The Ides of July!

Somehow, we're over half-way through July...which means over half-way over with summer break. Next month, someone will be trotting off to "real school" - I am so not ready for that!

Last weekend, we went to the beach. Ginger's favorite place is the beach, probably tied with the "Wimming Poo" - that's swimming pool in her dialect. ;-)



Right before we went to the beach, I got my hair cut at a salon right on the ocean. It was a Groupon...so I thought I'd try it out and bring Paprika with me. Paprika had been talking for weeks and weeks about how when she grows up, she wants to be a hairdresser in a hair salon. Of course, she has only had one haircut in her life (at a kid's place in Indiana)...so I was wondering how she got that idea into her head. I decided to take her with me so she could see if it was really for her. About ten minutes into the experience, she looked at me very seriously and said, "On second thought, I think I'll grow up to be a mermaid instead." Ha!




Not the most flattering picture of me...but here I am in all my pregnant glory. ;-) I am now 23 weeks pregnant- in this pic I was 22 weeks (since it was taken a week ago). I am really starting to feel pregnant now. I am loving feeling the kicks and the little reminders of our baby girl growing inside me. Next week (24 weeks) is the viability mark- I am looking forward to that milestone the most. :-)



I am craving lots of fruit and chocolate. The girls and the puppy are keeping me busy, so I don't have a lot of time to rest and ponder this pregnancy, but I carve out special time. The girls are soooo excited about the baby and talk to her all the time. Ginger likes to kiss my belly and say, "Pavenzia, come out!!!" I knew Paprika would bond early with the baby, but I had not anticipated how excited Ginger would be about her and how much she "gets" even though she is just two years old.



The summer is just gliding by. The construction noise has been driving me bonkers - we have had a few really bad days of constant noise (half of our neighbors are either building new houses or doing major work). I have pulled out the map of Montana more than once this past month and checked real estate prices on big pieces of land with no neighbors! Ha! That's just the reality of living here...this community is undergoing a pretty big change - it used to be middle/working class and now people with more money are coming and tearing everything down. We live in one of the last little original beach bungalows - our house is dwarfed by McMansions all around us, and it makes me a little nostalgic for the "old days" (even though I wasn't really alive in the old days- ha!)



We are the second family to live in this house since it was built in 1949! The last family who lived here had it built in 1949, raised four kids in this house, and then sold it to investors in 2010 - the mom moved to Arkansas to be with family. We are living here basically until our landlords decide to tear it down. I feel connected to this house and have an odd pride that our house is one of the last of its kind!

I love living so close to the beach, and some days I pretend I am living back in 1950...a simple little beach life. Nothing about this house has changed since it was built, so it's easy to feel like I'm in a little time capsule. Ha!



In other news, our little ball of fur turned three months old on Friday (July 15th). She was born on Tax Day (April 15th), so it makes her monthly birthdays really easy to remember!

She is adorable, and yes, kind of a pain in the rear, too. ;-) Overall, I can't complain. The only thing driving me really bonkers is when she nips at the girls- just puppy playing stuff, which I know will get better. I would say her good traits far outweigh the annoying ones, and I love having her in the house. The girls love her and every day Paprika says, "Please can we keep her forever?" She's a member of the family and I am excited for the girls to grow up with her!



And last, but definitely not least...we had some friends out visiting us from Illinois a few weeks ago. My friend Liz came out with her family, and it was so awesome getting the kids together! We met online when we were pregnant with our first babies, and we've been close friends ever since.



That summer Mr. Mustard worked for Oprah and we lived in the Omni on Michigan Ave., I spent a lot of time with Liz...at the mall, at her house...she really put up with me a lot! Haha! She has been out here to visit three times and everytime it is just awesome. I am so grateful for technology - it really makes the miles so much shorter...doesn't it?



We had an awesome time hanging out with her family in our 'hood, and just catching up on life. Like these two babies who weren't even born the last time we saw eachother!



And these two, who declared one another "best friends" 5 minutes into hanging out.



I did get a picture of all of us hanging out, but...it is not the most flattering picture of me at all. So, I will have to save it for another day! Haha!

So, that's our first half of Summer! Time is really flying so very fast. I am enjoying our lazy days, and being home with the girls. I know my life will not always look like this, so I am making the most of each moment with them while they are little. It is too precious for words!