Ju-lah

July is over?!?!?

Sickening. Sometimes I find myself put out with time, and how every now and then, with no warning, its pace seems to quicken. But negotiate I cannot...it marches on, with or without my consent.

So I'll just try to keep up. Here's a rundown of our July - a month that can be summed up in the words fun, family, and pain. :)

July 1st: Asher kicked off the month by sustaining his first black eye, jumping into a tub full of water.

July 3rd: We attended Columbus' annual Fourth of July fireworks show - "Red, White and Boom" with our good friends the McFaddens and the Wilkins, and had a great time talking, snacking and watching the fireworks.

 "FA-YA-WUHKS!"

July 4th: We celebrated Independence Day by going downtown Hilliard and attending Asher's first ever parade. He loved the big trucks, floats, and (duh) being thrown candy.

That night we had a fun cook out with friends, and ate until we wanted to die. Or maybe that was just me. Seeing Asher experience sparklers and poppers for the first time was priceless! And nostalgic. Took me right back to Fourths of yore...how is it I'm now on the adult administering end of things?

Thanks for nothing, time.

 

 I just want to kiss his little face

July 5: Our precious niece, Ella is born! Here are some shots aunt Ali took of this beautiful baby girl:

 

We are so happy she's here! And just because they're all so adorable, here's one of her whole fam:

 July 6: Andrew's big surgery. Thing is, he's always felt like a woman trapped in a man's body.....Okay, he actually needed major reconstructive knee surgery due to an old ski injury. But also now requests we call him Andrea.
 

BEFORE - Shaved and ready!

Okay, DO NOT look at the next couple pictures if you have a weak stomach! Seriously, the first one especially makes me want to heave, but Andrew insisted I post it as some repulsive badge of honor. So. I'm sorry. Here's AFTER:

 Day 3

Day 4

Poor Drew...it was a rough recovery initially, but he was a trooper! His dad came in for the first few days, which was a tremendous help, and 3 weeks later, our man is much improved! Physical therapy has been great - off crutches now, just limping around.

July 10th - My 26th birthday. Oi. Almost don't want to mention it... (I could say something bitter about sneaky time again, but as it's provided me annual notice, I guess there's no foul play here) I just no longer relish getting older! Today is my little sister's 17th birthday, and I'm genuinely happy for/jealous of her.  I think someone telling me the body begins breaking down at age 25 has been a catalyst for my bad attitude. But I'm getting over it! One foot in the grave or not, I probably have a few good years left! Life has truly gotten better each year, so let's hear it for 26!

More good news - Andrew bought a really nice camera for my birthday! Still learning to use it - but hopefully our pictures and videos will improve! Also, I should document that I was blessed on this day to have friends that went out of their way to make my little birthday special, and a good husband who was sweet enough to feel badly for being incapacitated.

 Yellow cake with chocolate icing is my favorite - thanks, Lindsey!

July 14: The three of us spend the day in Somerset, KY at Adam and Jaclyn's (Andrew's brother-in-law and big sis) house oogling baby Ella with the rest of the fam.

 Ella's photo shoot

 

Such a cute room!

Proof grand kids have more energy :)

July 20-22 My sweet in-laws, Joey and Kim come for a visit. We had a great time going to the North Market, shopping at beautiful Easton, eating specialties from Trader Joe's, and playing games. We are always so sad when they leave...and poor Asher is the most grieved of all. Grandparents are so special.

July 22 - The Bachelorette finale! That's right, this makes our (my) highlights! Maybe I'm a loser to admit it, but I love ABC's Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise. Say something. It's a guilty pleasure I rope Andrew into, but I think he finds almost equally entertaining. We had a few friends over to watch it with us, and loved every mush-filled minute. Congrats to Emily and Jef! Really hope they last!

 

July 25-27: Andrew flies to Arkansas for yet another conference! We missed him, but he had a really good time with this one. Sounded like it was mainly a schmooze fest where he was wined and dined. Poor guy. Back home with Asher, I was just whined.

July 27-29: My Dad came up for a visit and we loved seeing him! We had fun at a Columbus Clippers game, going out to eat, seeing The Dark Knight, and shopping for tons of stuff we needed for the house and new baby. Who knew buying hundreds of diapers and wipes could feel so exhilarating? Thanks, Dad! 

 

And that's about a wrap! So grateful to note that we were able to see family every weekend in July! Such a blessing we've come to really value!

*Note - I take no pleasure in writing (or finding 15 minutes to read) these long "catch-up" posts. Really making a goal to stay on top of happenings in shorter, more frequent bursts, so blogging isn't a chore!