Jumping Daisy

>Yesterday was the first day of school in Iowa City, and lots of other places where I have Facebook friends. I love seeing the first day of school pictures with tiny little kids, full of excitement and wearing their new clothes, standing on the front stoop wearing a backpack that would better fit a child twice their size. I remember my own first day of kindergarten picture. I am wearing a teal dress, standing on the front porch of our farm house in Tabor. It is hard to believe that this is the last year that the first day of school will be just another day for me. Next year, I will surely have Leila decked out in her favorite outfit…I am betting it will be a dress or skirt, and hopefully she will be grinning in excitement for her first day of Kindergarten. Time flies when you’re having fun!

We have been making the most of our summer, and this week has been no different. We kicked off the weekend with a trip to the farmer’s market and an afternoon at Kinnick Stadium for kids day.

It was very hot that day, but the girls were troopers for a long time…I am sure Grammy’s diet coke helped…yeah, I know my baby is drinking is diet coke.

Can’t get enough of this view…

>Have you ever seen anything this cute? I doubt it.

>One of these days Thea is going to be a master of following directions, and I will have Leila to thank for ordering her around. So far, Thea doesn’t resist too much, except for the fact that she is a baby and naturally isn’t great at following directions, which really frustrates her big sister. Sometimes it works out, and it is pretty cute.

>I have this habit. A couple of times a year I find myself feeling totally disgusted with myself. Then I decide to make some changes. The list usually consists of: regular exercise, eating more vegetables, getting up earlier in the morning, stop biting my nails, losing massive amounts of weight, watching less TV, spending less time on the internet, eating at home more, not drinking pop….you get the picture.

So that is how it starts. And it usually ends with me being overwhelmed, failing big time at at least one of the above and then saying to hell with it all and returning to the status quo. Which is why I currently don’t exercise, weigh too much, eat too much junk, drink tons of pop, wake up at the last possible minute in the morning, watch too much TV and spend too much time on the internet. Oh, and I bite my nails, and yes I know that is gross and immature.

This time I decided to give myself a little break, and see if I could maybe do better just focusing on a couple of items. So far I am on day 5 of not biting my nails, and I though I am not counting every calorie, I am making a true effort to lose weight.

Yesterday, day four, as I drove home from work I was so hungry that I was sure that my stomach was eating itself. All I could think about was this one jagged fingernail that was taunting me to just put it out of its misery and bite it off! It was a torturous drive, running my finger over the top of that nail, thinking about pulling into every gas station in eye shot and buying a huge pop and a oatmeal creme pie. This is hard stuff.

I surprised my weak will power by making it all the way home and snacking on a banana while I walked the dog. That banana sucked. I still want an oatmeal creme pie. And a nail file.

>Last summer on our annual vacation to Warsaw, MO I spent the week lounging around the sweet cabin that we rented and taking care of my baby Thea. This year was lots of action. Aside from the day that we spent at the outlet mall in Osage Beach, every day was spent on the water. Uncle Randy brought his two Jetskis and we all spent out days floating, boating and jetskiing. It was a great time, but it was one that I am still recovering from!

The highlight of the trip for me was definitely just getting to spend time with my family. My sisters are all such wonderful women, and our families are awesome. I don’t know how else to put it. My Morgan family that we rarely get to see, and my Howard family that we all miss from the days that we lived closer are just so much fun to be around. I spent way too many nights staying up later then I should and laughing with my family. I got up too early and was blinded by the bright morning sun coming in the giant picture windows, I got way too much sun but a great tan, I tried out the jetski for the first time, and the second, third, fourth…I kind of liked the jetski. I spent too much money but got some great new running shoes that I have yet to run in, I ate too much delicious food (gained 4 lbs :() and I had a blast.
I also got to mess around with Andrea’s laptop and try some different effects with my pictures. This is one that Cory and I both really like of our baby Thea, who also had a great time.

The kids (And their parents) really loved having all of that time to spend with Grandma and Pop Pop. They definitely have a growing fan club. (Can you blame them?)

Thea discovered a love of watermelon.

Leila enjoyed lots of time in her favorite spot on the boat…right in the front!

I got to spend a week away from worries at work, with this guy. I like him.

And he got to play with the toy he wishes he owned.

And I got to take some pictures on our sunset cruise…but with all the beautiful sky, this was definitely my favorite shot.

Though these weren’t so bad either…

All in all, a great trip, but totally exhausting, huh Sawyer?

>

The other day I was driving home from Lowden by myself listening to a Taylor Swift CD that my little sister Dani had given to me. I heard a few songs all in a row that had a common theme…beauty. I thought of Dani, who is most definitely a beautiful girl. I thought about all of the many reasons that I love my baby sister. When Dani was born Andrea and I were old enough to offer a lot of help taking care of her, and I think we have always felt a little bit like Dani was our baby, not just our sister. Maybe that is why I am especially proud of what a wonderful woman she has grown in to. The thing about Dani is that she has such beautiful outsides, that sometimes I forget to compliment her insides, which are equally beautiful. From a painfully shy little girl, she has grown into the kind of woman that goes out of her way to make other people happy. She has a beautiful soul, and a will do just about anything for someone in need. I remember my mom telling me about Dani offering a ride to school to a kid that had a terribly long bike ride in the cold winter without her assistance. That is just Dani.
Now that I have my little Leila people tell me all the time that she looks just like her aunt Dani, and I can only hope that my daughter turns out to be as beautiful, thoughtful and funny on the inside as my beautiful baby sister.

I love you Dani!