Thursday, July 29, 2010

Now that summer is almost over...

WOW...I really thought I would have loads of time this summer to update the blog but it has been a busy couple of months with lots going on. There is no way I can give a full recap since I last posted but here are the highlights from the summer...

FOR SALE-We put our house on the market the week school got out. Hoping to sell soon to move closer in to Highland Village.We've had 6 showings so far with 2 showing some interest. Our realtor has set up an OPEN HOUSE for this Sunday. Praying for the right buyer to walk in our door!



LUBBOCK TRIP 6/25-6/29- My mom, sister, Olivia, Myla and I took a road trip to Lubbock to see my grandmother Tita. We stopped at the Abilene zoo on the way which wasn't the greatest but a good stop for the girls. My mom was coming to LBK for a high school reunion so Kim, the girls and I stayed with Tita. We had a fantastic time! Just hearing old family stories, looking thru old pictures, laughing A LOT, watching the Twilight movies (yes, I finally gave in) and watching the girls enjoy their great-grandmother. We did take the girls by the ZTA lodge which I think they really enjoyed. ;) We also dressed our future Red Raiders in their Tech gear and headed to campus to take some pics. They were too cute. It was an awesome trip. More pics on facebook but here are a few.
At the Abilene Zoo At the ZTA lodge
Wreck Em!
With Tita


STEAMBOAT FOR THE 4TH-6/30-7/10
The day after returning home from Lbk, we (MeGowns and Lees) flew to Steamboat Springs to spend some quality time with Dad and Cindy. Stepsister Annie came too with four friends and stepbro Joe and his girlfriend were there as well. As always, 10 days in Steamboat never disappoints. There was plenty of great food, fun, and entertainment. We went to a wonderful string quartet concert in this quaint garden near the river (amazing) and to the Steamboat Rodeo. Jeff and I celebrated our 4th anniversary with Kim and Clay who celebrated their 5th. We went to eat Italian and see Eclipse while Dad and Cindy stayed with the girls. We had a blast. Dad and Cindy cooked a fabulous meal for the 4th and we played "Celebrity" into the night (almost missing the fireworks that were visible from the backyard). The best part of the evening was being with family, of course. On the 5th everyone left except for Jeff, Myla and me. We spent the next 5 days just relaxing with Dad and Cindy, watching movies each night, and playing outdoors with Myla (her absolute favorite thing in the world.)On our last full day, we rented a boat and went out on Steamboat Lake to fish and relax. Didn't catch a thing but it sure was fun. Only downfall of the trip was when I rode the 4 wheeler and hurt my left arm which has the metal plate in it from a car accident 12 years ago. So painful, probably more so b/c I couldn't hold Myla for days. :( Overall, we enjoyed our time tremendously and cannot wait to go back. Here are a few pics.

Family pic at the outdoor concert
Random pic before Anniversary night out


With JidoAt Steamboat Lake
Us again before a dinner out



ANDREA'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION 7/17 A group of us went out for my best friend's bday to a wine tasting in Dallas and a great dinner at Angelo's. As always, we had a such a fun time.



SURGERY 7/22 (not really a highlight but worth mentioning) Shortly after returning home from CO I scheduled surgery to have my metal plate removed. I figured this was as good a time as any since it was a 10 day recovery. The surgery went very well, according to the Dr. My pain wasn't so bad although I definitely took it easy for a few days. I get the sutures removed on Monday and I can't wait because this splint is HOT in the Texas heat. Sorry no pics of me at the surgical center or in my stylish splint. :)

That wraps up the summer so far which has been entirely too short. Can't believe how soon we have to go back (Aug. 16). I can say that every single day and every single moment we have spent with Myla has been such a gift. She amazes me daily on all that she can do. I never thought my love for her would be this monumental. Crazy!! Here is the latest on Myla-(as well as some recent pics)

Angel face

Ready to go swim with Cousin OliviaAt the Steamboat Rodeo

Lost most curls in Steamboat due to the dry air!



She will be 16 months on Aug. 7, weighing in at 25lbs at her 15 month well check. She has so much personality, she cracks me up a hundred times a day. She's a mess (in a good way) and is super busy. Of course, Jeff and I think she is just brilliant. I am trying to remember how much she was talking when the summer started and how much she can say now. Truly amazing how much she has blossomed. So...I thought it would be fun to make a list of what she is saying now as a way to keep track. Some of these may be a stretch but exciting for us since it seems just a few weeks ago everything was "dada".

As of today...

Myla can say or tries to say
hi
bye-bye
mama
mom
dada
daddy
more
milk
help
nigh-night
uh-oh (does that count as a word??)
duck
dog
ball
ice
hot
bath (really sounds like "bah")
Nana
banana (although that's really "nana" too)
purple (puhlpul)
yellow (yell yell)
water (wa-wa)
Granny (without the r sound)
Poppa
puppy
boat ("bo")
Tita
Jido
Nona (comes out "Nano" sometimes!)
Jersey ("ersy")
cup
eyes (while pointing at them)
nose (pointing)
bebo ( which means belly button, while lifting up her shirt/dress and pointing proudly)
thank you ("tnku")

We have also been teaching Myla some sign language as another way to communicate since she was about 6 months old. She has really taken off with it recently and it is so fun to know what she needs without her having to say or yell it (although she still does sometimes!)
As of today...

Myla can sign
more
eat
milk
help
water
bed (or nigh-night)
bath
all-done
thank you(really she is just bowing her head forward but it's her own little version)
shoes
where

We are working on "please" and "sorry" but she is not fond of those yet. ;)

She absolutely loves being outdoors and going swimming but her most favorite thing right now is looking at her books. She will look at one after the other nearly the entire time she is awake pointing to all the pictures and making sounds and sometimes words. It is crazy how a couple of months ago she didn't want to have anything to do with them. She does, however, still prefer to read them upside down. It's the strangest thing. Even though, I'm hoping her love for books never fades. It is a teacher's dream, of course. :) Myla also enjoys blowing kisses and smelling the flowers these days.




We have so enjoyed having the summer off to spend with our little bubbly angel and we look forward to many, many more.

Until next time... :)