I got to take the puppers for a walk one day and it was so nice to be alone with my own thoughts and the sounds of the woods. And thanks to the inspiration of this instagram post, the kids and I had a chat about getting tan skin in the summer. I explained that our skin gets tanner in the summer because of the melanin that is inside of all our skin, but we don't have a lot of melanin so ours only shows on our skin when we spend time in the sun. Melanin is to help our bodies protect itself from the sun so we can be grateful that our skin has melanin enough to keep our bodies safe in the summer when we are outside so much. Melanin is the same thing that our Black and Brown friends and family have in their skin too, but they just have more than us - so their melanin is visible all the time, not just in the summer. Some people have a lot of melanin and some people have a little. People have all different kinds of hair color too like red, brown, blonde, or a mix of all of them like Gemma - some people even have white hair like Violet! And some people have blue eyes like Daddy, Rusty, and Violet and some people have green eyes like Momma, Booboo, and Gemmi and and don't forget brown eyes like Abba and Gigi or brownish-greenish eyes that look like the sun shining through the forest like our friend Andrew, or Red's grayish, purplish, blue eyes deep as the sea! How lucky we are to live in a world where there is so much variety and beauty!
Scheduling Gemma's first communion and Rusty's baptism! Now that church has opened up a little more, we were finally able to set the date and I was lucky enough to get permission to do them both on the same day! We already have Gem's dress and veil (I ordered it back in January) but we still need some shoes for that girl. Everyone will be required to wear masks during mass, so I found a beautiful white mask embroidered with a cross for Gemma to wear that day. It will be an odd, but meaningful memento for her in her memory box. I'm pretty sure (?) I have the baptism outfit that Grey & Rusty wore somewhere up in the attic - but I'm going to have to go on a treasure hunt because I have no idea which box it might be in!
Enjoying all of the wonderful outdoor opportunities our area has to offer. As it continues to be (seem?) more clear that Covid doesn't spread as easily outdoors - we are soaking up all the outside fun in the wide open spaces. Grey got to go kayaking & swimming with his cousins at Yellow Creek (thank you Heather and Albert!), we got to swim at our cousin's bbq graduation party, and we are logging time in the sandbox at the baseball fields. The kids were happy to do sparklers and set off some lowgrade fireworks for the 4th too.
Doing a little happy dance for our 3 MONTH OLD (!!) He is truly the sweetest baby; sleeping so well and always interested in coo'ing and goo'ing to us. He has so much to say. He is doing great on the switch to formula and his fussiness and gassy-ness has all but disappeared now (I believe thanks to the sensitive formula and full belly).
Hosting a summer visit with our cousin Lainey. She is a little less than a year older than Violet so the two of them had so much fun playing and giggling all over the house together for half of the week. They were so sweet sharing clothes and a bed at night.
Ordering everyday style masks for the whole family. We have been rotating 4 masks or fashioning handkerchiefs into masks over the last few months because we haven't really gone anywhere as a whole family unless it was outside and mask-free. But with the kids' upcoming religious ceremonies (masks required) and school at the end of August, I went and purchased a bunch on Etsy for the kids and us so that we are always stocked and ready. Especially since we've moved back into masks required in public indoor spaces in PA.
Starting Keto on July 1st.
Mapping out some plans for the next few weeks and fall. I ordered my new teacher planner (from Happy Planner, my fav!) with my fingers crossed that there will be a meaningful, safe, creative, and impactful plan for teachers and students this fall. I have A LOT of thoughts. I also wrote out in my planner some running training goals as Kitty and I registered for a virtual run and set our date for Sept 20th to do the full 10k!
Singing Happy Birthday to America and sending a big wish to her that she will do better. We must do better for all of us. None of us are free until all of us are free.
Bringing home a new grill! We got a griddle topped grill with two air fryer drawers and we are all over the moon about it, but no one more than B.
Giving Gemmi a hug and a kiss until next week. She is off to spend a few days with her cousins three hours away. She will have so much fun and I am so excited for her (plus her and Grey desperately need some time apart before they bite each others' heads off). This will be her longest time away from us! We are swapping Gem for their family's oldest brother - a cousin swap! Reid will be staying with us for the week!
Summer sporting with three volleyball matches in one night (that's 9 games!) Luckily we had the endurance to do it with our new team shirts! (Thanks for watching the kids Abba & Chum!) Grey had two baseball games.
Making Ranch chicken tacos, blackened tilapia, ground beef & cheese over zucchini and hibachi style (on our new grill) chicken, shrimp and steak with grilled veggies. To support our Keto efforts, I also made a batch of peanut butter fat bombs, chocolate cream cream cheese fat bombs, and Keto bagels. I am loving for breakfast avocado mash on a toasted keto bagel with everything seasoning.
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