We've had a lot going on this summer! This was the first summer that we didn't really have any sort of plan for Maggie while she was on summer break. We hoped that she would be content to entertain herself each day while Ian and I worked out of the home. Neither of my kids play with toys or dolls, and watching tv all day was not acceptable. So, I got out my Mom's old trunk filled with ancient Barbie clothes and I actually had to show Maggie how to play with Barbies. For some reason dolls are just so foreign to her - it's like she just doesn't get it, like what's the point? She just has no imagination when it comes to dolls. I let her drag out all the dolls and clothes in the basement and for about two days it looked like a tornado hit. So, playing with Barbies lasted all of two days before she moved on to more t.v. watching. Luckily, she was invited to play with friends quite a bit over the summer and she had several play-dates here as well. We could not wait to get to Arkansas in July so the girls could play at the lake with the cousins.
We left for Arkansas on July 23 (my 34th birthday) and spent two wonderful weeks with all of our families. The girls got to see their cousin Ethan a lot and had several sleepovers at Nana's house. Ian's parents are in the process of building a new house in a great neighborhood in Benton. Having built our last home, I was so excited to see the design and structure of their house. I cannot wait to see the finished product later this year! Ian's brother, David, and wife Tara, are expecting a baby girl in a few months and we are excited for her arrival!
We spent a lot of time at my mom's house on Lake Hamilton. She is re-modeling the upstairs of her house so it was slightly under construction while we were there. She re-modeled the downstairs a few years ago, so after this project is done I think it will be even more improved. It's a great house, she's just making it more liveable for when the whole family is there at once. She has a great vision for what she wants. She's really good at that. We had some really lazy days on the lake. Mom made poodle skirts for Maggie and Lucy, which they are in total love with! Mom had found Maggie one years ago at a yard sale and Maggie played dress up in the old poodle skirt daily. It was made from a felt fabric and over time it had little fuzzy balls all over it. Now they have brand new ones and dress up in them ALL the time! Thanks to Marmee for taking the time to make them. They are very special to the girls. It's one of those things that they will always remember about their Marmee just like I remember my Mimmi sewing clothes for me.
I drove to Nashville, AR for one night to hang out with my high school girlfriends, Dawn, Carrie, Shawn, Ashley and Mandy. We get together about twice a year so I was totally excited when I got a text from Shawn saying that she was planning an impromptu get together. This took some great planning by her since we are all mostly living in different cities now. We had a blast as always and just hung out at Shawn and Mark's house. We ventured out to the many flea markets in Nashville and Mineral Springs and it was fun! I got a great deal on some Barbie clothes that Maggie will never play with...
The girls spent some time at my Dad and Anne's and Grant and Jill and the kids were there. My younger brother, Bennett, came in for the weekend so it was great to get to see him. He's living in Fayetteville this summer while doing an internship. He will be totally done with college in December, yay!
Maggie started second grade the first week of August and Lucy Jane started a new pre-school too. Lucy had some separation anxiety the first few days when I dropped her off and then Ian told me when he dropped her off she did just fine - not even a tear was shed! So we had a little talk about no crying at school anymore and I guess she listened because I haven't seen a tear since. She is getting to be such a big girl!
Above are some pictures from Arkansas and school.
