July 2013

 We were still in Spokane when July started.  It finally started to warm up too.  We took the kids to a small water park one day with our Spokane friends, Sharon and Trevor.  Will was pretty tentative about things and just kind of stuck to the shallow pool in the kiddie area.  Madeline and Trevor went on every slide possible and had the best time.  Mallory looked so cute in her new swimsuit and hat.  She liked the water too:)

 We also did some fun indoor stuff.  We went to a big bounce house place and took the kids to see Monsters University.  They loved the movie and Will became obsessed with everything involving Monsters Inc.

 We had the best time in Spokane and were so thankful for the time spent with my parents and the fun they provided!  Nana and Pawpaw are awesome!

When we got back, Will had a food trial scheduled to see if he would have a reaction if he ingested peanuts.  He had already passed milk and eggs.  This face shows you the result.  No more peanut allergy and no food allergies at all anymore!!!!!  We are so happy!  This will make life so much easier for our Will:)

 We started packing and getting ready to move while still enjoying our summer break.
Mallory discovered a love for spaghetti:

 She also had her first day of daycare while Nathan and I had to go to some professional development and work in our classrooms.  I'm not going to lie, it was hard on me.  I wanted to change my mind about going back to work so badly:(  But, Nathan is a great leader of our family and patiently reminded me of the reasons we made our choice.  I'm thankful for his calm and reasonable personality!
We eased her in with a few half days and then a few full days a week.  She adjusted very well!  She really seemed to love going which helped the transition for everyone:)  Here she is on her first day with her backpack and lunchbox;

 On July 27, we celebrated Will's 6th birthday!  Because we were about to move, we decided to delay having a birthday party with friends until we were settled.  So, we celebrated as a family with cake, presents, and a trip to the bowling alley.  It was a lot of fun!

 Will is such a blessing to our family!  We have been so proud of his progress in school this year and how well he has handled the news of our decision to have him stay in kindergarten another year.  He is so loving, kind, gentle, and creative.  I can't wait to see what all he learns and accomplishes in this next year!

Here is a cute snapshot of the girls one morning before church.  It shows just how much Mallory has grown!  I also love the next picture of Madeline.  Her face has changed a lot this year.  She is turning into such a beautiful young lady, inside and out:)

July was such a nice month but we were honestly holding our breath and dreading August.  We had some issues with our mortgage broker while trying to finish all the paperwork to close on the new house.  She had forgotten to turn things in and it was a very stressful time.  That coupled with trying to find time to get ready for a new school year and the whole adjustment to being a 2 parent working family again was overwhelming, at times.  I'm not sure I always handled the changes well, but sometimes I did.  It was truly the grace of God that would get us through the next few months and beyond.