Julia's Technicolor Dream-Tablet

Julia, a few weeks ago you started asking for something very interesting: a tablet.

We asked you what you wanted one for, since you don't really like to play with the iPad like Aidan does.

You said you wanted one - even one that doesn't work- to buy a pretty case for and play pretend with.

I offered you one of the near-dead iPads. But you didn't want one of those. You wanted a silver tablet...to play pretend with.

A few days passed.

Then, your Mom and I were talking in the kitchen when a scroll appeared on the counter.

What was inside was 100% written, spelled, and conceived by you. And took us by surprise!

Later, the notes appeared taped to the computer screen with one additional letter.

Your tactics sound, your motivation clear, your cuteness and puppy-dog eyes off the charts...

...your mother came up with a great idea: you could MAKE one.

And so, the weekend came and you got right to it. You chose not to walk the dogs or go to the playground, because you wanted to stay home and work on your tablet. All day Saturday you spent working with Mommy: cutting, paper mache, drawing, coloring, gluing, researching...and you created your very own, amazingly awesome, Julia-imagination powered TABLET!

Candy Crush, Netflix, Amazon, Calendar, Disney oh MY!

You were so careful in which apps you wanted. 

You picked "Tuesday the 5th" for your calendar because "Tuesdays are when Aunt Sham used to pick me up from school and we had so much fun. Tuesdays are the best.!"

Later that week on a walk you asked me if I had my phone. I said no. You said "Good thing I put the phone and text messages on my Tablet!"

Saturday afternoon you spent your allowance and ordered a pink tablet case to go along with it!

Saturday night at dinner you came up to mommy with a concern: the case will prop the tablet up horizontally...but the tablet screen won't automatically re-orient itself. So Mommy suggested that you make a NEW horizontal-oriented tablet screen on the back of the tablet you already made.

You were so gung-ho about it that you spent a lot of Sunday morning and  Monday afternoon hard at work!

And you even inspired Aidan to work on one too!

You are so creative, so dedicated, so driven, and so amazing, young lady! There's an app for all that: it's called Julia version 5.0! 

I love you, amazing girl.

Father's Day Weekend

Julia, Aidan,

Thank you for making me a father. And thanks for letting me be your dad. 

I got just what I wanted: time with both of you and Mommy; and time with my Dad and our family too!

Saturday morning you both woke up SUPER early (like before 6 am!) I guess you were so excited that you didn't want to miss a minute of the weekend! So, around 7:45 I was going to go for a run, and Julia you asked to come with me on your bike...and then Aidan, you asked to come too.

Of course!

So while the weather was still crisp and cool, we headed out and zipped through the neighborhood and up to the elementary school playground, where you guys played and pretended and (after I did a few laps on the track) we did even more playing!

It was a brilliant way to start the weekend off right!

We ran some errands, hung out, played games, listened to music, did a little shopping, and soaked in the nice weather in our backyard...which was about to be changed forever.

On Sunday we all slept in...and then you both took turns helping me make pancakes. Then we went kayaking on White Rock Lake!

I've been itching to do this for a long time with you and Mommy. It's been quite a while...and it was totally worth it! We saw turtles and cranes and we raced and got wet and had so much fun!

The day continued with some fun-in-a-box, playing (and errands) with sleep masks, and drawing and playing games at home. 

Aidan, you worked really hard on this stencil art and gave it to me for fathers day "To Dad from Aidan227"

Then we met up with Mimi and Pops and Holden for special sushi dinner and bakery dessert happy fun times.

This was such an easy-going, no-stress fathers day weekend. But, to be fair-even though I know it's cheesy- pretty much every day is 'fathers day' when I'm with you! You guys always make me feel special and loved...and I always aim to return the favor. 

I love you to the moon and back.

Sum-sum-summer time 2018

Ah....summer....time for sundresses and silliness...

...time for geckos and get-togethers

...time for swimming, sprinklers and splashing.

...time for summer haircuts!

Check it out in living color!

Summer started on Memorial Day weekend, when I picked you up early from 'not school school' and took you to Keller's Drive in for some in-car burgers!

It continued with a long walk to CVS to get candy and test out those new pedometer watches and staring contests in the park. 

There were cookies to be baked, critters to be caught and released, and games of chase in the backyard and bike rides...

We finally got together with our friends: 

You learned new games, and played music...

...and had a surprise visit from Kaelyn!

There was more backyard fun, a sleepover (a first!) with Brady, many trips to harvest the garden, a fun trip to the tile store, and more!

And a surprise summer visitor, Holden!

Top it off with swimming, playing cards, cuddling dogs, and  a day trip to the rec center pool, complete with fresh peaches and an amazing million trips down the water slide, and you got yourself the start to a sweet, sweet summer!