July Tid Bits

With summer in full swing, here's what we were up to in July! Liesel put in hours at work, bringing home free food (often requested by her sisters) who were able to try the latest and greatest like ??? I found myself in the Wendy's drive through way more often just to grab some fries and say hi. So proud of her! If she wasn't working Liesel was off with friends, making the most of her summer with several of them before they leave for college.

Brigitta had a busy, busy month. This is the only year she will be at Spanish Camp alone as she was with Ireland last year and Sydney will join her next year. She loved having the place to herself and chose the name Juanita for the two weeks she was at camp.

Her Progress Report brought tears to my eyes: Juanita was a wild child in the absolute best way. Her energy and enthusiasm lit up the whole casa and her laugh had a way of pulling everyone in. Every day she brought this fearless attitude to whatever was in front of her. Whether it was a new activity, a challenge or a game she approached it like “I’ll do it and if I mess up, I’ll just try again”. That attitude inspired the people around her more than she probably knows. This carried on to her Spanish speaking, as Juanita used Spanish with boldness and curiosity. She wasn’t afraid to jump in and try, and her confidence helped others feel braver too. She asked questions when she needed to and picked things up

quickly just by being engaged. She was also an incredible artist and drew hilarious portraits of several people in the casa that had everyone cracking up. From the very beginning she fit right in and people were naturally drawn to her. There is no surprise why. Juanita was a huge part of what made this session so unforgettable and we truly hope she decides to come back next year!

Brigitta is indeed a wild child in the best way! We were happy to have her home again, for sure.

She tagged along often when I drove Sydney to Improv Camp and we discovered an adorable flower shop just down the street. This Brigita has only one t instead of two but still, it's a unique name and we were excited to stumble upon it!

Sydney really enjoyed Improv Camp! The skits challenged her creativity and she made lots of friends.

I'm realizing this is one of the few pics I have of Ireland in all of July. She was out with friends all the time! We hardly saw her. But Brent and I did manage to bribe them into going to Superman with us one evening and we had an interesting discussion about it afterwards!

They also asked to use my phone so they could take photos to send their friends.

Liesel doing the "Superman stance".

Speaking of power moves- she is getting up there! She insists she's taller than me now but I think she needs a couple more inches. Liesel is stunningly statuesque with those dancer legs of hers!

During BJ's visit we started talking about the upcoming Wuehler Reunion at Disneyland and of course we had to break out some ears!

A stunning sky on one of my morning walks.

Have I mentioned I love fresh flowers?

We saw this RV getting towed and we are curious what happened here. Are those bullet holes?

I'm sure we will never know! 

The Pool and Foster Beach

July was a great month to hit the nearby pool as well as make a trip to Lake Michigan. Sydney and Brigitta mastered "butt bumpers" like Reagan and I used to do as kids. They also did some pretty fantastic leaps into the pool:

I'm so happy we live close enough to a legit beach for the girls to enjoy. So many happy memories at this place! Liesel and Ireland hung out on the shore and I think their days of frolicking in the sand and water and winding down but Sydney and Brigitta really enjoyed themselves. Everyone seemed to need my sunglasses.

When the sun gets really intense, sometimes it's nice to just shelter under a towel for a bit!

When Gita goes to the beach, GITA GOES TO THE BEACH! She is all up in the sand and water and always having a rip roaring time. 

Love this sun-kissed face!

Traditional sister photo by the water!

Teenagers who are over it. And using my sunglasses.

Lake Michigan can be cold even in July but Sydney loves spending time in the water!

There's something so refreshing about being sun kissed and sand scrubbed!

Brigitta in Baltimore

 Brigitta was really itching to fly on her own (both Liesel and Ireland have done so multiple times) and Reagan invited her to Baltimore for a week. She missed out on all the cousin fun over the 4th of July because she was at Spanish Camp so it worked out well. At long last, Gita finally got to check in at Special Services and flex that ginormous lanyard holding her travel documents. 

Not to mention the neon green bag tag!

In a way I'm glad she's not clinging to my legs from separation anxiety, but it definitely cuts at the heart to watch her get on a plane with nary a glance backwards for one final goodbye.

Reagan texted me this photo with the caption, "I caught me a Gita fish!" Gita had strict instructions to give Reagan the biggest hug possible. I loved that Reagan was picking her up at Reagan airport!

We have no pets and Gita is our biggest animal lover so she snuggled up with the cat and dogs right away. She kept rubbing this one on her face even though she is allergic!

Doug taught her to drive the riding lawnmower so when she was home she insisted she knew how to drive ours. She promptly rode it right into the ditch, narrowly missing the decorative boulder along the way.

They caught toads.

They played games (apparently Brigitta lost)

Doug gave Brigitta a Master Class in skipping rocks.

Which Brigitta attempted...

They went to the beach.

Brigitta came out of the water with a sand beard all over her face. She tried to wipe it away and ended up with a sand goatee.

I texted Reagan that Gita required daily tickling and I was worried she wasn't getting enough of it. Reagan responded with this video and told me they were taking her health very seriously. 

She has the best laugh! And she had the best time. Of all my siblings, Gita is like Reagan the most with her mischievousness and penchant for adventure. They loved her up and she loved them right back. When I picked her up from the airport there was a flight leaving for Baltimore a few gates down and Gita said she could just take that back! Which is funny because she missed her original flight on the 26th so she already had an extra day. She really had a great time!

Quilting Redemption

 About a year ago I wanted to make a denim quilt with frayed edges so I carefully sewed up the quilt and then washed it. Even though I had pre-washed the denim (twice!) in hot water, the indigo bled and absolutely ruined the vibrant colors. I wrote about it in a post Quilting Fail

Part of the problem was the excessing fraying. Once I trimmed them, it looked a lot better but still, it just wasn't what I'd pictured in my head. 

I had fallen in love with some of the fabrics from that original quilt and knew I could get more. However, it was Brent's turn to take Ireland to her asthma appointment in Iowa City. He kindly took the time to go to Kalona to track them down and get more for me. I found a few more fabrics that rounded out the colors. If I was going to redo this thing, I really wanted it to be perfect!

This time, I cut the circles first and washed them to get the fraying I wanted. I used a template and was much more careful with my seams. I added batting behind the squares so the whites would really stand out and to make it a bit softer and puffier. I wanted to have it done by the 4th of July but when that didn't happen, I was determined to finish it in the month of July and that I did!

THIS was the quilt I had in my head! Surprisingly, when the last quilt ended up being a disaster, Sydney told me she wanted to have it. I told her I knew I could do it better and promised she could have that version... whenever I got around to it. With this one finished, she wants to keep them both! I figured she would keep this one and give up the other one but nope- she loves them both. 

I LOVE THIS QUILT! I love the cheerful fabrics and the quiet nod to the American flag's colors. I love that it's big and heavy and I love how it's infused with lavender water which I used when ironing (to the point everyone was practically gagging on it). It should never be washed- learned that lesson! But it's a lovely heirloom, for sure! Perhaps it sounds odd, but for my own emotional health, I needed to redeem that failure of a quilt. I needed to know that things can be made new again and the past can be left in the past. The future is still bright. 

4th of July

I barely knew my cousins growing up. We just lived too far away so we never saw them and I wanted things to be different for my daughters. The cousin relationship is a special one because they weren't raised by your parents, but by someone like your parents. They are just far enough removed so there isn't any sibling rivalry and usually a little older so they can show you all the cool things or just a little younger so you can show them all the cool things. So I was beyond thrilled we had an influx of cousins for the 4th of July!

Liesel and Ireland took them to Lakeside Fest where they rode the rides and ate carnival food and took selfies.

I got to spend some quality time with my little sisters.

Anything that gets going at night is just not my thing. Even in the summer I prefer to be tucked into bed and fast asleep rather than burning the midnight oil. Thankfully my sisters took over so we had pinatas, games and glowsticks. Whitney had the Savannah Banana game on and we learned all about Banana Ball which is really, really cool. I love the concept and now I really want to go to a game!

The girls lit sparklers in the driveway while fireworks went off in the distance.

Of course we had to show off Millennium park with the Bean, Crowne Fountain and the amazing skyscapes.

More cousin bonding.

Lots of games which Reagan always makes a lot of fun.

Some sister bonding too. We've been through a lot lately and there was more to wade through in caring for our parents.

Ah I loved having them here! The Sommers finally got to jump on the trampoline and we saw them at breakfast and it was just so good to talk to them and hug them!

Whitney was here with Madeleine who we took to church with us. At first she was unsure but I insisted she needed a break and I needed my emotional support toddler. I ended up bearing my testimony about how it's the 50th anniversary of Jaws and the theme being just two notes. This made me think of 1 Kings 19: 11-12 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. 

Madeleine has a small voice that I love so much- everything she says is just adorable because of her small voice. So like the simple 2 notes from Jaws warning of danger and Madeleine's small voice, we can hear the Lord if we really listen. 

When we came home from church, everyone had been cleaning and dinner was on the stove. Man I love my sisters! It was such a great visit and I can't wait to see everyone again.