- Out of the mouth of babes: VOL XLII -

Randomly:
Harper:  "Juliette is the LUCKIEST baby ever! She has a dog, the mostest toys ever, she has three sisters, and a brother!"
Me:  "A brother?"
Harper:  "Yeah, the one that got miscarriaged. We think that was a boy, right? Well, I guess it's more like an angel brother."

While driving past a large building in the Esic neighborhood:
"I can't tell if this is a school or a church or a house or an aftercare!"

After 4 completed days of Tutus Tuus [following approximately 4 months of arguing over wardrobes]:
Harper:  "When I get older, I'm not gonna wear crop tops because I want to be like Jesus and He covered His body."
Scarlett:  "No He didnt, Hawpa!  I can see His nipples on the cwoss!"
Juliette, Harper, me: .....

Randomly:
Harper:  "Why can't we have more than one mom?"
Me:  "What do you mean?"
Harper:  "Like if we were born in the 1900s, wouldn't we be born to like five moms?"
Me: .....[#BRB, let me see if I have one mom or five...]

After checking out [with a few things] at Aldi:
"$58??!?! That's A LOT of dollars just to get groceries!" 

Randomly:
Harper:  "Why are gnomes dumb?"
Me:  "Dumb?  I didn't know they were..."
Harper:  "Well they just sit with their hats down snoozin' all day..."

Randomly:
"Did you know we know everyone? All our cousins, friends, besties, aunts, uncles, grandparents......"

While pulling up to Goodwill donation bins:
Me:  "Oh wow, that guy is donating his golf clubs!"
Harper:  "Well he looks old, he looks like he doesn't want to golf anymore."

After watching an episode of The Chosen:
"I wonder how many days it takes to write a Bible?"

 

While driving to a bridal shower: 
Me:  "Oops! I forgot my rings... Oh, well."
Harper: "Well that's no big deal, people know you're married...........since you have kids and everything."
Me: .....

Randomly:
Harper:  "If you and Dad break up, I would be SO MAD at you, because I wouldn't want to have two houses and two sets of stuff.  But people don't really break up anymore like they used to."
Me: .....

While driving home from all-inclusive seats at a Cardinals game:
Me:  "Does anybody have a tummy ache from eating a lot of junk food?"
Harper:  "Excuse me, ma'am!  I did not eat a LOT of junk food.  I just ate the popcorn...and the brownie...and the hot dog...and the nachos...and the Sprite.  So yeah, that's all I ate."
Me, Brian: .....

Randomly while driving:
"Mommy, why are all the towns like Edwardsville and Belleville and Collinsville named after Cruella [DeVil]?"

While talking about adoration:
"You know at adoration how Jesus just sits in that little circle thing?  You know that's not just like a piece of bread in there, it's actually Jesus smiling at you!"

After picking up Arabella from the groomer:
"I don't even care if she rubs her butt on me now, because all her jingleberries [dingleberries] are trimmed off!"

- FUN on the 4TH -

Much to the shock [and secret dismay] of her pyro Daddy-O, we found out while viewing the town fireworks on July 2 that Juliette was NOT a fan of the big bangs!  While the big girls donned their ear protection and enjoyed the show from beginning to end, Juliette clung tightly to her momma and hated every single firework.

The next day/night was the annual "backyard BBQ and firework show" at Uncle Brant's!

^^ #IYKYK.....  ...And if you don't know, click here! ;) :) 

And! The NEXT day/night -- AKA July 4 -- was filled with fun via a pool party and an evening on the lake complete with boating, swimming, and firework show over the water!

Juliette [and Mommy] hopped ship just before dusk to avoid the firework show! ;) 

Happy birthday, America! Let freedom RING!

 

- Grant's Farm: Round 2 -

There was not one baaaaa-d thing about our day out at Grant's Farm! Cheers to summer adventures...here we GOAT again!

 

It had been about 6.5 years since our last visit to Grant's Farm [you know, the one where Harper ingested goat food pellets and also chugged milk from the goat milk bottles...........and lived to tell the story].  The kids were pros with feeding and brushing the goats this time around!

The highlight of the day [for the big girls] was a ride on the camel! Leave it to Grandma to buy them all the "extras" that Mom always tries to pass off with, "Not today, maybe next time...!" ;) :)

Stay cool, Grant's Farm! We'll be baaaaa-ck some day! 

 

- American Girl Adventures -

I was never ever into American Girl brand -- or really any dolls -- when I was a kid, but Harper and Scarlett LOVE babies and Barbies and 18" dolls and spend hourssss each week dressing and playing with them!  Our local library also has a collection of American Girl dolls that I frequently allow them to check out to play with at home.  While they have zero grasp on what the actual "American Girl" brand even is, they have always called all of their 18" dolls "American Girls."  Therefore, it was no surprise that they JUMPED at Grammy Resa's proposal of taking a train to the hugeeee American Girl doll store in Chicago this summer!  #BRB while we pack up Dixey and Aqua and all their clothing changes and accessories to hit the road to Grammy and Papa's house...

 ...for a quick slumber party before arriving to a very early train in Carlinville the next morning!

Chugga-chugga-CHOO-CHOOOOO, we're off on a 2-day, 1-night girls' trip!

 Because Chicago, HERE WE COME! 

The train ride [sans carseats and stocked with a special snack car] was a huge hit.  Approx. 4 hours later, we made it to Chicago Union Station ...and then off to our hotel where we landed a room on the 17th floor ... and THEN to the long-awaited American Girl store for a super fun shopping experience!

No one was excited or anything. ;) :) 

Complimentary check-ups for Dixey and Aqua were performed by a "doctor" on staff at the AG Store!

And then it was lunch time at the AG Cafe where there was special service for alllll the girls, even Dixey and Aqua!

On the shopping front, the kids each got to pick out one outfit for their doll and one play setup thing [which, yessss, made my heart skip about 23 or maybe 28 beats, because holy price tags...but I tried to breathe deeply all weekend and stifle my cheap-AF ways so as not to spoil all the once-in-a-lifetime excitement for the kiddos]!

Back at the hotel, they donned their pool garb and FaceTimed Grammy Beeler to show her their new loot!

"Night cap" at It'Sugar who?!

As a side plug: Dixey and Aqua are also better known as Mary of Nazareth and My Guardian Angel, respectively, as they're actually Dolls from Heaven!  I became obsessed with the story of this company after a friend shared about it last year.  They are committed to helping children keep Jesus as the focus of their lives, and their mission is to inspire children to become saints!  Santa obvi love Dolls from Heaven, too, because he delivered two to our house last Christmas, along with the books about each doll.

Sweet dreams, my tiny saint American Girl! #ily

 

The next morning, we packed up our things and checked them with the bellman downstairs before hitting the stores along the Magnificent Mile!  We bought some Garrett's Popcorn for Daddy and Papa, tried on some fancy shoes at Zara, and whaddya know.................

 

...ended up back at Water Tower Place for a little look inside the Lego Store...

 

...but more importantly, more play time at the AG Store!!! #cantgetenough  

Harper decided she did not like the outfit I packed her for day #2 of our trip, so she modified my black tank top with a bobby pin and wore it around the city all day as a dress. LOL.

 

Back at Union Station for our 2:00pm train home, we bumped into some familiar faces!  The kids loved making the trek home with some friends in tow!

The next morning at home, the big kids gave Juliette the bottle, diapers, and wipes that they bought her for her babies + the mini-Reese's pieces treat from It'Sugar! She was thrilled with all her surprise gifts...

 

...and the big kids were thrilled to get their dolls' coffee bar and gymnastics sets out!

Memories for a lifetime followed by FUN FOR HOURS [which made for the easiest Sunday of my life]!  Thanks, Mom, for suggesting and organizing the trip!!! I guess we'll start saving up money now for the day Juliette is old enough to have her inaugural trip to Chicago and visit to the AG Store! ;) :-*