July has been a busy month. We began it with fourth of July when family came to visit. The kids LIVE for their cousins to come. We were lucky this time because Chloe and Ethan got to stay for a week!!! It was perfect timing for Cherry Festival and all the activities. These of course included all of Amelia's duties as a princess. Scott was also home for the week and hung with us. So nice to have our daddy here!! We love him!! 
July is a busy month in Traverse City. Especially for us this year. Amelia was chosen as the Princess for Old Mission School and we had the fun yet overwhelming responsibility of building the float.
It was a long week. Family and friends in and out to witness Amelia at her best. And, yes, Amelia played the part very well.
Here is Amelia with Papu at the State of Michigan boat tour. Parents were not allowed. But Papu was. Papu is very involved in our community and since he is a trustee on the board at Northwestern Michigan College, they let him on the boat. Our children are very fortunate to participate in various community events because of him. Thanks, Dad!
So I have decided that the next best thing to having your own baby is when your sister has her baby. My sister, Sarah, gave birth to her first child last Friday night. Her name is Tess Evelyn. Yes, I was invited to the birth. I am so LUCKY. The minute her little body emerged I felt like so in love with her! She is perfect. I think Isabelle and Amelia feel as though they now have this real little girl doll that they have always wanted. (a "sister") They love their brothers, don't get me wrong, but I do hear about it all the time that they really do want a little sister. So I think their cousin is it. They ask me 20 times a day (at least) if we can go to aunt Sarah's. Isabelle wants to help put her new clothes away and Amelia wants 27 more pictures of her with Tess. (because we do not have enough) Just look at her...
If you did not know, my best kitty Ariel died a few months ago. It was like losing a child for me because that's just the way pets are. She was the first gift Scott ever gave to me and she was the oldest of our cats, yet the last to pass. So when she died, I told Scott and the kids that all I wanted was another kitty for my birthday. Yes, I know, all we need is another animal. However, Jasmine has been very lonely. And, cats do better in pairs, in my opinion. Now for those of you who know me well, I have always been a long haired, Persian cat person. But I know my limitations and with my 5 kids, grooming is really not in the cards. SO, Belle and I went to the Humane Society. JUST to look. I had already been online and did not think I would find the "right" one there. But that all changed when I walked in and in the FIRST cage I went to was a kitten that looked just like Ivy (one of our previous cats) but with short hair. I immediately knew. I took her out and never looked back. Isabelle kept asking "Mama should we look at the other 40 kittens in here?" Nope. She was it. Charlotte. That is her name. Named after my favorite "Sex and the City" star. She is perfect. The other kitten you see in the pictures is my brother and sister in law's cat. They also got a kitten a few days later, in a different city, not even knowing we got one too!
We have had a couple weddings within the last month and this one was up near where we live, in Houghton Lake. I did not take too many pics, but one of them was PRICELESS. The reception was in a grassy area on the other side of the road from the lake. So we were all sitting down and discovered that we were missing a couple kids. I decided to walk down to the lake to look for them. There they were, Isabelle and Tyler, sitting on the bench looking at the water. It was priceless. They rarely get to see eachother and, Tyler is 6 years older than Belle. Not that they do not love eachother, but merely have different interests. This was the best. I snuck in to take a picture AND to listen in a little. They were simply talking about life. It was great. As you can see, his arm is around her...
This competition was a bit less dramatic as the last. Our eldest is finally learning that winning is NOT everything. Isabelle and Amelia each got a first place ribbon this time and things were just grand! Although it is clear that these things are really not the place to take all the boys because they become really bored, really fast! Congrats girls, we are so proud!
