After we got back in town from our big summah vacation, we realized that we only had a few more weeks until we made the big move! So, time really raced by. Because of my pregnancy and knowing my physical limitations, I made little goals of packing up 2-3 boxes a day. It turned out to be a great plan and very do-able.
The house was moving right along... it's amazing how quickly all the last details all come together. We'd go back each day to see something totally new at the house, which was SUPER exciting.
This day when we took photos, they had just recently installed the granite AND the backsplash.
I was so happy with how they both turned out!
So clean and bright!
::: After really internalizing how much grass there is to mow in our backyard, Aaron has been considering a new purchase. We spent some time at Home Depot checking out what they had. He was a fan of what they had (his thumbs up say it all) and started dreaming of a future riding a lawnmower...
the kids were pretty psyched at the idea too. The verdict is still out on whether or not it will happen. He's got just over a half of an acre to take care of... for now, he's been using his ELECTRIC push lawnmower---which involves an extension cord. hA!! I won't tell you how many hours he's logged mowing thus far...
::: On a random summer day, when Aaron had work off, we headed to a local splash pad and then afterward stopped off at an old candy store. It was such a happy day for ALL of us.
I love this picture.
And, of course, I love this picture too. Tillie had been here before with Aaron (she came here after doing so great getting her four year old shots), but this was the first experience for Cal and me. This is what I picture Candy Heaven to look like. For a dentist, Aaron REALLY loves candy. He just remembers to brush his teeth afterward, b/c he's seen too many bombed out mouths in his life. hA! Let's not focus on that, though. Let's think about all the delicious varieties pictured below and imagine we're all there together singing "Kumbaya!" 
So many old time favorites. Made me think of the good ol' days... riding our bikes to the Alpine Market and buying treats.
a happy day for a happy cowboy.
::: Speaking of happy boys... Aaron is a happy boy in our new back yard. This was after they had laid down sod in most of the backyard. And this shot is only showing a portion of the yard. You can see now why he is considering a riding lawn mower.
::: We love it when Becca can come up for the weekend! This particular weekend, we decided to hit up the Farmer's Market again. They have a little bakery that comes and sells amazing crescants. They are delicious and I may have had dreams about them. Don't judge me. I'm pregnant.
Look how darling Beca looks in her fun hat. Cal looks pretty cute in his too, don't you think?
I love that they have kids playing Celtic music in the background.
::: It's been so fun having a family member here in Dallas who cares about things like sod! :) Becca has been a big cheerleader for us since day 1. So, it was really fun to bring her back to the house and show her all of the latest and greatest. Aaron, again, is raising up his arms in happiness.
Did you know that Becca is an avid gardner? She's already plotting out where our garden will go and I love her for it!
Sweaty family portrait. hA! Too bad it looks like Tillie had a little itch. hA!
Cute girl.
::: This girl is getting super independent and really likes to do as much as I will allow her to do---including making her personal favorite, PB and J sandwiches. Cal likes PB&Honey, and she prefers jam. I decided to let her give it a go and that decision has burned me. EVERY time we pull out the lunch stuff they want to do it themselves. Oy.
A pantless Cal is a happy Cal, apparently. He really liked this game too.
::: Carpet was installed at the new house and it made it all seem more real!
the kids were HUGE fans of this new addition... as you can see below.
another shot of the kitchen as we were leaving.
::: Have you ever been to the store, Garden Ridge? I think it's a Texas chain, but it is INSANE. It's like Hobby Lobby on steroids. It's huge, ridiculous, and really pretty fun. If you ever need ANYthing for ANY holiday, this is your one stop shop. You should see how many Christmas things they have!! We went looking for inexpensive patio furniture (and just because we were curious) and the kids found some comfy furniture. I love anything in MINI sizes. Including cup-holder-reclining chairs. hA! No, these did not come home with us, but Aaron tried to sell me on the idea.
So, the chairs didn't come home with us, but one of these darling delights DID.
Can you guess which one?
I'm a sucker for all cute animals in fake form (the real things kind of creep me out), so as we were heading out to the car, I trotted (too big to run these days) back to the store to grab this giraffe. I knew I'd regret leaving with out him, so I went back and paid the $19 so he could live with our family forever. I mean, just look at that face!! And, hello, my birthday was the next week... completely justifiable.
::: Since the landlord was going to be coming to look at the place before they re-listed it, I decided to sparkle it up (with Aaron and Becca's help, obviously). So, afterward, I decided to go through room by room and take a few shots that I haven't ever probably shared on the blog-o-sphere.
Here's the master bathroom.
master bedroom... where us "masters" sleep. such a funny title.
this used to be Cal's room, but we turned it into a play room/dressing room (we stashed their dressers in here) for the kids once we moved him into Tillie's room.
The new giraffe made himself at home.
Guest bedroom with all my craft/paper schtuff. :) Looks so nice and clean, right? hA!
Dining room turned into piano room and storage room for all the boxes I'd been packing up/gathering.
the office/study/exercise room as you'd enter the house. It was always so bright and happy in this room. My computer is on the other side of the room in the armoire. I'd put on work out videos and shut the french doors and bust a move in here when the wee ones were sleeping.
It really was a great landing place for us, this rental. We lived in a nice area and loved our next door neighbors... not to mention those who we got to go to church with. If we weren't so excited about the new house, we'd be happy to stay in this one for a while!
::: One of the last things installed at the house was the wood flooring---which turned out to be mcuh darker than we were anticipating. But, what do you do once they've installed it?? I went back with the sample we had chosen, and even though they said it was the same, it still looks pretty different to me. Oh well. For aesthetic reasons, I love the darker one. But, the mother of two toddlers and a new arrival in a minute loathes the darker one. You can see EVERY THING that drops onto this floor. But, alas, all is well. I have a trusty little hard floor vacuum from Costco that I love, and it is my best friend.
::: Becca, up again for the weekend, reading to the kids. She really is the bomb. And, do you love that I never filled up those frames in the whole year that we lived there? Nice one, melissa.
::: A little story, if you will, for your reading enjoyment. Once upon a time, Melissa sat in the grass with shorts on while she watched her darling children frolic at the splash pad (oh! the same day we went to the candy store). Well, approx. 2.5 million chiggers decided to attack my legs in their entirety---we're talking up to my belly (not to be too graphic), and let me tell you, I thought I was going to die. Chiggers are my worst enemy now. And did you know, that when you itch the bites, they release more histamines and make it MORE itchy? Oh, how lovely. For some strange reason, Aaron was left untouched by those horrible creatures. I was happy for him, but devastated for me.
Anyway, I'd itch hour after hour and finally heard about the miracles of these natural products (shown below) that were safe for a pregnant woman. Of course that means they are only sold in places like Whole Foods, so we made the jaunt one afternoon when the temperature was 114 degrees. Awesome.
I feel like I'm doing my part to save the world when I shop at a place like Whole Foods, but b/c the prices are so much more, we don't frequent there very often. I'm a cheapo, remember? The kids had a dandy time in the fancy car-like cart.
And, here are the two products that helped me heal. I will warn you, the Pine Tar Soap smells DISGUSTING---like you've been at a camp fire for days with out a shower (ironic that it is the soap!). But, you gotta do what you gotta do. Aaron thought it was cool to have the camping smell at first, but after a few days, even he was over the smell. Eventually, after a few weeks, the itching stopped. Hallelujah.
::: We were big fans of the Olympics that happened in London and were really happy to have the modern invention of DVR to record all our favorite events. This is my first time viewing with such technology and I LOVED it. Tillie was also a HUGE fan of the "gymnastic girls" and would watch and try to replicate what they were doing for hours in her dance costume.
It was darling.
And that, my friends, was how the last part of July panned out.
