August Update

August has come and gone and with that our first few weeks back at school. I will do a separate post on how the children are doing in school. Let's just say, they are still loving it. The month came with some much appreciated cooler days but then summer moved back in. But in the early mornings and late evenings, it feels great to be outside. Thus, on weekend mornings you can find us on the front porch:

 We even had our first breakfast on the deck on a especially fall-like morning.

Since I have to get up at 5:30am during the work week, at least I can enjoy the pretty sunrise while preparing lunch boxes:

Our guinea pigs are doing great and once in a while get a quick wash (they are called pigs for a reason...stink stink). We figured out that they don't mind the bath as long as there is some food:

They love cantaloupe too:

Our new "house guest", who lives under our deck, is very cute and comes out nightly when I'm watering the yard; however, he has also been eating my newly re-planted vegetables. No good, Mr. Bunny! So, I put up some chicken wire around my garden beds and we tried catching him and now he moved on to the neighbors yard. Derrick also took part off the deck down, which Bunny probably didn't like either. He was awfully cute though and came up close to us.

My husband working hard on the beautification of the yard (and I helped too):

 In mid August, Amelia was invited to Build-a-Bear by one of her best friends. Instead of celebrating with a party, Annamae chose to go to Build-a-Bear and asked if Amelia can come along. The girls each chose a new stuffie and enjoyed an ice-cream treat and a carousel ride.

And just like that, a mermaid was sitting outside the Aquarium restaurant and the girls got to talk to her. What a  great way to celebrate a girl's 8th birthday. 

One Wednesday evening, some co-workers and I met up at a local paint studio. There was food, wine, music and a fun artist teaching us how to paint a sunflower portrait. We really enjoyed the step-by-step guidance. 

As you can see, I variated my paint colors just a bit but really like how it turned out. Our troop:

 

August also means the beginning of the long-awaited football season. My guys are very happy about that. Go Gators!

Teaching Amelia how to use the Strickliesl:

Now, we are hopeful that Fall will come around soon so that we can enjoy all the fun activities that come with that season.