What's Buzzing with the Brasfields: July Little Things

July was, for the most part, a month of relaxing. After we got through the July 4th holiday, we did our best not to crowd our weekends as much as we tend to do and just enjoy the summer. In some ways, it was like summer was just beginning for us, since Tyler was in a cast the whole month of June. We enjoyed some lazy weekends, swimming, naps and playing outside. Ahh!

I am so happy to say that we are enjoying the pool more this summer than we ever have. The kids both really love to swim and are pretty independent in the pool with their puddle jumpers on. Tyler struggled post-elbow wanting to swim without it, but I really think next year will be his year for swimming! We also ate a lot of Popsicles and juice boxes outside, too.

I finished the outdoor chair for porch that I started earlier in the month. I absolutely love the transformation and think it adds the right pop of color to the porch! It wasn't all that expensive either...I had the paint, the chair was a side-of-the-road find, so it was just the cost of couple yards of outdoor fabric and trim! I'm pretty proud of how my upholstery skills have grown this year. I also scored the blue washable, slip-covered ottoman to pair with it off a local resale site, too.

Tyler has been begging to sleep in Caroline's bed since she got it, so we attempted a sibling sleepover this month. Actually, we attempted it twice and Tyler was moved back to his bed both times. The first time, Tyler got sleepy much before Caroline and she would not stop touching him! He was getting annoyed so he wanted to go back to his own bed. This lasted about an hour. The second time, they played and giggled for almost 2 hours with no signs of going to sleep. So at almost 10:30p, we moved them back to separate beds. Maybe we will try again in a few months. :)

Russ went on his annual ATO alumni Spring River float trip this month, which left me solo with the kiddos. He was up before dawn on Saturday and got home super late that same night. He said they had a great time and no one was injured on the trip this year! Ha! There was a lot of beer consuming, though. :)

The kids school closed for a couple days this month so all the preschool teachers could go to a conference, so they were out of school for a few days. Granna came in town to hang out with them so Russ and I didn't have to take off from work. They had a blast destroying the playroom with her and Granna treated them to a movie (Alvin and the Chipmunks - Chipwrecked at the summer movies) and ice cream on 2 of the days. They love when she comes in town to visit!

Caroline is just like me in that the mosquitoes LOVE her! She and I both get eaten alive! Earlier this month, when we were shooting fireworks in the driveway, she got a bunch of bites and she scratched one on her leg so much that it became infected with Impetigo/Stpah! They called me at school to come and get her because it was hurting her while she walked. It was not good! It swelled up huge, got hard as a rock and was hot to the touch. We went to the doctor about it twice and the 2nd time, they ended up draining it...which was about as fun as it sounded. :( It took the nurse and me to hold her down while the doctor did the procedure. After that, oral and topical antibiotics did the trick to clear it up!

A photo they sent me from school. The line around it was
drawn by the doc so we could see if it was continuing to spread.

We are trying to eat healthier and that means that I need to do a better job of meal planning our dinners. I absolutely loathe the grocery store, so this is a big deal for me. Make-your-own pizza night has been a big hit in our house. The kids love helping and Tyler insists that they wear their aprons the Easter Bunny brought them. Caroline might eat more of the toppings than what goes on the pizza, but she has fun doing it!

Russ has been getting up to make eggs every morning and Tyler likes to help him cook.

A few more tidbits about our July...

Tyler and Russ continued to go to Lowe's Build and Grow superhero events. We now have superhero vehicles all over our house!

I took some photos of both the kids separately this month for a watercolor paintings I am having commissioned of them. I knew I wanted Tyler playing with his cars, since that has been his favorite for going on 3 years now. And for Caroline, I wanted a shot that showed her spunk and crazy personality, so we went in the yard and she twirled! :) I also got a few shots in her bikini, but I just had to remember those thighs! I can't wait to get the paintings back!

Summer Camp at Christ the King winded down. The kids seemed to really have a blast, but I am excited to get back into a routine with school. Remembering to send swim clothes for water day and dress up for this and that...it was all exhausting!

All ready for "disguise day"!

Ready for the big waterslide on the last day!

Tyler is a non-stop talker! While this is not necessarily new, Russ and I love how animated he has become later when he talks with his hands. He uses them for emphasis and it is just so funny!

Another favorite that started this summer is that Tyler loves to tell "jokes" at bedtime. This started when Russ told him a knock-knock joke and now he begs for Russ to lay in bed for a little bit and tell jokes back and forth. Tyler's "jokes" end up being made-up elaborate stories about random things...the lamp in his room, cars crashing, etc. Oh how I love that little boy's imagination!

Caroline is a singing machine! This girl LOVES to sing and she will sing to herself in bed for an hour most nights. Her articulation is still not the best, so you can't understand a lot of her words still, but she thinks she is hot stuff when she sings. :) She is also obsessed with princesses and is loving her princess castle right now. She also tells everyone she is 4 and attempts to hold up 4 fingers when you ask "how old are you?"...more like 2, going on 40!

Russ and I all caught up on "House of Cards" after our binge-watching marathon (so good!) and we started watching my summer guilty pleasure, Big Brother! I'm not a huge reality TV person, but I do love me some Big Brother! (Maybe because it's summer and nothing else is on TV?! Ha!)

Here are a few more pics to wrap up July....