July 19

And we are fully immersed into summer!  We've been keeping busy with camps, cooking, outside fun, and dog-sitting!


This was our first year doing WOW Science Camp and wow, was it awesome!  Both kids had a great time and I know Little Sweetie learned so much!

Science Camp kiddos!

Excited to tell Ms. A all about Science Camp!

If we aren't at a camp, you can likely find us trying to keep cool in the hot Texas summer!

At the swimming pool is always a good bet, especially now since Little Sweetie is such an accomplished swimmer!

The library is a great stop too!  Chilling out and reading books!

     

Little Sweetie rocked out her summer reading!

     

And if you get to the mall early enough, you can have the run of the play place and get a carousel ride in!  Finding indoor play is our biggest goal in this heat!

       

Kangas has also been a big hit this summer.  We loved having a big playdate with our friends there too!

     

Meeting Daddy for lunch (often at Chuy's) and taking an obligatory lunch picture is also one of the ways we spend our days!

And, of course, the lake is our best friend on the weekends!

We're not always out and about (although it feels like it!).  Most afternoons we are home and have to entertain ourselves.  Thanks to a gift from our friend, Ms. K, someone has been cooking a storm up in the kitchen!  After Little Sweetie finished her Minnie Mouse cookbook, she was thrilled to get a subscription to Kidstir!  She'll now get 3 recipes a month to try out.  This month's category was drinks!

          

     

She loved making (and tasting!) her S'more Shake!

     

Cutting watermelon and peeling cucumber (with supervision) were skills she gained while making her summer cooler drink!

        

For an extra treat, she found a recipe for dinosaur track cookies in the back of one of her storybooks!

Little Sweetie also got to demonstrate her responsibility by helping puppy sit her friend K's dog, M.  She actually did better with having a puppy around than I expected!

       

     

Playing, grooming, walking...she's trying to prove that she's ready for a puppy!

And it was Independence Day this month!  Not many pictures because it poured down rain most of the day, but we did get to enjoy going to see the Incredibles II!

     

Who needs fireworks when you have these two bright spots of light??

Overall, it was a great month with our Little Sweetie!  We are just happy to enjoy her company as much as possible before she gets to kindergarten in a year!

     

Never turn down couch cuddles!

Our awesome girl!

Height and Weight

Back under 40 pounds this month with 39.6 but up to exactly 41 inches!

     

Our big, strong, awesome girl!  She's so grown up!

Personality

I mean, these pictures just really say it all, don't they?

      

Mean mugging for the camera!

Still bright and bubbly.  Seriously, she's nearly effervescent...until she isn't!  If we miss a nap, things tend to go south pretty quickly.  She's also really starting to dislike when things don't go her way.  Oh well, sister.  That's life!

Developmental Milestones

So much happening this month!  I can't believe how much she's developing and refining skills right now.  I'll start with her fine motor and creativity, which have been off the charts.  Since we don't have as hectic of a schedule right now with school being out, she's gotten to play with more with her toy bins and activities at home.  

     

Inventing with her tinker toys.  I wish I could remember the elaborate explanations she gave me of her designs!  She was so involved in it, I even let her come down late to dinner so as not to interrupt her.

       

Going to town with our favorite art trays to do Perler beads (her new obsession, which requires finger fine motor skill that I'm not sure I even have!), painting, and tracing/coloring (she's discovered tracing paper and is a tracing machine now!).  It is so amazing to watch her create such complex and imaginative art projects!

But here is the BIG developmental milestone...someone learned to ride her bike without training wheels!  At only 4!  We are so proud of her!  She never gave up and after only practicing on weekends this summer, she did it!

      

           

Look at her go!

And even after all her riding, she still wants to make sure Big Brother gets his ride too!

Fun Tidbits

Well, she did it...Little Sweetie completed her first season as a shark on our local swim team!  We are so proud of how hard she worked and all the improvements she made.

     

She was over the moon with her trophy and her ribbons!

 

I can't believe there's only one more month of summer left!  See you then, 

LSM

Little Sweetie's Momma