July flies by

Nanny's visit was one of the brightest parts of our month,
but we've managed to let the good times roll.
A little snapshot of our July

 White Rock Lake is a popular destination in Dallas

No motor boats are allowed, but you can rent kayaks/canoes/paddle boards or go sailing

A huge biking/running trail spans the perimeter

We've spent a few Sunday mornings there exploring and hiking as a family

 The Dallas Arboretum is another popular destination

It reminds me a bit of the Botanical Gardens - 

with acres upon acres of gardens to explore 

It is surrounded by White Rock Lake

Each season features a special botanical theme

They bring thousands of pumpkins in during October

and cover just about every tree in sparkling lights during the holidays

The stage hosts free children's music classes each week, 

and the great lawn has concerts in the fall

Can't wait to spend a lot more time there, when that sun isn't quite so strong 

 Another weekend, another pool

Whenever she gets really excited, that tongue pops out

 Beating the heat, sprinkler style

 Ryleigh will walk clear up to her neck, 

with or without this tube

 Sorry, mom in the black bikini, for making it seem

like you are photo bombing us 

 My first girls' night out down here

These ladies have been so great to me/us 

and have made the transition a smooth one

Making new mom friends feels a little bit like speed dating

I'm lucky to have had a head start with these pre-existing friends 

and also with the gal next to me, 

our neighbor Holly

 Lexi has officially declared that she wants to marry her buddy, Jet, 

when she grows up

Guess this also means she no longer wants to live with mom and dad forever

 It's a shame she's so shy

 Dinner at the Company Cafe, a great restaurant along a popular

bike trail known as the Katy Trail

 Morning playdate at the pool - not the worst way to spend a Tuesday

 Their dads all had a work dinner together, 

so the moms rounded them all up

for a taco dinner at Diggs and then a trip to a nearby playground 

to run off all that pent up energy

Feeding the ducks wasn't very successful, but lollipops were an instant hit 

 Everyone in Dallas has these pogo stick swings

I don't totally understand why, but they're fun all the same

Our friends across the street let Lexi come hop on whenever she wants

Nanny's visit

After much anticipation and about a month-long countdown,
July 10th arrived, and with it came Nanny!
As luck would have it, the really warm weather returned just in time for her visit.
She must have brought it down from the Northeast which was having a big heat wave.
No matter though, we had a wonderful visit
and tried to acclimate Nanny to our new area in just a few short days.
First up, upon Lexi's request, was taking her grandmother to the pool.
My mom was a great sport and spent time in both the big pool and the kiddie pool.
She drew the line when it came to testing out the water slide though.

Next up was the brand new Bush Library just down the road at the SMU campus.
You know what they say..."When in Rome..."
It was beautifully planned out, and if we weren't with two small (and one really impatient)
children, we could have spent a good bit longer touring.
The room dedicated to 9.11 and the War on Terror, especially, was truly remarkable.
The beams in the shot below were recovered from one of the Twin Towers. 

We left Ryleigh with a sitter for her nap,
and the three older gals headed out for an afternoon of fun.
The first stop was lunch in Inwood Village,
and then we visited The American Girl Doll Store.
Lexi brought along my very own Samantha doll -
saved all these years for just such a moment.
We had a lovely little tea complete with hot chocolate,
fruit smoothies, finger sandwiches, petit fours, and of course, tea.
Samantha had her own seat next to us at the table.
It was pretty adorable.
Afterwards, we spent a good bit of time examining every American Girl
and deliberating over which one should make the Christmas list.
Finally, Samantha was treated to a salon appointment (seriously!) where her hair was tamed
from years in storage, cleaned up, parted into braids and tied with ribbons.
She was also washed off, scrubbed up and treated to a sticker pedicure.
This place is nothing short of a goldmine.
But, it sure made for a really fun afternoon - and left the three of us with a wonderful memory!

During the rest of our visit, we drove Nanny around some of our favorite streets in the Park Cities,
went to a few local playgrounds, went on a walk through our neighborhood,
took her to the amazing Northpark Mall - think Madison Avenue meets shopping mall.
The place even has a little water area with ducks and turtles,

 and then to lunch at one of our go-to spots, Bread Winners.
Vic and I took her to a grown up dinner at Patrizio's in Highland Park Village.
It was lovely for the three of us to spend the evening together
and really get to catch up without any distractions. 
I feel so grateful that my mother has known and loved my husband for so many years,
and that she has such a wonderful relationship with him.
(It must have something to do with her chocolate chip cookies!)

Nanny kindly babysat the following evening so we could join family friends for dinner.
To beat the heat, she took Lexi to see the new movie Monsters University,
and then she and I snuck away for a Starbucks trip.
Sunday afternoon came all too quickly, and everyone was so sad to see her go.
There is a lot more ground we want to cover during the next visit.
We can't wait for her and Grandpa to come back in October!
And hopefully this time, I won't get terribly lost driving to the airport.

The 4th

Ahh - the 4th of July
Summertime, parades, pomp and circumstance,
BBQ's, fun in the sun, fireworks, and a great big dose of American pride.
What's not to love?!
We may not have been able to watch the fireworks over the Long Island Sound,
the East River, the Jersey Shore OR Lake Mohawk,
but we still really enjoyed the holiday this year.

If you asked Lexi what her favorite part was,

she'd likely talk about all the floats that threw candy during the parade

or riding in her buddy Jet's wagon

If she could talk, Ryleigh would mention swimming with her daddy

or quite possibly the cupcakes we baked for Brendan's birthday

 My favorite part...seeing my little ladies have so much fun!!

Little Mermaid

The girls started out the summer wimpering when they first got in the pool,
afraid to put their heads under the water and totally dependent on floaties
and noodles.

One month in, and Lexi can now swim a short distance independently.
She loves diving for toys at the bottom of the pool, and she goes down the waterslide
backwards! Ryleigh is like a little fish, she just can't get enough. She will wade
through the water up to her neck with no fear, and she doesn't even blink if you dunk her.
It's been really fun watching the emergence of our two little mermaids!

Our new hood

...at least for the year!

June...in photos

One month under our belts, and we are settling in to our new life in Dallas 

and establishing our new summer routines. 

A few notes...

1. It is hot.

This is no surprise.

We knew it would be.

We moved to Texas...at the very start of summer. 

But, last week when I saw the forecast of 100 degrees - day after day - on my iphone,

it really sunk in. 

Because it was still only June.

And because Dallas never seems to have clouds in the sky - so that sun is strong.

My mom might seriously melt when she visits in a few weeks.

But...we are a water-loving family, so we have spent tons of time at the pool.

It's a pretty amazing pool with something for everyone,

so we are not complaining.

And when winter hits and we are not buried under two or three feet of snow,

well, than I will be happily checking the weather report. 

But, for now, it is HOT!

2. There is one thing I complain about though - often - the mosquitoes!

They are everywhere. 

They come swarming out at dusk...exactly when we want to take advantage 

of the "slightly" cooler temps and eat/play/walk outside. 

We have had our yard sprayed as everyone advised.

We lather ourselves in bug spray. 

We light the tiki torches.

I might break down and purchase that little Off bracelet/belt clip I'm that desperate. 

Because nothing else works. 

We try and remind ourselves that there are many months of outdoor living down here,

and not to sweat it right now. 

After all, the bugs are bad everywhere in summertime, right?!

3. The third (and most important) note is how much of Vic you see in these pictures. 

It's one of the reasons this move made sense for our family.

We see a lot of Vic...all week long.

His work day ends at 3:45 pm because he is still on market hours, 

and Dallas is on Central time. 

When we hear his keys in the front door during the 3 o'clock hour,

the girls and I cannot contain our excitement.

The four of us get to go to the pool in the late afternoon

or go out for an early family dinner

or go on walks/bike rides with hours of sunlight left.

It will never get old - and we are so thankful for Vic's new schedule.

So there you have it.

Now, I'll let the photos do the talking for the month of June :)

Turns out boxes are a great way to entertain busy toddlers

while a jam packed moving truck is unloaded

Let us in!

This is Lexi's new buddy Jet

It was an arranged marriage 

(his dad is one of Vic's clients,

and his mom is our real estate agent down here and one of my friends)

Good thing the kiddos seem as happy with the setup as their parents ;)

They are enjoying a few weeks of summer camp together 

and lots of play dates

Oh, and he has a younger brother just about Ryleigh's age!

Enjoying the sprinkler section and water slide at the University Park pool

Ryleigh is desperately trying to keep up these days

Vic and Brendan went to college together

Then, they worked together

A few years later, Brendan was a groomsman in our wedding

And now we get to watch our daughters grow up together

Pool party at Brendan and Lindsay's house one of our first weekends

A day at the water park for the big kids and their moms

You better believe Kim and I joined them on the lazy river, wave pool 

and water slides - it was a blast, and they had no fear!

As luck would have it, we ended up next to wonderful neighbors yet again!

Holly, Ben and their children moved here about a year ago from Chicago.

They have been so welcoming and helpful to us as we get settled.

And the kids became fast friends also. 

Another day, another suit

Happy hour at the Ramundt's...

the dads joined us for pizza and beer right from work

Lexi's inaugural visit to her daddy's new office

He says she's his "first hire" 

She plans to go back this week and join him for lunch 

In her exact words, "it's just something besties do, mom"

Kim arranged a wine tasting for several couples and invited us along

Best $29 spent in a long while

Out for the night with Holly and Ben

Jello shots may or may not have made an appearance 

Vic and his family have been friends with the Hutchisons' 

since he was Lexi's age and lived in Dallas.

So we were very excited when Kelley and her 4 kiddos made the trip up from Austin

and invited us out to Plano (about a 20 minute drive) for the day

Here they all are, tuckered out after lots of fun in the sun

This lemonade stand was left behind in the house from the previous tenants.

We couldn't let it go to waste...after all, Lexi is saving for a trip to Disney!

She drank nearly as many cups as she sold :)

 Date night - just the two of us.

Just so happened to be the anniversary of our very first date 

(many, many years ago)

Breakfast at Bubba's...a little weekend tradition in the making

Happy June!