Splashin' Sweetie! - Blogged by JME

Earlier this week, June Bug got to go swimming for the first time at a big pool.  She got to go with her mama, her cousins-Bug and Skunk, her Grammy Lu, and her Aunt Lee Lee. 

 

 

Ready to dive in little one?

 

At first, she was not quite sure if she liked it or not. 

It took a little convincing from both her mama and her Grammy Lu.

She liked being in the tube and getting pulled around, and she liked having mama help her swim.

I love those pudgy little knee caps and cute little belly button!

Bug and Skunk loved getting their pictures taken under water. 

 

 

 

Skunk got pretty brave and got his picture taken under the water with his eyes open and without the goggles. 

  

June Bug was quite the wiggle worm at first.  She didn't understand why we had to hold her in the water.  She wanted us to let go and let her crawl and play and do whatever she wanted.  She isn't used to being restrained so much. 

 

 After a while though, she didn't mind us holding her.  She started to relax and enjoy the water.

 

Her favorite part was tasting the water.  Every time her mouth got remotely close to the water, her tongue would automatically stick out and she would try lapping it up like a dog! 

After a while, June Bug had enough. . . .Time to get out!

Mama gets to sunbathe with her best pal! 

After being out of the pool for a while, June Bug just wanted to be pushed around in her stroller.  Auntie Lee Lee was such a good sport and pushed her for probably a good 20 minutes, around and around and around. . . . . . .

It was so nice for all of us to be able to go to the pool and relax.  The scenery was awesome, too!

 

. . . . . . and around, and around, and around.  What about the sun?  No worries!  June Bug was prepared with plenty of sunscreen and her hip zebra-striped sunglasses she got from the library for reading every day. 

Uh . . . Oh!  Dropped the sunglasses!

Getting a little tired.  Guess it is time to go home.

But first, Bug and Skunk have to see who can hold their breath under water the longest.   

Either that or they want to make sure the goggles are still working properly.   

Goodbye, beautiful pool!  Hope to come back again soon!

 

Yesterday, June Bug and I got to have a play date with my best childhood friend, Steph-a-Bee and her three kids.  She has a little girl who is only three months older than June Bug.  It was a lot of fun.  Our kids were both so busy, it was hard to visit a whole lot while we chased them all around, but it was a great time to watch them play together.  I wish I had a picture of me and my childhood bestie when we were little girls.  It was amazing to me to see her little daughter and my little daughter right next to each other.  It was like looking in an old photo album and having our pictures as kids come to life right before my eyes. 

It kept trying to rain, and since the weather was so uncertain, neither of us brought swimsuits for our kids to play in the splash pad.   They really wanted to, and it was plenty warm, so we just said, "Go for it!"

June Bug loved this probably more than the swimming pool because she could crawl around at her leisure and not have someone holding her the whole time.  Surprisingly, she had such a great time and didn't mind getting splashed and soaked!

Again, she wanted to taste the water and kept sticking her tongue out like a little dog.  It was so cute!

I'm getting to be a pretty good mom, I decided.  I feel a little more prepared the more and more we go out.  I did end up bringing a change of clothes and a fresh diaper so she could be nice and dry on the ride home.  Love my precious girl!  Thanks Steph-a-bee for the fun play date!!! 

Fourth of July Fun - Blogged by JME

 

 

N8, June Bug, and I ran in a race in the city where N8 works.  I pushed the stroller with June Bug and ran the 5K, just for the fun of it.  I was surprised when they were handing out ribbons to the winners to hear them call my name.  What a thrill to win my first race!  I think I'm addicted!

 June Bug loves running with me in her stroller.  We have such a great time together.  She always cheers me on and is my favorite running companion. 




My race time was 29:17:88, which is the best time I've ever run a 5K!  I guess all our early morning runs have paid off. 

June Bug and I won third place in my age group. 
 (And we got a little photo-bombed during our picture, but that's okay)

N8 was one proud hubby!  It has been quite a while since we've run a race together, and it was so much fun to do it again.  It was a really nice way to start out our 4th of July. 

This gentleman ran with us.  I loved his outfit.  He ran with the flag and everything.  I thought it was a nice tribute to those in Boston.  

 

 

Afterwards, we went to our local park that was hosting the carnival and booths.  We were pretty disappointed in it this year.  First of all, there was no cotton candy anywhere to be found, secondly, all the booths were lame, and third . . . no matter how hard we looked or who we asked, we could not find the art gallery that was supposed to be there that we were really interested in.  Mostly, we were disappointed that there was no cotton candy. 

 

Next year, we are renting a cotton candy machine, have a booth of our own, and we are going to make a killing. 

I know that I am biased, but I have to say that I think my little June Bug is the cutest June Bug in the whole world. 

She got to play in her new pool that she got for her birthday after she woke up from her nap that afternoon.  She loved it!  Thank you, Aunt T!!!

Grammy Lu and Bapa stopped by for a few minutes and June Bug got lots of attention from Bapa.  They even practiced walking a little. 

She kept switching from her pool to her sandbox.  She is going to be a regular beach bum. 

 

N8 and I decided to finish off the night with some beer brats, corn on the cob, and watermelon.  Little June Bug sure loves the watermelon!!!  I love her toothy little grin!

 

After putting June Bug to bed, N8 and I sat out on our front lawn and watched a killer firework show that our neighbor put on.  He is a pastor of his own church and invited his whole congregation over.  So many of them contributed to the fireworks.  Not only were there little ones, but huge mortars as well.  We really had a good time without even leaving our yard. 

 

We are so grateful that we live in this country and enjoy the freedoms that we do.  We are grateful to all the men and women who sacrifice every day so that we may remain free. 

 

This was such a fun holiday this year! 

 

The memories we made are priceless.

 

Happy 1st Birthday, June Bug!!! 

-- Blogged by JME

I can't believe my sweet little baby is not a baby anymore.  She is 1!!!  She has changed our lives and we love her so much.  It is hard to believe that a whole year has gone by since she was placed in my arms for the first time.  I love everything about her from her cute little pigtails to her precious little toes. 

Hmmmm . . . That looks tasty!

 We had a Ladybug Birthday Party for our little June Bug.  Recently, we found out that she is allergic to dairy. Thanks to a friend of mine who hooked me up with a dairy-free cake and frosting recipe, we were able to pull off a cute little Ladybug Cake just for her. 

 

 

We had a nice little combined party with my family and N8's family.  It was fun visiting with everyone and enjoying a summer evening in the backyard. 

 

Pooh Bear had a fun time practicing back handsprings with her cousins, Pounder and BJ.

 

And June Bug decided to practice her Stink Bug crawl. 

She sure loves her Bapa!

Aunt Pookie and Jocy had a good time too!  Jocy even dressed up for the occasion with a matching Ladybug outfit that went with the theme.  What a cutie!!!

 

We even had Uncle Easton there who drove quite a ways.  We were so glad to see him and appreciated that he made such an effort to be there. 

 

 

My brother Maverick and his friend Kelbel came out for some fun!  Thanks for all your help with scooping the ice cream, Mav!  Great way to put your muscles to work!!!

 

It looks like someone is batting her eyes at her daddy, ready to open some presents!!!

Opening presents can be hard.  You have to practice.  That's why you have so many birthdays.  But on the first one, you need a little help from mommy to get the hang of it. 

 

 

 

"Hmmm . . . .Some toys from Pookie, Pooh Bear, and Jocy for the new sandbox Grandma gave me!  Pretty cool!"

 

 

 

"Wow . . . A Beach Ball Sprinkler  from Aunt L, Uncle R, Z, Pounder, and BJ!  That will keep me nice and cool this summer!"

 



"And a nice upgrade on my car seat from Mom and Dad!  It's about time!!!  I was getting pretty cramped!"

 ". . . Woohoo!  Llama Llama Red Pajama from Grammy Lu and Bapa!  My favorite book!!!"

 

June Bug loved her cake.  She almost looks like the Joker from Batman in this picture.  "Want to know how I got these scars?"

June Bug loves to share!

"All done destroying my first cake.  Now what?"

After a little clean up time, June Bug got to play with her little second cousin (once removed).  They are about six months apart.  They both have such beautiful blue eyes. 

 

What a beautiful little girl we have!  We feel so blessed to have you in our lives. 

 

You make us laugh a little louder and love a little harder.
(Adelita's Way - Alive)