4th of July

We had an amazing 4th of July weekend with a get-together at our friend's lake house and a baseball game with neighbors.  I didn't take a single picture so I made up for it on 4th of July!  I just had to capture the girl's cute outfits :).  

Our neighborhood went CRAZY for 4th of July!  I bought the girls $7 worth of sparklers and poppers then we sat watched our neighbors blow up all the dollars.  I don't really buy into spending money on fireworks, but we did get to enjoy a great show.  The girls even got to light a couple!  When we went inside for bedtime, it still sounded like a war zone outside, but we were so tired it didn't seem to bother anyone.  

Lazy Summer Days

When we're not out and about, we're home making up games, making messes, and sneaking in a nap or two.

"Indie, have you been eating chalk?"  lol

A couple years ago, Dave's classmate, Erika, taught the girls they could make earrings out of lightning bugs' butts and it has totally stuck.  

Waiting for their ride to the pool.  I am so incredibly lucky to have amazing friends that help me manage everyone's different schedules.  

Sunday spa day.  They called this the "spald treatment"

Dave introduced the girls to Calvin and Hobbes and we've had all sorts of spontaneous laughter during quiet time.  

Last day with the Picc line....woohoo!

My little helper doing what she does best.

Indie reeeeeally likes her reflection.  I have the tongue marks all over my windows to prove it haha.  

This is kinda a big deal around here, Indie's cup is ON HER TRAY!  Not all the time, but we're making progress.

"I'm not tired mom"

Okay, we all like a little nap time now and then

Sprinklering our patchy grass.  

 "Look mom, I'm a peacock!"

Lavender Festival

I was in a bit of a rut after doing all the same summer activities over and over so when my friend Carrie invited us a lavender festival in Iowa we said "sure!"  We had no idea what to expect, but it was perfect!  A low-key event, perfect weather, a fairy garden, and lavender fields was just what I needed.  It was a cool evening so we sat on our blanket listening to music and chatting before heading home.  

Walking

Indie took her first official steps on Thursday, June 15!  That week at speech therapy, Indie spent her time standing up by herself in front of the mirror over and over.  She even took a couple of side steps and I realized we may not be too far from actual steps.  2 days later, I decided to put a lego stick in each hand to see if I could trick her into walking independently.  It worked, she took a couple steps so I called the entire family to the living room.  While we are all gathered around, Indie took 5-6 steps across the living room and we cheered her on like crazy!  It was an even bigger deal and better feeling than I thought it would be.

Fast forward a month and Indie is walking everywhere.  She still holds her hands out and still falls quite a bit, but she stands right back up and continues on her way.  She has become a bit of a tornado around here, she is relentless with opening cabinets, finding electrical outlets, and making messes whenever she can.  Luckily the girls are great helpers so I can shower once in a while.  Toddlerhood is officially here and I can't wait to see what's next with this little bear. 

Schwimming

We hit up the lake a couple of times while Indie had her PICC line in; she seemed pretty content to play in the sand, but I was sad to see her on the sidelines.  Once we got her line out, we had to wait 24 hours, then we hit up night swimming at Plattsmouth Pool.  The older girls loved playing in the water, but Indie only loved it for a 30 minutes then she was like "eh."  We have been visiting lakes and pools ever since and just finished up a couple weeks of swim lessons.  The girls excitement has worn off to the point that they only want to swim with friends, but Indie has become brave and unstoppable in the water.