The Kolariks: June 2015

This month I want to celebrate summer memories!

Epic summer memories, like spending a week with family in Texas, and helping with the wheat harvest in Kansas.

And simpler summertime memories, like enjoying sno-cones and having fun at the splash pad with new friends.

Adventurous memories, like kayaking and cave exploring.

And life-altering memories, like POTTY TRAINING!

Heart-warming memories, like watching long-distance cousins enjoy playing together and becoming less of strangers and more like friends.

And heart-pounding memories, like hearing Bruce scream from the back seat while at a gas station, "Mama! There's a roly poly crawling inside my nose!" Because, you know, roly poly bugs go everywhere with us these days... Or the blood-curdling cry that followed Bruce's first wasp sting...

"It can crawl upside down!"

Memories that will become legendary, like when Grandpa Bill's combine fell into a surprise mud hole.

And fleeting memories that will most likely have escaped my memory by this time next year, like the content of Bruce and Abby's first conversations with each other - how he squats down slightly to look in her eyes and ask her questions, and giggles when she actually responds.

We've re-lived a lot of our favorite memories from recent summers passed, like spending the mornings floating boats in the baby pool.

And have made plenty of new memories that will forever make Summer 2015 special, like Abby's first time to ride in a combine.

her favorite part was whenever we would catch a glimpse of Grandpa in the other combine

This June has been a great start to the summer!

Other Highlights and Kidbits from the month:

A couple of the weekly activities that I've been bringing the kids to have stopped meeting for the summer, but the local library has added extra events to the calendar! We now go twice a week, once for the regular story time program, and another time for something special. We've seen a magician, and a kid's songwriter/musician, some folk storytellers, and then the zoomobile came this week. It's been entertaining, but the best part is that Bruce has been able to see his "library friends" twice a week this month, and we've even made additional play dates with them to hang out some afternoons, too. It has been so satisfying to see him really excited about being with friends!

"Library Abby" had a birthday party!

We had a great vacation to Texas in the middle of the month! We stayed with my mom and Rick, and my brother and his family came at the same time. Some other friends and family came and went over the course of the week, and it was so nice to see everyone and catch up a little bit.

Everything is bigger in Texas!

While we were there, Charlie and Bruce took an early Father's Day trip to go kayaking on the lake together. Bruce was really hoping to go out on a "row boat" like pirates use - but I think he was still more than pleased to experience the kayak. He had a paddle, he was set.

My mom had planned out a barbecue at the park with some family games, but unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate too well. We still ate great food though, and played the games indoors - I honestly can't remember who won, so I'll just say the girl's team did!

We ate brunch one morning at the famous Bluebonnet Cafe - I think it's the only place where, of course, you'd have a slice of pie at 9am. Banana cream is a breakfast food, I'm sure. I have no explanation for Bruce's German chocolate...

making a new best friend...

it was great to see the Bishops!

We also spent one morning exploring Longhorn Caverns. It was an hour-long walking tour through beautiful water-erosion cave formations, and well worth the trip! Bruce and Abby did great with being stuck underground with no easy escape, and there was only one foot stomping "I want to go home NOW" occurrence from a particular 3-year-old. But he got over that quickly as the next room happened to be the crystal part of the cave. It was slightly muddy, which made this flip-flop lovin' mama stick to the ground in parts, and I ended up going barefoot for a good portion of the tour. As the tour guide said - go big, or go home, right? We had a picnic lunch in the state park afterwards and had fun climbing around an old observation tower.

The cousins enjoyed early morning walks around the "neighborhood" and afternoon trips to the park or pool. "Cactus Patch Jack" left a treasure map for them, and our resident pirate added a few mates to his crew for a quick adventure one afternoon. Rick, with former service in the Navy, made an excellent quest-leader and map-reader, with a spot-on pirate accent that makes you wonder...

We spent some time at the "pirate docks" throwing rocks in the pond and going on a picture scavenger hunt, and were so happy all the parrots were on display in their cages!

Can you believe this African tortoise will grow to be three feet in diameter and weigh 200 pounds?

There were some adventures we couldn't squeeze in this time around, so it's a good thing we know we'll be coming back again! Having family that lives at a resort, right in the middle of beautiful Hill Country Texas, definitely has its advantages. And spending time with family is pretty great, too.

The day after we got back from Texas, we spent the day with Charlie's brother and his family who were up visiting from Louisiana. It was unfortunate that their trip to Oklahoma coincided with our trip to Texas, but we were thankful we had some time with them before they needed to head back. We visited the dinosaur museum, and then came back to the house so Abby could nap and the boys could wrestle. Because everyone needs an afternoon to wrestle, right? Then we made a trip to the toy store on grandma's dime, and went out for pizza. It was a whirlwind, but so thankful for it!

Abby trying to lift the Mastodon's foot...

This past weekend, we spent a few days at the farm to help with harvest. Last summer we weren't able to join in, so this was Abby's harvest initiation. I still remember mine. It's a big deal. Right now, with the kids being so little still, logistics can be kind of daunting, but worth it. The history this event holds - it's practically sacred. And I love that I get to be a part of it, and I love that we live close enough that our kids can be a part of it as well. Pretty soon they'll be running the show.

Farming is hard work!

This month has been so encouraging, and so frustrating where Bruce is concerned.

For the past several weeks he has had such a bad habit of waking up in the middle of the night, several times each night, and coming to our room needing to be put back to bed. Thankfully, he doesn't make too much of a fuss about wanting to sleep with us, or wanting to wake up to start the day - but it still means that I only get one or two hours of solid sleep at a time - it's like having a newborn all over! I feel bad for him, because I think he's working through some legitimate night fears, but I'm definitely ready for this phase to be over with!

gotta love him though!

Aside from that, there are so many things we can brag on Bruce for! Namely, he's been a champ with potty training. We thought it was going to be a nightmare because he was really opposed to the idea, but we bribed him big time and he really has had a great attitude about it all. We're about ten days in, and we're so confident about things that he's been wearing undies in public places for more than an hour at a time! Woo hoo! He's far from being completely "trained" but he's well on his way!

I'm also so proud of the way that he's continuing to be brave about spending time with friends, inviting them into his world, and stepping into theirs. Albeit awkward - it's progress!

And another fun thing that we've really noticed about him this month, is how he now uses his figurines as characters when he's playing. It's so cute!

the tree at the sno cone stand has branches low enough for him to actually climb!

I can sum up Abby's month with her favorite expression: "Do it! Do it!"

She says this all day long when she's wanting you to know that she can "do it" by herself. Without your help. And without your hands even remotely hovering over her.

And while that mentality can lend itself to some incredibly frustrating moments because a lot of the time she just can't quite "do it" herself, I'm so happy that she's learning to figure things out. Can't blame a girl for trying.