but I had a dreadful cold over Father's Day and after I recovered I had 10 days off and then a much worse cold took over. I have been a total baby about it, but man do I feel sick! I missed the 4th of July parade and all of the fun and it made me extra cranky.
When it's not too hot I am outside in our backyard hammock, usually with the dog. I love being out there while the kids play.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ELLA
Ella has commandeered our family cell phone and has spent her Summer texting her friends. She is really into drawing characters from her favorite TV show, Star Vs. the Forces of Evil, and she spends hours on one drawing to perfect it. She came to me at the beginning of the Summer with a screen-shot of a YouTube star and requested I cut chunky bangs that would frame her face and put the rest in a ponytail each day. She loves it.
Ella is really becoming a teenager before our eyes this year. I recently had to tell her she could no longer wear eyeliner (because she was taking it waaay too far) and she is perpetually angry with me about it. She can't leave the house without makeup and her passion is mascara.
She is just about to go to her first LDS Young Women's camp and she is so nervous about it that it is keeping her up every night. I know the drill with this girl and her G.A.D. We just have to try our best to keep her calm until she goes and once she is there she will love it. She is having the same feelings about Junior High next fall and so tonight I shared with her what a doofus I was when I was a college Freshman and took a upper-level Companionship Animals class because I didn't that the numbers next to the class titles indicated difficulty. We died laughing when I told her our class taught a chicken to play the piano and it was the most fun class I ever took in college!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
EVANGELINE
Evangeline took a Theater class at the end of the school year and when we attended the performance of The Grunch I was completely blown away! She found her passion! I actually cried watching her because I began to see glimpses of the girl she was before her very difficult 2 years recently. She was beaming and happy and confident! She and Ella both went to a week-long Theater camp this Summer and the Musical Theater bug has officially hit. I could not be any happier!! We made a huge list of Musicals they want to see and we are checking them off as we either watch the movie or see it performed live! Evangeline's favorite so far has been The Music Man.
She loves the Harry Potter books and is on book 4 currently. She absolutely loves our dog and he has also helped bring our happy girl back. She spends time with him each day, loves to take him for walks, and loves to snuggle him.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
BIANCA
Oh, Bianca. This sweet girl has entered a very hard stage. She is too old to play with the babies and too young to play with the Redheads. She is a bit lost right now and I am trying to keep her happy. She has taken to singing repetitive phrases all the time and driving us all crazy. I know she will be so much happier once school starts again.
She loves playing with our neighbors, Jonas and Ciera. She makes friends wherever we go. She loves playdates and going out on errands with me.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
JUDE
Jude is still our happy boy. He loves cars and trucks, but has recently developed an even greater love of baking. Each week, on Saturday, he and I watch Martha Bakes together and talk about which Martha Stewart recipe we should make. We made some of her cookies together and it was a huge success! He climbs on a chair next to me at the kitchen counter and helps me measure, dump, and stir. He loves to say "I am a great baker!" and takes pride in his helping abilities.
He is just starting to learn to catch a ball well and he could spend hours and hours playing catch. He is quite good at throwing, but not as good at catching yet. We have had a real problem with him sneaking into the backyard, turning on our house, and dousing himself with the water. He loves it!
He is a dreadful eater right now and I don't even know how he sustains life. Recently he came into the kitchen while I was preparing dinner and said, "What are you making for dinner? Something really, really, gross?" Every bite at dinner is a chore. Of course, there is always room for treats and dessert. I am really hoping he grows out of this phase.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
CECILIA
Cecilia is our hot/cold girl. She is either a crazy monster or totally sweet. No in between! When a family member comes in our front door she yells, "You're home! You're my best friend!!!" She is still the loudest human ever, yelling everything she says. And she is still ballsy in every physical activity. She's a girl of extremes for sure.
She absolutely loves imaginative play and says to people "Will you play me?" She hands you one of her dolls or figurines and the role-play begins. She speask in different voices, sings little songs, and acts out tea parties. It's so fun to observe. She still loves Peppa Pig and has added an obsesion with the movie Trolls. She carries a small Poppy figurine around with her everywhere; church, stores, and to bed.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
