Dads & Grads
June was a great month all around. I just love summertime, although I could do without the 104-degree temperatures. Regardless, we had a great time visiting with friends and family! Our annual trip to Nags Head with the Mantaks turned to an impromptu trip to Ocean Isle with the Bryans, due to the stomach bug hitting the Mantak household. We had a great time playing miniature golf, lying on the beach, and having some great laughs. It was a nice break from work and a chance to connect with wonderful friends! The kids now outnumber the adults! Peapod turned 15 and Indiana turned 11. It’s hard to believe that they are that old. Poor Peapod has trouble with incontinence and seems to be hard of hearing (or maybe it’s just selective hearing). They are still such sweet dogs and happy (or sleeping) all the time. I met some new girls in Charlotte with Kendall at Painting with a Twist. This is one of those new crazes where you bring wine and apps and paint on canvas from scratch. Those of you know that I can draw a mean stick figure, but that’s about it. Needless to say, I was pretty proud of my creation. It’s even wall-worthy (in a bathroom). We enjoyed a delicious dinner with Mimi and everyone for her birthday at the Cypress. The food was so tasty and Dadaw and she are so happy to call that their new home.
Knowing that I had work trip that put me on a plane on Father’s Day, I knew I had to make up for it. I secretly planned a trip to the US National Whitewater Center where the Bryans and Mantaks would meet up with us. We woke up that morning with Trent having no idea what was going on. We dropped the girls off at Aunt Patty’s house, the dogs off at Petsmart, and then headed for the center. Trent was so excited! What made it even better (and another reason for this locale) is that they were also having a Brew Stash Bash beer festival that day. Rafting + Beer = Good Times. We had such a blast and are pretty sure that once the girls are old enough, we will likely get season passes (not for probably another five years or so). There are ropes courses, zip lines, canoes, paddleboarding, and of course, rafting. Our guide was awesome and took us around the course five times, where we navigated some class-four rapids. No one fell out of the raft, which was apparently pretty impressive to our guide. After the rafting, zip lines, and ropes high above the ground, we partook in the beer tasting and watched people bust out of the raft in the big rapids. We headed to dinner and called it a night. I think I raised the bar a bit, but it was an incredible Father’s Day!!!
The next day, Trent took the girls to Aunt Patty’s house for a family pool party for Father’s Day while I flew to Spokane for a teambuilding trip. I had a blast getting to know my colleagues better and learned a lot about how to center myself and become more aware. A lot of deep breathing that has helped. It’s important to keep that mentality at the forefront of your mind in order to make situations less stressful (something I can really find useful). Brayden graduated from Goddard and had a ceremony nearby where they wore their caps and gowns (seriously) and sang a bunch of songs. She was so proud of herself. It was too cute. I seriously don’t understand how she is already going to kindergarten. Where have the last (nearly) six years gone?
Tanya was in town for a few days, so Kendall and I met up with her for a great dinner and a night on the town. It was just like college days and we had a blast. There is something to be said about catching up with great friends. Even though we hadn’t seen Tanya in a year (or more), we pick up right where we left off. That is a true testament to an amazing friendship. I just wish you lived closer, Tanya! Trent went on his annual guys’ canoe trip in the mountains where they had a great time, as usual. Even though he didn’t win the coveted “Camper of the Year” award, he did rock a pretty outstanding moustache for the trip.
Hanleigh is a non-stop chatterbox with new words appearing everyday. She also copies everything you say and says “oh” or “ok” to most things. Brayden continues to be the most amazing big sister and is very nurturing to Hanleigh. We wrapped up the negotiations on our new house. The appraisal even came in under our contracted price, so we were able to get the home for even less than we had anticipated…always a good thing. Once that was all complete, the fun part: picking out paint colors and drapery patterns. The big move was just around the corner as our closing date of July 2 rapidly approached.
Brayden-isms
- The stomach bug ran rampant in our house for a week or more, so one day, Brayden threw up. I told her she didn’t need to be near Hanleigh and to tell Hanleigh to “talk to the hand” if she got too close to which Brayden said, “But, not this hand mommy because that’s the one I threw up on.”
- Trent told Brayden that “We’ve had my car for four years before you were even born…before you were in mommy’s belly” to which she said, “How do babies get in mommy’s bellies?” Trent answered with “Magic.”
- I said, “Nana let’s you have an Icee when you go to Target. She lets you guys do things that Mommy and Daddy don’t.” to which she said, “That’s some Nana.”
- My friend, Melissa (who has no children) recommended the movie We Bought a Zoo. While it is a cute movie, apparently the Motion Picture Association has totally slacked off on what bad words are allowed in a PG-rated movie. During one part of the movie, they said a lovely word, so Brayden says, “What’s a dick?” I just told her it’s not a nice word. Gee, thanks for the movie recommendation, Momo!”
- One day, in the car, Brayden said, “I think when Hanleigh gets older, she is going to have a round head and I will, too. But, your head is sort of a weird shape, mommy. It’s sort of oval and sort of round. It’s weird. Daddy’s is, too.”
- We drove by a very large cemetery in Charlotte. Brayden stared out the window and said, “There sure are a lot of dead people in Charlotte.”
- Actually is her favorite word now…at least the most frequently used word of hers.
- After transitioning to her new class, Brayden mentioned one of her former classmates and said, “I don’t want to be her friend anymore. She is in my old class and my new friends are nicer to me than she is.” And so it begins.
Hanleigh-isms
- My yuck it = I don’t like it
- Dohda=Dora