Relax and Be a Kid!

D came up to visit us recently. We had SO much fun. And what turned out to be my favorite thing of the visit was what was unplanned. If you're a regular reader of this blog you know that my OCD is large and in charge.  I ALWAYS have a plan.  And dangit it's gonna get followed through.

Plan:  Kendall's last day of ballet camp presentation. Check
          Relaxing lunch with D and the girls.  Check
          Afternoon strolling/shopping.  Sccreeeech!

So the PLAN was to relax at lunch (it was fun but not quite relaxing with a chattering, laughing four-year-old and a non-stop shoe tossing, toy dropping, cheerio munching baby).  But it was delicious and the company was great.

Next the PLAN was a leisurely stroll through an outdoor mall.  Well.  Of ALL the parking spots in the whole stinkin' place I pick the one outside the toy store. 

Stop #1:  the toy store. We browsed.  We lingered.  We played.  We wanted and wished for.  We laughed.  We lingered more.  And played more.  And D walked out $80 poorer (unbeknownst to Kendall) on a coveted item that will be anonymously wrapped, shipped, and hidden until her birthday.  She's gonna freak when she opens it!! 

That was not in the plans.

Finally, on to shopping!  D passed Brooks Brothers which he commented on browsing though on the way back.  Never happened.

Turning the corner there was: the fountain.  You know those ones built in every outdoor mall now a days where the water pops out of the ground in a maze of water fountains? 

Kendall has never been a fan of getting wet in regular clothes.  And Mommy didn't think ahead like all the other mams and layer a bathing suit under her clothes. But it sure was tempting so we paused to watch.  Then Kendall decided to get her feet wet since after all it was so hot.

And hour later, still there, it turned into a full fledged swimming event.  We all loved it.  Kendall loved getting soaked.  (Mommy had yet to devise a PLAN on how to get her dry and back home. BUT, she did have sunscreen on hand.)  Brielle loved the water too.  And D loved playing with them, though he managed to smartly stay dry.
 

By the end the girls couldn't have been wetter if you dunked them in a pool.  But we sure all had fun.  Never fear though.  Mommy can always devise a plan and look prepared (you know, fake it).  Brielle had a change of clothes in her bag.  No problem.  Just lay her down an the most inconspicuous spot of the outdoor mall and whip out the changing mat.  Give Kendall the one and only clean burp cloth to dry her face.  Head back to the car and devise a changing room using the back hatch of the SUV and a blanket (that's always kept in the car cuz you just never know...).  Put the leotard back on from ballet camp.  TA-DA! And finally get everything and everybody loaded back into the car.

(The toy store, by the way, was the ONLY store we entered because by now everybody is wore slap out. Oh well. I'm richer for it.)

We did on the way home AS PLANNED stop and get snowballs.  And since Mommy was feeling so wild and carefree she even tried a new flavor and loved it. I'm sure it'll be the new normal.

Birthday Portraits

Photo shoot for birthday invitations.

Pure sweetness.

'Nuff said.

Random Craziness

The Goza house is crazy lately. I feel like I'm constantly on the go, wiping noses and booties, cleaning messes, scrubbing floors, monitoring behavior, loading videos, reading books, bathing stinkers and cooking dinner. Yep, that about sums up my life this summer. There's some random outings, but now it's just easier to go crazy at home than go crazy trying to haul kids and paraphernalia around in the summer heat.  But despite the drop dead at the end of the day weariness to only wake up and do it all again the next day schedule, I'm loving these two girls.  All too soon they'll be at school every day so I'm choosing (mostly) to laugh at it all, take a deep breath, and desperately ask God for strength and wisdom for the day.

Here's some of the random craziness...

Kendall decided she and Brielle should have a campout in the laundry room on her new favorite Fancy Nancy pillow.

Brielle took the opportunity to do what she loves: check Kendall's teeth.  We swear she's going to be a dentist.  She's obsessed with people's teeth.

Bossy Big Sis finally got her on the pillow.  Kinda.

After watching four episodes of The Lucy Show, Kendall decided to play office.  She set her desk up herself with items from her room that consisted of: two phones (one modern and one like Lucy's), computer, clock, paper, glasses (to see of course) and pictures and decorations ("because every desk needs to have decorations" she said).  Within five minutes she was frustrated because the phone would not quit ringing long enough for her to "scroll the website looking at cute dresses".  Don't know WHERE she got that idea from.  I just hope she develops a better work ethic than that of Lucy Carmichael!

Kendall took this picture of Mommy and Brielle.  I love it.

Here's the neighborhood rabbit that routinely shows up in our front and back yard.

Kendall's not supposed to pick her little sis up but she did for a quick picture.

Swinging in the back yard is fun this summer as well.  Kendall usually dictates how high and for how long Brielle can swing. 

I'm sure there will be much more random craziness to come this summer.  It's only begun!

Happy Eleven Months, Brielle!

Aaaand here's the winning picture with the dreaded pillow this month...

Unless you want to consider this one a contender also...

It must be too much to ask of Brielle to sit still enough for ONE stinkin picture with ONE stinkin pillow so as NOT to break the dedicated monthly documentation of her growth so that when Mommy is old and gray she can remember forever each stage of her baby girl's first year.  Yep.  Way too much stress for an eleven month old.  After all, destruction awaits...

Here...

Here...

(Notice every cabinet and drawer-except for the ones with locks-are opened.)

And again here...

And again here...

'Lil Goofball has successfully cleared the drawer.  Mission accomplished for the afternoon.

Brielle is becoming hilarious.  She loves to smile and laugh and just have a good time.  Though she's my laid back child, she apparently did not inherit the OCD gene and that scares Mama.  I'll just have to depend on Big Sis to help out in that department.

Brielle at eleven months...

...loves to play peek-a-boo
...can say "Mama" and "Dada"
...stands unassisted
...occasionally takes two steps
...is a magnet for a cabinet or drawer
...loves to make messes
...loves her Sissy
...has two teeth....still
...is not so sure about table food
...sleeps all night though not a fan of sleeping past 6:30am like Sissy
...takes a 2.5 hour nap for Mommy's sanity sake
...pushes chairs and her baby stroller everywhere
...loves to swing
...wants to be wherever Sissy is
...wants her Mama and no one else

Happy eleven months, Brielle Bop!!