july in a nutshell

{written July 19th...}

ok, so july is 3/4 over and i guess i should try to recap.

july 3rd, we finally got around (4yrs later) to hanging our American flag from Grampy (it was a housewarming present), on a tree in our front yard. Christian helped. i thought it'd be a good time to teach him the pledge of allegiance. he didn't seem interested.

we rang in the 4th of july with a super extended family party. aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents from both sides of our families came together for a splashing good time at Allison Wonderland.

Red, white, and blue popsicles were a hit with the kiddos:
And the desserts turned out mostly good. except for my stained glass jello stars that fell apart when i tried to cut them with the star cutter.

total fail.
a few spoonfulls were doled out, and enjoyed by some little people...

but the real crowd pleaser was the trifle

and the cookie dough balls:



the next day, christian had his first swim lesson with my parents' neighbor, who teaches at the Y. he was a little hesitant, but when i told him it was a mommy/christian date, he began to see

the advantage.

plus, if he did well, he could go out to the kids' pool afterward and use the froggy slide. which he did. i was so proud i almost shed a tear, watching him paddle around and float on his back, and even put his face in the water a couple of times (both voluntarily and un-, as the teacher let him go a couple of times, to teach him to reach for the wall).

i couldn't believe he handled that as well as he did. once we were down at the froggy pool, he continued to practice his new moves, and was pushing off the bottom of the pool (he could touch), and trying to swim to the steps. 'Wow', i mistakenly thought, 'this was so easy. he'll be swimming in no time.'

moments later it happened. his very first bee sting. a yellow jacket. floating in the water. bring on the trauma. between the flashbacks of that moment and the recollection that the teacher let go of him during the swimming lesson, he needed extreme bribery in order to go back the following week. which he did, but as soon as he got in the pool for his lesson, he started crying and screaming and begging for me to come get him out. which i finally did, had a little talk with him, bribed him with more treats, and he finally got back in (but only for a few more minutes, whimpering all the way). and just like he did the first time he wailed through sunday school, he got all dried off and started to recover, looked at the teacher and said, "That was fun!"

all in all, he's a trooper. we'll see what this week brings.

speaking of sunday school, drama, and bribery; we had to put our money where our mouths were(?) a couple of weeks ago, and skip the stop at Wawa after church for a treat. he just couldn't stop crying in sunday school (the week previous he was super brave, stayed in the whole time and had a blast, so we knew he was capable!). this time they called us half way through the service to come get him. he was beside himself. "i just really missed you guys!!" he said mournfully, through sniffles.

so this past sunday we upped the ante. or something like that. i never like to do this, but we were running late for church, and he was crying hysterically b/c he didn't want to go. what do you do in that moment? you either give in to his crying and sit through another service trying to entertain him in the lobby... or you think of the greatest possible bribe you can, and try to get him to go peacefully, and see that it really is a fun place to go. So we bargained a little and he ended up being allowed to have his binky in the car (not in church), a trip to Wawa for a treat, and a family fun trip to Longwood Gardens to see the fountains and bee-yoo-tee-ful flowers (his words). ... all if he went to sunday school bravely, and stayed the whole time. which he did. it was like flipping a switch.

did i feel played? not really. i think he really does convince himself that it's going to be scary and lonely there (not being with us). and there is no reasoning with him otherwise, in the moment. somehow the prospect of rewards for bravery really motivated him to be brave.
when he sets his mind to be/feel a certain way, he does great. like this morning when he had to go to the doctor for a well-visit. he had no qualms about going, no fears whatsoever, and when i broke the news to him that he had to get a shot, right before we left the office, he acted like it was no big deal. the nurse asked him if he wanted to sit in my lap. his response was a simple "no thanks". and he didn't bat an eye. sometimes i just don't get 3 year olds. it's all a matter of choice for him. he has total control over his attitude and emotions... except for when he doesn't. today i couldn't get him to go to the bathroom without a fight. go figure.

ok-- so back to the july recap.

on the 8th AND the 9th we celebrated our FIVE year anniversary! dave took off that friday and surprised me with dinner at La Famiglia in Philly, while the boys went to their cousins' house to play.

it was delightful atmosphere, and divine cuisine. we reminisced about our wedding and honeymoon, and tried to pick out the highlights from each year of our wedded bliss. we laughed about how flimsy 5 years sounds in relation to how LONG it feels (in a good way of course). mostly due to how much has changed in those 5 years. the merging of 2 completely separate lives into one, renting our first apartment, navigating our first year of life together, learning the ins and outs of conflict, communication, etc..., deciding big things together,like the purchaseof our first home, trying for a baby, getting a baby, adjusting to our thouroughly new lives WITH a baby, then surprise-- another baby-- and then surprise a very EARLY baby-- and well, you get the point. a lot has happened in 5 years. and we have loved being one through it all! the next day we went to see Tree of Life and then out for coffee, while the boys went to Gramsy/Poppy's. Not so much my kind of movie (though i found it unique and thought-provoking), but totally dave's. and i had to smile once again at how different we are, and how that is what marriage is all about-- learning to love and appreciate another person as yourself, only they are nothing like you!

That evening as we read our vows to each other, i marveled at how God, in His kindness, brought us together for so very many reasons. I especially marveled at how blessed I am to have married this gentle, loving, patient, selfless, easy-going man. He, unlike me, has done an incredible job at keeping each and every one of his vows almost all of the time :). i think i break at least one of mine a week. and he still loves me, and never picks up the framed vows and shoves them in my face. . . which he totally has the right to do. instead he is slow to anger, quick to forgive, and consistently considering my needs and wants above his own. he loves me. he loves me. he loves me. what a gift!

Kyren has been growing leaps and bounds (well, little ones) in his speech. he's been practicing his vowel sounds and imitating us more and more. he can now say "baa", "moo", "boo", "Hi", "Daddy", "Mama", "Dow" (for 'down'). ... as well as the long awaited "No, no!"
His speech therapist is thrilled with his progress, and thinks he is the cat's meow... a word we're also working on ;).

last week was our 'company' week. we had 3 couples over, on 3 different nights. this is wayyyyy more out of the ordinary for us than it should be... and it was so much fun. plus, i had way more motivation to actually clean the house every few days. and it was NICE to have it looking somewhat nice for a whole week. hoping to have this kind of social interaction on a more regular basis now... i think we're just coming into a season that is a tad easier than it was when our guys were really really little...and more needy.
this past weekend was a whirlwind of summer fun-- including the Malvern Fair (where K had his first amusement park ride, and C delighted us with his smiles on each ride, waving at every turn), Turks Head Music Festival, and Longwood. It's mid July, so we're mid-heatwave, but some things are worth facing the humidity for. and summer memories are definitely on that list!


oh, and p.s. Christian has been on antibiotic for a couple of weeks now thanks to one of our resident deer ticks, who left him this nice specimen of lyme:

p.s. we also got a sprinkler a few weeks ago, right as the heat wave of the decade was upon us. unfortunately i have no pictures of the incredible fun that followed-- because 2 out of 3 of the participants in the sprinkler running games are completely naked. the 3rd was me, and i was lacking a waterproof camera.