July Recap---Part 1

Time for a July update...I feel so bad that it has been almost a month since I posted!
Summer at the Potocnik house has been nothing but FUN! Here's the recap:

July 2nd Madison's American Girl Book Club went to see the premier of Kit Kittredge, An American Girl. It was so much fun and the moms liked the movie too! This book club idea started out as just a fun way to pass the summer (in '07) and has turned into a group of girls that are learning a lot and becoming closer each time we meet. For all of this I am so thankful!

July 4th we headed to Cape Girardeau, MO to visit 3 of my college friends/roommates and their families (GO TCU Horned Frogs!). Between us, we now have 10 children and they had a blast spending the 4th of July together. Of course this was Leila's very first 4th of July and as usual, she soaked it all in. We thought the fireworks would scare her but we were wrong again! She loved the poppers that you throw on the ground. She would grab a handful, throw them down and yell 'boom!' Then, she'd look up and me and say 'More boom, Mama!' It was a great time together to reconnect after over 10 years of living in different states. Nat, Courtney, and Kate---if you are reading this---we can't wait to see you again next year!


After leaving Cape, we drove all the way across the country to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Now some would think that 20+ hours in the car with 4 kids would be exhausting, and it was. However, the kids did GREAT and were so excited to see parts of the country they had never seen before. We drove through the Smoky Mountain National Park, which we all loved. Although we were tired, we really did enjoy God's creation together (at sunset, no less!), which was one of the goals of our trip.

We met my parents, my sister's family, and my brother at the beach on July 6th and spent a great week together just enjoying the sun and introducing the kids to the ocean! (My sweet little 10 month old niece also introduced us all to the stomach flu, but that's a different story). Highlights included finding shells, boogie boarding, creating a sea turtle in the sand, and sitting on the deck watching the surfers. For Caeden, the Playstation 2 was possibly the best part of his week. At night we hung out and played games---it was just an awesome time as a family. My Aunt Becky and her family were there too, which was a treat as they live in Chicago and we don't get to see them too often. We then started the long drive home July 12th...another long 2 days but surprisingly smooth considering all the little 'bumps' in the road we encountered! I was proud of my kids and Jason and I talked for a long time about how we are so glad we drove instead of flying out to the coast---nothing better than a road trip for our family!



July 16-20 Jason's parents generously offered to have the kids down to Chanute for a very long weekend. This was the first time Leila spent the night away from us and she did so well! I was amazed that in four months, she was confident enough to just hug and kiss me goodbye, and trust that 'Mommy will come back' will still hold true. Speaking of Mommy, I did great the first couple nights (WOW is my house quiet), but by Saturday, I was missing all the kids and I was so happy to see them Sunday afternoon. Even though I was working three out of four of the days, Jason and I had a great time together. We celebrated our 12th anniversary (which isn't until August 9th, but we'll be driving that day) at a Japanese Steakhouse---our favorite. I got some quality scrapbooking time, which never happens anymore. Saturday night we went to church and were able to a)get there on time b)skip the children's area, and c)leisurely visit with friends after the service instead of rushing to the aforementioned children's area! Jason and I rarely have a single date, let alone an entire weekend together so we were truly blessed by his parent's willingness to do this.

Whew---that's a lot for just 3 weeks, but the rest will have to be tomorrow as I haven't downloaded all the photos. Thanks for stopping by---

Love,
Alissa