July is in the books! It was a fun and hot month of summer. We started out the month with Erin decompressing into "vacation mode", which is always funny to witness. We spent the first couple of days preparing for our big trip to Nags Head, and had lots of fun with Uncle Dale, Aunt Maria, Cole, and Cooper here for the night of the 3rd before we all loaded up and headed to the beach! Details on the week are HERE, so I won't repeat that week. We had lots and lots of fun, and really enjoyed all of our time together!
We got back on the night of the 10th, after Erin successfully convinced us to leave a little prior to when we needed to be out of the house (10am on the 11th). I must note that she grinned the whole way home and Anna cried off and on. Erin really wanted to go to gymnastics on Saturday morning, so she did. Erin kind of runs the show around here, and if you know her, you may know why...she's just sweet enough, and doesn't ask too often, to be very effective in her persuasion skills! Anyway, she had a great day between that and friend Maya's birthday pool party! Sunday was just church and still getting settled back in after the week away. Bella enjoyed fun at the Sauls family's while we were gone.
The week of the 13th was fairly routine - we finally got the piano tuned, which was entertaining for all. We also visited Marbles on the 15th for the morning and had a great time! Otherwise, just some swim lessons, Y, pool time, etc. We went to our second Holly Springs Salamanders game on the 18th with our friends the Mannings, and had a great time!
The week of the 20th was more of the same, with the exception of welcoming our little friend Sawyer into our house! His mom was Erin's pre-K teacher at Middle Creek for her second and third years, and we got to be close with her because of all of the incredible things she did for Erin. Well, Sawyer has had a hard time in a day care facility (he will be 2 in October), so his mom and I talked and decided that I would watch him 3 days a week at our house when she's teaching. His grandma watches him the other two days. The first week was rough because he didn't know us very well, but by the third week, he is settled in and we are all having lots of fun together! I think it's going to work out great, and I'll still have some "free time" during her track-outs and the two days that I don't have him, so I can still get to the gym, run errands, and help out at the girls' school. Maybe I'll even do some house projects! Sawyer is also very portable, so he gets to tag along to drop-off and pick-up for the girls. (Side note: I forgot how wonderful nap time was, since my kids don't take naps anymore!)
We had more beach time from the 24th-26th and had a wonderful little getaway! The week of the 27th, we got to play with Jimmy and Danny one morning at Crowder Park, then Grandma A. came to visit for a couple of days. We showed her some sights, including the girls' school, library, and (the all-important) Holly Springs Pizza Hut. Erin also got to have her friend Alyssa over to our pool on the 29th.
All in all, it was a great month. I haven't uploaded pictures yet, but I don't think I have too many other than from Nags Head. Every year, I say how July is my least favorite month of the year because it's SOOO hot, and we are out of routine, but this year was fun with our beach trips, and we stayed busy otherwise. We also had a short reprieve from summer humidity at the very end of the month. We are looking forward to two more weeks of summer before the girls start school at the same school on the same schedule for the first time ever!
