July

Wow, I've let way to much time go by! Here's a quick July recap...

We started the month off by celebrating the 4th in Blencoe with Kendall's family. It's a Stanislav family tradition to go to the parade in Whiting and then head back to Onawa for some fried chicken and sour cream and chive fries. I like this meal a little more than I probably should:-) This year Mady ended up with a TON of candy. I think 1/3 of it was tootsie rolls.

Lisa got a fun new sprinkler for the kids.

The kids loved it until...

They discovered the sprinkler to end all sprinklers, Papa Danny's irrgator. This was definitely a fun way to cool off on a hot day!

Kendall and I left the kids in Blencoe and flew out to Washington DC/southern PA for Chris and Jena's wedding. This was such a fantastic trip! I don't think either one of us realized just how great it would be to get away on our own, but we came back very refreshed and thankful for the time away. Thankfully the kids did great with grandparents! We had a blast walking around exploring DC, even if it was ridiculously hot, and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with our dear friends Jacob and Whitney in PA. We got to go to Gettysburg, which was a real treat for the history geek in me:-) It's very fascinating to see in person! Chris and Jena's wedding was absolutely beautiful and we were able to see several friends that we hadn't seen since we left Taylor. We were blessed to be a part of their special day!

The week after we got back from PA we headed up to Okoboji for a long weekend. Mady loved every second, but unfortunately Drew had a touch of the flu. Poor baby didn't want to do much of anything! Mady would have stayed in the water all weekend, though, and she took major steps toward becoming the fish that she currently is. A couple of weeks ago when we were at the pool she decided swimming under water was the best thing in the world and she also started trying to dive off of the side! We made a quick trip to Arnold's Park while we were there to enjoy a Tropical Sno, which is my favorite summer treat, and Mady got to go on one of the amusement park rides. This particular trip to the lakes was also a milestone because I discovered that I actually enjoy going to antique shops and we found a sweet 1950s fan while we were there!

The rest of the month was spent relaxing, going to the pool, playing outside, and enjoying the calm before the storm that is Res Life in August.

Drew discovered a deep love for sweet corn.

The kids have continued to become better and better playmates. Drew pretty much wants to do whatever his sister is doing!

We'll keep working on her form:-)

I think this perfectly captures the tension between siblings. These two get along fabulously most of the time, but little brothers just have to get in the way sometimes!

Mady and Kaylee love playing together. Kaylee is also one of Drew's very favorite people and he about has a conniption when he sees her.

Drew has taken to holding Mady's hand whenever they walk, which is pretty darn adorable!

We've also become a gardening family this summer. One of the churches in town has a community garden so my family has a plot that we share. We've had lots of fun watching things grow and caring for our vegetables. I made homemade salsa recently, and I'm definitely enjoying the bounty of food!

Drew is starting to talk more and more. He has several words that he says quite clearly, and he keeps trying to mimic what he hears us say. He's been working on several names of the guys in our hall, so that's pretty fun to see. Here's a video of his best words (when he's not too distracted by everything around him). Sidenote: I am not implying anything by asking him to say baby. He simply says that word very clearly:-)

Second sidenote: Drew just sat in his high chair listening to this as he was eating and he repeated everything he heard me ask in the video. Too cute!

Life has been pretty hectic since the beginning of the month, but school started back up this week so it's been fun to catch up with all of the students we missed. Mady starts preschool next week, and as far as she's concerned it can't come soon enough. She's going to a different school this year so we are excited for her to get started and make some new friends. We're enjoying being able to eat in the cafeteria again, especially after the big remodel this summer! We're looking forward to the school year ahead and all of the fun opportunities we have during this stage in our lives.