June was a month-long party! Joy turned three years old on the first. We love our dear JoyJoy so much! She loves all things pink and unicorn. (You'll see her unicorn leotard and pink tutu a lot as she wore it for at least a portion of the day on most days.) She loves her family fiercely and is protective of little Rosie as well as her own one-on-one time with Mommy. She's a horrible sleeper and loves a good dance party. She will often blast the music and start grooving. When she's happy she's elated and when she's mad, she's furious. She has strong opinions and though speech continues to be a challenge, she fights to get her point across. Her favorite game is "na-na-na-na-you-can't-get-me" which she requests to play daily. She loves drawing (unfortunately sometimes on herself) and cooking. (She wants to make a unicorn version of everything which apparently means making it pink so we've gone though and entire bottle of red food dye this month.) She loves a good smoothie and is quite certain nothing is more funny than a smoothie mustache. One of my favorite memories this month was when she discovered there were people behind the milk at the grocery store. She was stunned and slightly panicked and asked if there were cows back there as well.
We spent one Saturday on Long Island at Jones Beach in our on-going search for the best waves. It was a windy day and Jones Beach's waves didn't score well, but we sure had fun!
My boys turned 6 on the 11th! I can't believe it. They are growing up so quickly and I love them fiercely. I feel so blessed to have these two boys in my life. They couldn't be more different but they are good friends.
Boyd is a riot. He has a great sense of humor and can get us all laughing, especially Rosie. He grew a lot this year in Kindergarten and surprised me as he sang all the songs in their performance. He is hard-working and competitive; he loves order and getting his work done. He initially showed the least interest in piano, but he is often first to complete his practice each day. He loves maps and legos. His lego creations are endless and he puts such thought and creativity into each one. He has a tough exterior, but is extremely sensitive and once he knows you're on his side he is incredibly loyal. He is such a helpful big brother and has an especially soft spot for Rosie. I love you Boyd!
Smith cracks me up and he seems to be a little Elias. He will eat his weight in fruit, but doesn't much care for sweets. His mind is constantly going. He's a fact guy and is always spouting off random facts about tree frogs or deciduous trees. Getting messy doesn't phase him a bit and he wouldn't think to wash up without a reminder. Naturally he doesn't enjoy heights, but this month when given the chance, he chose to be courageous and climbed up a two-story pole to jump off a ledge and repel down. He loved Kindergarten and it was so much fun to watch him perform with his classmates, though every once in a while I could tell his mind wandered off to some grand adventure in his imagination. He plays the piano constantly throughout the day but get so frustrated when he has to actually practice his songs. He is a loving big brother and doesn't have a competitive bone in his body. I love you Smith!
I'm as surprised as anyone to say that piano lessons have been going well. I don't know how long I'll be able to teach them, but they are doing amazingly well and we invited our neighbor over for a little recital.
We loved celebrating Elias this month for Father's Day. Seriously. Best Dad Ever. I wouldn't enjoy parenting nearly as much if I wasn't doing it side by side with Elias. He is the love of my life, my best friend, my best match, and cute to boot!
We enjoyed a lovely visit from Gram this month! She is wonderful to have around and we are so blessed to have her in our lives!
Once the kids got out of school for the summer, the real party began. I put a lot of thought into our summer schedule and it is like a well-crafted piece of art. So far, it's been beautiful! A mix of everything; camps, friends, family adventures, learning. We are so blessed to live here!
We've enjoyed a great trip to the Bronx Zoo, and the Pez Factory, afternoons at the beach, a week-long basketball camp and a summer pass to SkyZone.
We enjoyed a long weekend in Hartford. We visited the temple, played mini-golf, went swimming, ate a famous, but most disgusting hot dog, and toured Avery's soda factory where we got to make our own soda. (Joy gave us some serious drama on the golf course.)
We also ran in the bubble run! I am so proud of Summer, Boyd and Smith. They completed the entire 5K and supported each other through it all!
Elias had to go to London for a week and we were lucky enough to have Chelsea and Chandler come distract us while he was gone. We had such a blast! I love my sisters! And Chandler is the most adorable baby. In the words of Boyd, "Seriously! I just can't get over her cuteness!"
As sad as we were to say goodbye to them, it is always great to get Daddy home!
This month wouldn't be complete without a "Yay! We Kept Rose Alive!" section. Seriously, it's like this girl has a death wish. She is darling, but is constantly risking her life. I feel like I am only seconds away from having to rush to the ER. She can climb up onto the counter or piano in seconds, insists on attempting going downstairs face first, and loves to draw with anything she can get her hands on. She already has a great sense of humor and strong opinions.
And because I spoke about everyone else in the family, I have to give a little shoutout to my dear Summer. She is entering a new stage of childhood, but still has the kind, thoughtful core she was born with. The others couldn't be more lucky to have her as their big sister. I love you SummerGirl!
Brittany et al.
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