June 2014

Front porch is open for the summer...yay!!!!!

 

 

Message from Sara Johnson...
I walk into the cafeteria at school and get a big grin from my lovely little Finley who is taking a bite of a subway sandwich. I raise my eyebrow at her because I didn't send her with subway for lunch. She smiles even more and runs up to me and says, "I thought it was going to be mac and cheese for lunch but it is burrito. I don't like burrito and I started to cry, I couldn't find you in your room so Francesca Harris Djordjevich helped me by giving me a hug and buying me Subway so I don't have to starve!" I don't know if Finley knows how lucky she is to have a 2nd mom who cares about her so much! I am definitely grateful to have such wonderful people in our lives! Thanks Francesca!


Ava & I are doing our Farmer's Market happy dance...strawberries & French bread were our snack of choice.

We saw him perform last night, & he can make you laugh in ways you haven't done in years!
(bill cosby)

June 8--It's the final countdown...two more cold lunches to pack, then summer vacation can FINALLY begin! (dang snow days)


June 8-- Oh yeah, and 12 years of marriage gets lost in the shuffle today, but so much better than getting a self improvement book. . Love that guy of mine...



It took all I had to not cry that these two are done with kindergarten!
— with Sara Johnson.

 

 AWARDS...

 

Kindergarten is over~sigh~but the rain & cold didn't stop the kids from having fun at their end of the year pool party...seriously, it was 62 degrees & raining, but the kids seemed to enjoy it more than ever! I feel the need to blog about this school year, I hope I find time to write the memories.

It's officially summer vacation when the Barbie wedding season starts back up...lord help me.

 

Remember the Cicada's?  Well, if you love to be serenaded by bugs for dinner, here ya go...
VIDEO

Ava declared yesterday that today was going to be the best day ever!! Her & Finley have accomplished that, but also accomplished breaking out in an itchy rash after rolling down this hill. oopsiedoodle!! They were about to lose it until I convinced them to wash off under the water fountain...then it itched worse, then thank god it actually worked. WHEW.
Summer is all about rolling down hills at the park, swimming, eating ice cream, playing in bubbles, popcorn, blueberries with whip cream, playing dress up & putting on puppet shows, singing Let It Go loudly, changing clothes 100 times, & randomly screaming at the top of your lungs because you are so happy your BFF is with you.  I hear little voices through the house having a great time, & that makes me happy for Ava...well, now I hear more screaming. ha
VIDEO


Best lunch date of the year.

My little scientist hard at work...

Besides loving her bike riding get up...WE RODE BIKES TOGETHER for the first time!! woo hoo!! Loving this time together.

Sara Johnson...discussing Pete's status as a boy horse. It was painfully obvious & they giggled a lot.

Cherry Pie with Pâte Brisée crust is on the horizon.

They really want pie...they pick cherries, I sit, watch, & listen to Pink Martini radio, & maybe if they are super nice to me I'll make that pie.

Happy Summer Solstice! We are waiting out the long day under our favorite spot in the yard.

This rainy second day of summer has me down memory lane...I found some real nice band awards. 1st to be kicked out of band, being unfashionably late (that still applies to this day), jibber jabber (still applies & is an annoying personality trait to my husband & what got me kicked out of band), & gossiping. Such proud awards for my parents to brag about.

Richie Silvers, Kirkland, IL. . I don't remember him, but some lucky person is hopefully married to him.

Oh.My.Lord!!!!!! Guess who had to clean up the dead bat!!!! No one believed me that I knew another bat was in our house. Well, there you go. I hate to admit I was right. YUCK!

Presenting the broadway production of Frozen! Bailey as Oloaf, Ava J. as Ana, Ava D. as Elsa, Finley as Sven.
— with Francesca Harris Djordjevich.

Lavender...clearly a gift from the god's.

Why I love living in Amish Country...you need Douglas Fir to finish renovation project in a 108 year old home , they are kind, go the extra mile, & get you what you need.


Our porch conversations are getting more interesting each day. I like 6 year old Ava...

Front row seats!!  Ottumwa Balloon Races
— with Sara Johnson.

 
When I first opened my freezer I gasped, but then remembered there is a little girl in my house who would try to preserve a bird feather with my food. ‪#‎weirdsixyearoldquirks

We are about to get busy putting up flags. Adam Wolff got a hell of an escort into town, now we do the only thing we can to honor his sacrifice.

  With around 200 volunteers, we helped line flags along tomorrow's funeral route. It was an amazing experience with some great people...even though we spent most of the time walking in rain & thunder, it really was the least we could do. Extra happy we got to do this with my favorite family!
— with Sara Johnson. 

Recapping April - May 2014

This moment is ssssssooooo close, I can close my eyes & smell lilacs in the air.....

I believe Spring has broken through winter's tough wall!

Most days our husbands drive us crazy, but I love that when I need that special someone to talk to, he never fails me...well, ok, never is a lie, but 80% of the time he's the one, & 10% of the time he answers the phone when I need that someone...man, never mind, driving me crazy again with those stats.


Ava's handiwork...

 

Iowa had the most beautiful sunrise this morning (which seems fitting today) & we finalized EB's visit bright & early...& yes, she wears her robe all the time. Happy Easter.

 

Easter Selfies from Family

 

 

 

Sitting on a fallen tree contemplating life with my kid...who is two weeks away from turning six. How can that be? Be still my heart.

 

staking her claim in our backyard

 

The only way I can get my sick daughter to take a nap... C-SPAN ... today's topic, image of US abroad. Yeah, I'm going to sleep now too.

Someone's illness responded to the warm sunny day (& antibiotics) & is taking me on in a game of badminton...& winning.

 

 

The thing about my daughter is that she's quietly smart, confident, & the sweetest little girl. Most think she is shy, snobbish, & unsure of herself. WELL, today, in front of her entire school, she read a prayer during mass, full of big words, & her voice echoed off the walls in confidence & with no assistance from her 5th grade helper (who stepped back in shock). She nailed it & I'm one proud Momma...not so proud moment, in her satisfaction, she spun in circles & hopped up & down on the alter until the other kids were done. Keeping it real, I like that.

 

 

Shaken silly... riding Ms. Cindy's horses (Cindy Terrell)

 

Making friends using bread

 

Pure happiness

 

Joe Joe

Holy bagumba!! Ava's first dance costume is super girly & bedazzled out....Sssshhhhh, I love it!

 

Loving our 80 degree day

 

 

 

A really sweet message from Sara Johnson to me..."We were at Kohl's getting shorts for Bailey tonight and Finley found some jewelry and said, "mom, why don't you ever wear jewelry?" I said, "I'm not really a jewelry wearing kind of girl." Then Finley said, "yeah but maybe you should try to be a jewelry wearing kind of girl like Francesca! She always looks so pretty with her jewelry and you just look like...you." Haha...this makes me laugh so hard because I think my daughter may be smitten by you! I have to say if she is going to have a second mom I'm really glad it's you!"

 

RANDOM...Me at about Ava's age...

 

AVA TURNS 6!! We take her to Chicago...

 

Cubs score already & Chicago dog down the gut. Game on. Cubs vs. Cardinals (cubs win)

 

 

 Strolling Chi-town with a vanilla soy latte.

 

Beautiful evening...spent in my hotel room because my travel companions passed out. Real party night in the city. geesh.

Chicago, day 2...

 

 

We go to American Girl Doll store, but true to Harris girl fashion, she's annoyed by the whole store, & instead loves her items from the kid section at Anthropologie. Parenting success (or failure, because Anthropologie is VERY expensive).  Below is her with "fifty" (the bunny that cost $50) hailing a cab...she also picked out a journal for stories and drawings, which she LOVES to do!

 

Birthday success!! Turning six was the bomb.  (Bike from Nonni)

The glorious sight & smell has finally arrived...lilacs

The cherry blossoms are equally making me happy.

Ava took this picture of me the other day & I thought its surroundings suited me perfectly. Plus, her artist shot was impressive.

Zoo visit, dance recital, & a beautiful morning with my sis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MOTHER'S DAY...
They asked me what I would love to have...I said a new bike or a Crosley turntable...that book is what my husband got me instead. Ava cried & said that was NOT from her!! And, that was before I even opened it & started laughing. I will use it to beat my husband every time I remember this day.

MOTHER'S DAY cont.
Quality basement time today ... tornado alarms have gone off twice. Mother's Day has been a real treat today.   So we are Looming it in the basement with a freaked out little girl (although here she looks just fine). Testing motherhood today.

Before and after sky and hail

Guess who bought herself a real Mother's Day present!

By the time she was done, she made it to the hump!! She ended up being the kid who climbed the furthest up, & this was her first time trying!!

Hangin' with Nonno & Nonna

 

 

Sometimes learning to do something in Nonni's neighbors driveway, is just the boost one needs.

It's a right of passage to stick your feet in a bucket of ice cold well water around the Harris establishment... Ava passes the test.

I just bought tampons & two red balloons...the balloons are for Ava, not because we are celebrating periods, but because she wants to release balloons into heaven for her great grandma's b-day's that have pasted by this month...I was sort of snickering to myself at the check out with my weird combo of items, & asked the lady if she saw the irony. She just stared at me. Never mind. I always end up looking like the weird one (which makes me snicker more).



They took blood samples & she didn't flinch...& look at that smile.  Thank you to my Mom for helping me through the worry.  Ava had lots of stomach issues going on after a bad run with constipation.  Everything came back fine and we spent until the end of this year getting her back to normal.  KEY--probiotics.

Horse back riding lesson #1

I have completed my first year as After School Director, & what an experience it has been. I have learned a lot, grown as a school professional, & will be taking memories with me to last a life time. I am a little sad, but mostly excited to show our supporters 55 finger prints on our After School Family Tree!!  We took an end of the year field trip with 30 kids, who totally wiped me out.. We posed in front of this famous spot & spent time at the Rock Island Depot. I love those kids & hope their memories of today are as humorous as mine are. I can't post their pictures, but dang, they say a lot about our ASP. . I will now go to bed at 9:30 because of them.

Summer is not really here, but the daisy signals the commencing of summer in my happy place.

Our first movie in the park night...

I sometimes sub in Ava's classroom, & my favorite part is finding out things like this...she looks at these pieces of paper (which say mom & dad with a stick drawing of us) during the day when she misses us. Love her! 

The time has arrived...we have found A LOT of them this morning.  Cicada's.