Return of our Nanny

We had a tense month in June when we thought we might lose our nanny (our not needing a nanny full time over the summer versus her wanting a full time gig nearly did us all in), but PHEW, we managed to keep her and thank goodness, because we love her and trust her and she makes this whole thing work.

And, with the nanny, comes the PICTURES!!!!:

She is so good about sendimg me pictures. I forget to take them (or, sadly of late, am NEVER AROUND to do so... i kid, a little bit, as I am managing to get home before bed most nights, but when getting home means a brief hiatus from work and not done for the night, you start to look at everything through a different lens).

I am truly a million times more happy here than I was in my prior job. I have so much autonomy. The small firm is just a better fit for me. Things are more... practical here, or something. I don't know. But, the whole quality of life thing is not playing itself out this month so much... that being said, this too shall pass, and better to endure the tough times with a counterbalancing general satisfaction then to just tough them out in general.

But! Oh, the pictures. They make my day.

Isn't he handsome???

Aren't they HUGE?

Doesn't this picture so totally capture Daphne's spirit?

How we roll... through Summer

I honestly feel like summer has FLOWN by... I truly hate how true the principle is that all things are relative. Three months used to feel like a LIFETIME when I had only lived but a relztively small number of months on this planet. As I continue to (thankfully) spend more months here, each month seems like such a smaller increment of time.

I have been BUSY. It has been CRAZY. I have experienced some of my highest professional "highs" and I have (tonight perhaps... while still at the office) been on the other side of that, too. But all that is boring. What this is really about is:

They are perfect and beautiful and perfect.

Did I already say perfect?

And in a rare moment of I HAVE TO HAVE A BREAK! I did the right thing, and despite the guilt of taking a day off to spend time with someone other than my children, I remembered that their Dad deserves some attention to, so we ditched those two little ones and hit up Fiesta Texas for a day (followed by the river walk for a night*) and OMG did I forget how awesome roller coasters are? yes, I clearly did. Amazing. Especially without having to carry thirty pounds of toddler or stop for the potty all the time or only being able to ride on the little kids rides... So. Fun.

*We also, in order to keep our full time nanny, had a night of babysitting pre-paid for the month, as we don't really need her all day every day during the week, so this was our way of finding ways to keep her.

And we managed to attend a great friend's birthday party. She adores my children, and we managed to get some cute family photos out of it (minus, of course, me, ahem).

Port A Tradition

In a brief but amazing moment when I was able to come up for air before re-submerging for the rest of July, we took a quick trip over the 4th to Port A.

If was very sunny there:

Seriously, too bright to look at the camera:

But the BEST part of all..... AUNT KRISHIA THE GREAT JOINED US!!!!

This is the seocnd time we have gone to Port A. It is still AMAZING to the kids, because they don't know better (the Carribean), which means we hope to keep it up. With any luck, we can get Aunt K to be a part of that family tradition from here on out too.

Cooper LOVES the water. He could literally sit in the ocean and play in the waves for HOURS, and with the super safe life vests they make for kids now, I am so down with this idea. I LOVE the ocean, too. and watching him laugh and giggle and get thrown around, come up spitting out salt water but eagerly anticipating the next wave... well, that is what parenthood is made of (and all that other stuff). Daphne is more of a pool-goer, but was a good sport for the most part. The girl can live in water, but prefers to not deal in sand (though she is happy to plop it all over your head). Other highlights included ice cream sundaes and trips to the candy shop.

You may not be the prettiest beach, Port A, but we love you.