A Constant Work In Progress: Monthly review -- July 7th-July 29th

July has just completely flown by! Yup.. and I still haven't mastered the art of weekly updates! :)

So many little things have happened and I have really had trouble with staying on task with weekly updates, so now as the month comes to a close I figured I should hurry up and give brief updates on the month before we roll into August.

Madison looking like a "New Yorker" before her trip

Madison has had quite the busy month. (what else is new-- I feel like every month is busy for her) Dance picked back up for the summer and once again she is dancing far more than I could even imagine. She does an hour on Tuesdays and the 4 hours on both Wednesday and Thursday. Good thing is that they are only 5 week summer classes, so she is off from dance after this week for a little while. The beginning of the month caused us to bump heads quite a bit because she had wanted to schedule several sleepovers, but I only allowed for one because it was a birthday party/ sleepover combo and they were friends from school.... I am trying to reduce the number of sleepovers and play dates and get togethers. And not because I don't trust those people, but for one- Madison has expressed how she would rather go to a sleepover than to have one at her house because her house is boring and I am no fun. Another reason- our family is still lacking any sense of structure. And I think that I may be to blame. So in an effort to fix that, I am going to be having a hold on get togethers for a little while.. especially for this last half of the summer except for a few pre planned events.
Madison also went to New York for the 3rd time this past summer. We had decided that this would be the last time she would go for a little while. A little bittersweet for her, but she says she had a good time. Luques and Karina always hope to be able to steal her away for a little bit to spend some time with her, but with the schedules and rules, it never works out, but Madison and Karina texted at least so she knew they wanted to see her. She took several pictures at the Central Park Zoo and I hope to upload those in a separate post in the near future. They also went to see Cinderella on Broadway-- SO JEALOUS!! I am so grateful that Madison has these opportunities and appreciative of all the people that help Damian and I out with getting her there!

Happy 3rd birthday Mayci

Mayci has had an exciting month. She went to her friend Alyce's birthday party--Frozen themed! She was so excited because she got to dress like a princess and decided on Belle, since that was the costume that we already had. Of course it had to be the hottest day ever, but she had fun eating, playing on the bouncy house, and climbing in and out of the pool a couple times. Dance started for Mayci this month. Morlock School of Dance offers 5 week summer classes, so we thought it would be best for Mayci to try out then. She only made it to 3 of the 5 because of swimming lessons, but seems to be doing okay( that's what Liz says) so she will definitely pick back up in the fall. I can only imagine what she will look like on stage at the recital :) Swimming is going well.. it's a parent and tot class to familiarize the kids with the water and she did attend when she was 1, but because of the gap between, we started her from the beginning. Timing was a little off for me and Damian so Mama (Abby) has been taking both her and Myles and getting in the water with Mayci. Mayci comes home tired, but says that she has fun. Another milestone is potty training. My ultimate goal was to get her potty trained before she was 3. She is pretty much there except for the occasional accidents and her fear of going #2 in the potty. But we will keep working on that. Sometimes I think that Damian and I sabotage her by putting her in Pull-ups or Diapers when we feel it is inconvenient for us to worry about the bathroom, but I am getting better.
Mayci also turned 3 on the 27th!! What?!?! I know-- my baby is no longer a baby anymore. Wearing undies and being 3- my goodness, definitely a big girl. On the 26th, Ted and Abby hosted a birthday party at their home for her. She was so excited.. and of course-- it was Princess themed. I took several pictures on my phone and just a few on my camera, so I will post them in a separate post. I am also hoping to get the pictures that Byron Dean took at her party also. I know they will be AMAZING!! On her actual birthday we went over to my parents house so my parents, sisters, and Jaida could sing happy birthday to her and give her her gifts.

Notice Mayci's outfits in these pics.. this is her new choice of outfits A "pocketbook", undies, and a shirt!!

Happy Birthday Alyce!!

Myles started soccer and basketball this month. Whew-- who knew that the parents need to be as involved as they do hahaha. Normally Damian takes him to both, but because of work, I had to take him. Lord have mercy- I thought I was going to pass out- running around with him in the gross heat. Not to mention I had to keep Mayci contained as well. I will say though, I notice a huge improvement in both sports for him. And he seems to be enjoying them a bit more this year than last. I am hoping to keep both sports going throughout the course of the year based on their availability, but only time will tell. Mr Myles is getting ready to start kindergarten this year! I try to talk about it at least once a day so that it stays fresh in his mind, especially as we draw near. And with how fast time seems to be going, the first day of school will be here before you know it. I worry about him a lot starting school. This will be something so completely different for him. He has always been with either Mama and PopUp, Damian, or me. He acts like he understands, but I'm not so sure. I mean, getting on a bus by yourself with a backpack and a lunchbox, then arriving at a school that you have only been to once, and having all those kids and teachers around, and trying to give someone your information so they can get you to your classroom-- seems overwhelming to me. But I am excited for him either way. Makes me remember back to Madison's 1st day of kindergarten. Oh, what sweet memories.

Not sure why Myles look like he is under the influence of something in this pic-- but this is the aftermath of falling off of his bed one night :( He is all healed and back to normal now!

Damian has been playing a lot lately. One of the bands he is in, Orquesta Espada, has been keeping him VERY busy this month. I was able to take the kids to go see him twice. Once at the Hartford Jazz Festival and then just this past Monday at the Monday night Jazz on the green- both at Bushnell Park. Unfortunately Madison missed out on both performances but Mayci and Myles had a blast. For the Hartford Jazz Festival, they were kind enough to let the kids and I "backstage" in the VIP area. The kids could eat, have cookies, run around, and Myles even made a friend. I enjoyed it over there, but actually prefer sitting out in front where I can see the performers more. But I was grateful nonetheless.

This month I started trying to come up with an organizational plan for the home and our lives in general. This is all part of "Operation get some structure in this home" Haven't made much headway yet, but something 's gotta give. I also ran in my first 5k this month. Lisa and I did the Run or Dye on the 19th! Had such a great time. But, let me clarify- I COMPLETED my first 5K, I did not run the entire thing. I only ran 2.5 miles of the 3.1 and it felt GOOD!! I was so proud of myself! My friend Jen and I are running another 5K on August 24th and participating in the Fitahlon in October, which is a 5k with timed obstacles. oh crud-- speaking of which-- I need to sign up today for that one because the price goes up on Saturday. My goal for age 31 was to run at least 4 5K, so I should probably start looking for another one. Lisa is interested in the Electric Run, so that may be #4 for me.

I hope you all had a fun filled July and here's to an even better August!!