- Pigs and queens and rides...OH MY! -

A full Saturday dedicated strictly to deep cleaning this dump of a house set us three seconds away from going completely STIR CRAZY...

...so we threw in the towel [literally] and headed for the county fair! Booyah, baby!

Brian took Harper to the fair's rodeo earlier in the week, and she came home talking a mile a minute about how, "'Dis ONE cowboy falled off his cow and got his jeans ALL DIRTY, Mommy! And Kate weared her boots to 'da row-dee-oh. But it's too wow'd [loud] for Sissy's ears 'dere but me and Daddy will take you 'dere when her is older. Ok, Mommy?" Ok, baby...it's a date!

But Saturday evening brought family fun for everyone! There were trains and race cars...

...pigs and cows and livestock of all shapes and sizes [and smells]...

...carnival rides [the swings were Harper's favorite this year]...

...beautiful queens...

...and much more!

It's true what they say: there are activities and food and fun for everyone.  We love this fair and it's so fun to watch our kids love it, too.  

So! Keep it real until next year... :)  

We'll be back!  

- Family pics [again...]! -

The girls' teachers at school [AKA daycare] have been asking us to send a family picture to hang in their classrooms for a few weeks now, so -- instead of printing a copy of our last decent family photo -- I decided to throw down an impromptu Saturday evening mini-shoot!  We went to Mass and dinner with the rentsies and then convinced them to swing by the park for a "night cap" to help get this session accomplished. Thanks, Dad, for snapping some pics of the four of us; and double thanks to Mom for jumping around behind the camera like a clown to get the littles to face forward and [sort of] smile! And Brian, per usual, pulled off his "hair fixing and skirt fluffing" job like a pro! :)

BTW -- matching "sister outfits" [again] compliments of Grammy Resa! I adore them!

We love these little people more than words can say!!!

- Six months young! -

And that means...HALF A YEAR OLD!!! Wahhhhhh!

Ohhhhh, sweet pretty Scarlett girl: you are absolutely THE BEST! This month you've mastered sitting up by yourself [I still throw a pillow behind your back juuuust in case you topple over], and you're so happy being plopped down in a mound of toys and reaching and playing and chewingggg on everything you can get your hands on.

You enjoy sitting up in shopping carts now, too [and Aldi carts are the best]!

You tried and loved peas but weren't a fan of sweet potatoes or green beans ...or shockingly, Puffs! Momma's pride took a small blow when you recurrently shut down my homemade veggies [you literally just clinch your jaws shut and put your chin down to your chest every time you smell them warming up...we'll have to work on that!]! Oatmeal is your desired dinner and, well, we usually let you have your way.

You weighed 16 pounds, 11 ounces and measured 26.5 inches at your six-month well baby visit. Your hair is long enough to hold a clippy bow without the stretchy headbands! Yay!

Your favorite person is Harper and I'm pretty sure your entire world revolves around her; you will crane your neck in directions I didn't know necks could bend just to get a glimpse of your beloved big sis. 

You aren't the world's longest napper, especially if Momma isn't holding you [30 minute "catnaps" are your jam], but you're so cute that we don't reallllly mind. ;) ;)  ...The 5am rooster/cry call isn't nearly as cute, but Mommy and Daddy's circadian rhythms are adjusting grudgingly.

^^ The pillow says it best: we'll love you forever! 

Cheers to six months -- your best month yet!

- I don't cry over spilled milk... -

...unless it's breast milk, in which case I cry A LOT!

Last night, Harper was swinging around a freshly pumped bottle and "accidentally" popped the nipple off and spilled FOUR FULL PRECIOUS OUNCES all over the kitchen table and floor and I literally had to take a 5-second deep breath in and walk away before I scream-cried and totally lost my $#*% right in front of her!!! Oh. My. Lawwwwwwwwd. Run-on sentence deluxe, but EFF WORDY EFF EFF.

...But worry not, I eventually swept it under the rug/down the drain and all was swell in our abode a few minutes later. 

And that ^^ was a just a dramatic preface to this:

Rumor has it that this is World Breastfeeding Week [of course I just realized today is the last day of #WBW, but I'm usually almost always late to the game so no big surprise there] and so! Let me just toot the horn and jump on the bandwagon by taking a hot second to celebrate my kids' literal life-saving devices -- AKA my boobies!

(  o  )(  o  )

Breastfeeding is a big priority in this house for a multitude of reasons, and so this #WBW is the perfect chance to get few things off/out of my chest [pun intended?]. While I wholeheartedly agree with the new motto that "fed is best" and it's great that mamas have the liberty to choose what's best for them/their families, I'm alsoooo a huge breastfeeding advocate and get my feathers ruffled a wee bit when I'm on the receiving end of petty remarks such as, "You're stilllllll breastfeeding her?" and, "You're so lucky you are able to nurse her!" and, "I wish it was easy for me like it is for you..." Because hold the phone: in my experience[s], it has never been easy!!! I used a nipple shield .every.single.time. I fed Harper for a full year.  And Scarlett was a beast of her own....... ...Lettttt's just say I'm not a newbie when it comes to a) seeking expert lactation help to correct a bad latch and b) pampering a set of sore/cracked/BLEEDING nipples haaaaaa. :/  Throw in healing up a few clogged ducts...finding time to pump every few hours at work...keeping up with a decent diet/fluid intake + choking down lactation supplements and "cookies" all to sustain an adequate milk supply.......and this breastfeeding dealio becomes a full time job in and of itself! I definitely wouldn't say it's all fun and games, but! In the face of ALL of that ^^, I still immediately say yes to breastfeeding [and would say yes a million times again!] because my struggles/sacrifices so clearly become the girls' gain/benefit. I also adore the bonding time with my sweet babies and truly believe I gave/am giving them the very best!

So yes, although there's absolutely been trials and tribulations and tears along the way, I just wanted to throw it out there that exclusive breastfeeding doesn't necessarily come easy to every new mom out there, but I'm still proud of my decision to push through when it's not as easy or glamorous as it sounds. Breastfeeding is undoubtedly the hardest job I've ever loved, and I already know I'll miss those middle-of-the-night feeding sessions and all that sweet bonding time with Scarlett when she's done [just like I did when Harper weaned!].

Blah blah blahhhh...the moral of my story? Just this: breastfeeding is HARD WORK, so big props to all the women who can and do! Please, let's use this week [and every week!] to encourage and support breastfeeding mamas who are giving it their all! Whether you stick out for a day or a week or a year, I commend you and am cheering for you and celebrating you!!!  

Gotta run......it's snack time! ;) :) 

- Ohhhh, July... -

...you started off with a BANG!...

...and have been pop-booming out of control ever since! The minute all of the 4th of July festivities were over, [I thought] we would slouch back to the mundane/monotonous baseline that is "every day life" around here. But no.

Nopeeee! 

Just for one instance: It was a Friday afternoon ~2pm and I was changing one of Scarlett's diaper bombs [poop emoji ^to the nth degree!!!]. I heard a queer noise like water-trickling-turned-gushing coming from the kitchen area, so I poked my head out of the nursery to see if Harper had maybe pushed a chair over to the sink and turned the faucet on. Nope, she was still in the living room putting a mustache and a purse on Mr. Potato Head.  Weird! I scanned my eyes over the rest of the kitchen, and F#*&! S#@%! Holy crapppppers! The ice/water hole on the refrigerator was hemorrhaging bucketssss of water EVERYWHERE! I velcro-ed Scarlett's sh*t diaper back on and dumped her on the living room floor before dashing to the kitchen to assess the mess. Harper quickly came over to help, but the water was soaking full-sized bath towels quicker than we could throw them down! Of courseeeee, Brian didn't answer his phone in our moment of panic; but luckily Uncle Garett did! I was hoping he'd be at home [he lives just down the street from us!], but alas he was not and had to talk us through the disaster over the phone.  He directed me to the water shut-off valve in the basement [but not easily; I was about to disconnect the washer and dryer on first try and the water heater on second try -- and finally had to send him a photo of what I was touching so he could confirm it was the correct valve............allllll while water was still spewing upstairs and Scarlett was screaming her head off re: wallering in a poopy diaper and Harper was at the top of the stairs yelling/panicking, "Mommy? Mommyyyyy? Mommy! 'Da water still comin' out! Where are you Mommyyyyyyy!!?]

HOLY MESS!!! Finally it stopped and we began sopping/mopping up the pond on our floor. Oh, and yes, we soon got Scarlett a fresh diapey! Moments before Brian walked in the front door [still unaware of what had just occurred!], Harper set her diva fan right by the edge of the fridge to help dry out all the water that likely seeped into the cracks of the hardwood floor..... Ohhhhh MERCY. Gimme a margarita right meow.

Then! For the next instance: A few days passed by after the fridge incident, and Brian left for [yet another!] work trip. Not gonna be shy about saying it -- I freaking loathe his work travel!!!!! I loveeee spending time with my babies, but I get mild anxiety when I'm the solo parent -- still working my job while trying to juggle daycare drop-offs and pick-ups and dinners and baths and bedtimes juuuust to turn around and do it again all by myself the next day. Ugh. It's hard, especially when I'm a sleeper and sleep has to go to the backburner while he's gone. But! We got to FaceTime Daddy right before his plane took off, and then #girlhouse it was!

When Daddy returned home, the tables were turned and Mommy had to work a little 26-hours of overtime. It was SEVEN. DAYS. IN. A. ROW. which equates to 66 hours on the clock + 14-ish hours of drive time... What the whatttttttt?  Long story, buttttt it was a pre-meditated situation and Brian agreed to take some vacation from work to keep our family afloat while I was gone all week makin' 'dem dolla dolla billz and so!  I clung to the evenings with my babies as well as the pic updates from Daddy Daycare to get me through the week! It was interesting to say the least and definitely made me value my "part-time" status the other 51 weeks of the year! <3

In the middle of all our chaos, we still squeezed in lunch at 54th Street with Danette...

...a cousin play date at Great Aunt Joanie's... 

...ice cream at Bobby's with Grammy and Papa...

...Elly's 8th birthday party...

...a party at Uncle Jon's to cheer for Croatia in the World Cup...

 ...another [different!] cousin play date at Airplane Park...

...annnnnnd a sweet corn-picking session at the family pig farm! [Harp said, "Poo, it 'mells here!"]

Phewwwwww! I don't know what else to say, other than: 

5 days left of July..... LET'S DO IT!!! :)

- Tiny Dancers -

After the completion of gymnastics class way back when, Harper has been asking to start another class at the YMCA and so! A five-week stint of ballet/tap/dance it was! 

I was working an extra shift at the hospital on the evening of her very first class, so Brian happily agreed to get her dressed and off to class. A couple of hours later, Emma sent me these pics...

...and when I initially opened them at work I couldn't decide if I should be mortified/embarrassed for Harper or just fall off my chair laughing. Ohhhhh, Daddy...!!! Luckily, Harper didn't seem to mind her wardrobe... :D

For the next week, we dug a little ballet tutu out of her closet [thank you Aunt Lisa for the best hand-me-downs ever!] and she blended in with the other kiddos a little lot better... ;) :)

I/we absolutely loved watching Harper and Kate through the windows each week as they learned new dance steps and got their groove on! In the last few minutes of each class, the teachers invite the parents in for a "recital" so the kids can show off the new steps they've learned, and it's sooo adorable!

We are so proud of our BFF tiny dancers and can't wait to see what they choose to learn next! Love you two ballerinas!!! 

- FAMILY RESTAURANT... -

...OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

Sweet little Sissy caught some zzz's while Harp and Mommy tore up the kitchen making green beans! sweet potatoes! and peas!  

*****

Baby Food

Prep/Total Time: 10 minutes per batch

• frozen peas
• frozen green beans
• sweet potatoes [cut into small chunks before cooking]

Steam veggies on stove. Drain. Rinse with cold water for a few minutes to stop the cooking process. Dump soft veggies into blender. Blend! Eat/freeze! Enjoy! 

*****

Harper was so proud of our project and couldn't wait for Scarlett to give it the taste test the next day...

...whiiiiich didn't really go over too well; the sweet potatoes that went in immediately came back out [paired with a squinted-eye shudder] and she ultimately decided to stick with her beloved oatmeal and peas instead. But Harper lapped up Scarlett's rejected bowl of sweet potatoes annnnd even asked for seconds! #illtakeit!

And now? Food in 'da freezer for MONTHS! Healthy and cheap and convenient and perfecttttt. Holla at 'cho girls if anyone wants to make an order for carryout! Bonus: these purees come out lookin' the sameeee way they went in! ;) :/ :)

Hooray for puree!