Middle of summer JULY!

To start July off with a bang we went to visit Nana and Pawpaw in Alabama. They hadn't seen Soleil since Christmas and couldn't believe how much she had grown. She learned many new words while there and Pawpaw taught her the sign for "I love you". He was impressed with all the Spanish words and sign language she can do, but was wondering when we were going to teach her English! We spent our time relaxing in the pool, napping, visiting Nana and Pawpaw's store and just having fun. Soleil had her first trip to the beach and got to swim in the Gulf of Mexico! She loved playing in the sand with Daddy and Nana. She got to visit her big cousin Aric and Aunt Sherri gave Soleil her first haircut! Well it was more of a slight trim...

When we came home we started 2 weeks of swimming lessons. Soleil got fed up before the 1/2 hour was over and often tried to escape out the side of the pool. After class we would hang out with our swim class friends in the water park. Soleil wouldn't last long there either. She would rather go lounge on the chairs and have a snack in the shade. Outside of the swim area there is a great wooden park. There is so much to explore. We took Daddy back there on his birthday to play too!

Daddy spent a three day weekend with Soleil while I went out of town for a Theatre Arts workshop for work. It was hard to leave her for that long, but she was in good hands with Daddy. I can tell they bonded while I was gone.

Sol is picking up new words everyday. She apparently likes Elmo right now. Whenever she sees a picture of him she has to point it out to everyone and repeat his name over and over. She is starting to string words together and makes up signs for things if she already doesn't know the real sign. She is also getting pretty bossy! She will sit on the floor and pat the floor hard next to her to tell you to come sit down. She learned that the sign we use for "come" for the dogs also works on people. We don't have many opportunities to sit down and rest anymore at home since she is making us push her baby stroller with her, go into the other room to play, or singing "Ring around the Rosie" again and again. I am feeling pretty old trying to keep up with her! She sure has a lot of energy. I look forward to her nap time so I can catch a nap or read some more of my Harry Potter book.

June Bugs!

Soleil and I spent most of June teaching summer camp at my school. Our class was "Sock Puppet Superstars". Camp was from 11:30-3:30 which was quite tough for Sol since 1:30-4:00 was her normal nap time. We got up early and I tried to get her to nap before we had to leave the house. I wasn't sure how she would do and if she would need to be attached to me the whole time. The first couple of days were tough with her wanting to be constantly held, but after that she got used to the kids and I often wouldn't see her for periods of time. She would help the kids sort through the buttons, show off her baby dolls to some other kids, and sometimes she even was escorted to another class with another teacher for a while. PE was her favorite b/c there was so much going on there. When we finally got in the car to go home, she was exhausted and fell right to sleep. But then she would sleep until around 7pm which is the time she would usually go to sleep! Not sure if it is something I want to do again next year. The money was good to have and the kids really enjoyed the class, but it kind of stressed me out and did not fit around Sol's schedule...maybe if they have it as an AM class it would work better.

Well we harvested our beans, green onions, snap beans, potatoes, and carrots out of our garden in June. We would definitely like to do the beans, onions, and potatoes again. The snap beans were a little too crisp for our taste, and the carrots didn't really get big enough. Our ornamental garden has really taken off and looks so green and lush! The month of June was pretty much a month of rain so we never had to water the gardens. But with all that rain came the mosquitoes and it was like a war-zone out there. We didn't have many opportunities to enjoy the chimenea, gazebo, or the gardens. We even had mosquitoes all over the inside of the house! Soleil would wake up with new mosquito bites each morning.

We found a cool park that has water fountains that kids can play in. Soleil just loved it. We need to get her back there soon! There are a few pics...

We got to play in Karolina's apartment pool with Graciela, Karime, Katiuska, and Maria. Soleil hadn't been in deep water since last summer and wasn't sure what to think.

We went to a little local petting zoo. They had some really neat animals...but Soleil was more interested in crossing the bridge over and over again!