7 Years, 5 Months...I finally got my PUPPY!!!

This was such an amazing month!  I finally got my puppy!  After years of looking for just the right dog (and either not being a good match or not being fast enough to check them out), we found a cute litter of lab/Australian Shepard mix 10 week old puppies.  We got to go and meet 6 out of the 7 of them with a lot of other people.  It was so much fun watching all the puppies playing together!  We had our eye on a female cream colored one named Bacall who was being fostered with her brother Bogie.  The foster parents got to decide who took the puppies home so I tried to not get my hopes up.  We went out to eat for Father's Day and got the email at the restaurant that we got her!!!  She was ours to pick up the next day!  After much debate, we finally decided to change her name to Molly.  She is so cute and sweet and smart and funny, and fits our family perfectly!  We are taking her to puppy training classes on Saturday mornings and she is learning pretty fast.  I hear she wakes up early in the morning, but I get to sleep through that.  I just love playing with her!
Our family made a trip up to Kirksville to visit our friends, the Kaden's.  We have so much fun playing with them!  We bounced in a bounce house in their basement, and then got to go on a giant slip and slide!  I think I could have done that all day!
I finished up summer school, and also took swimming lessons.  I improved a lot this summer and actually passed up two classes.  I loved my instructor Mr. Matt, and was so sad to leave him at the end.  He said that unless I wanted to be on swim team to work on my strokes, I really didn't need to take lessons anymore.  I just needed to work on my endurance!
Now that summer school is over, I get to have fun with the family!  We have been to quite a few parks and the library several times.  We can't seem to find enough books for me to read!  I have been really interested in playing with my Lego Friends with Mom.  I have spent some time at Nana Arden's while Mom and Dad have meetings.  I have also helped take Molly to the vet, although I don't like being back there when she is getting shots!  Miss Rachel came to visit and meet Molly, and told us that she is going to be a Mommy!  She is going to get to adopt a baby boy in the next month.  I am so happy for her.  I would love to have her as a Mommy!
Because of all our busyness, I have not been to our usual play dates, but I have gotten together with Corinne a few times.  We celebrated a late Father's day at Aunt Lisa's.  I was also invited to go swimming with Ella and her family one day, and we also got pizza and Orange Leaf!
One time this month, I called Mom "Mommy."  Afterwards, I apologized to her for calling her that.  I am trying to be a big kid, but things like that slip out sometimes.
Mommy has been gone a few times this month for a conference and a trip with Auntie Heather for her 40th birthday.  I was really sad and crying both times when she left, but I did ok while she was gone.  Daddy has done a great job taking care of Emily and me and the animals!  I have been a big help for him.  One day, I helped move some rocks for Nana Arden's friend.  I was really glad when Mommy came back.
We also have been looking at new beds for me since Emily will be out of her crib soon and needing mine.  We finally found one and I am so excited to decorate my new room-Emily and I are switching!  Can't wait to make some fun decisions!
 Meeting "Bacall"

Mommy loved her too!

Finding out we got her!

 Bonding with Molly

 Working on training her

Twist needs some attention too!

Having fun with Jaxson and Harrison

 Getting ready for the slip and slide!

 Saying good-bye and crashing in the car!

Just hanging out with Emily

Reading with Emily

 Building with Emily

My new pedicure!

Jumping in!

 Daddy's girl

Sunscreen is important when swimming all afternoon!  :(

I spend most of my days in this position

 And sometimes it doesn't go as planned!

 I like to help Emily with gymnastics too!

 I'm really just a happy girl!

  This was so much fun and got a lot faster as the day went on!

Helping Emily with her handstand

The Famous Sisters!

I love my new puppy Molly

Mommy caught me reading to Emily in the crib!

I really get into the music sometimes!

Jumping in is no sweat anymore!

The backstroke is my favorite

And I'm ok doing the front crawl

7 1/3 Years...The end of 1st grade

I started off this month with a quick trip to Washington for Great-Grandma Rose's 85th birthday party with Mommy.  Here, I made friends with Aubrey, Mommy's cousin's daughter.  We played Uno, outside on the playground, and even made up a dance!
I made Mommy and Daddy laugh one day really hard.  After I dumped too much Parmesan cheese on my pizza, I shrugged my shoulders and said, "The more, the merrier!"
There were a lot of fun things that happened at school the last two weeks.  We had Camp Read-A-Lot where we played a lot of games related to reading.  I only played Mommy's game (kind of like a cake walk, but with books) and Miss Schooler's game, and a relay game.  We had spirit week-sports day, dress like a friend day (I dressed like Ella and Madelyn), role model day (I wanted to dress like Mommy, but didn't!), mix-match/crazy hair day (I didn't want crazy hair), and color day (our class wore yellow.)  We had a fun foam party with a gigantic bubble machine that made foam all over the playground.  I got soaking wet!  We also had field day and I got even wetter that day!  That same day, we presented about our zoo animal to parents.  I know a lot about the black-handed spider monkey!  I was sad about school ending, but I was excited that it meant we are that much closer to getting a dog (if we can only find the right one for us!)  On the last day of school and the next day, Mommy and I got to go shopping and we went to the Humane Society.  Daddy came home that afternoon and we went to my cousin's Papa Otto's celebration of life.
Since school has been out, we have done a lot of fun things.  We have gone to the library several times (we can't keep enough books in the house for me!), to Orange Leaf, to PetCo to look at the dogs up for adoption, to many parks for the park challenge, and to Art in the Park. Mommy, Daddy, and I went to Six Flags with Auntie Heather and her family.  We had so much fun!  Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Tom came up for a couple of days and we got to hang out at the pool at the hotel, go to McDonald's, and ordered pizza at home.  Mommy and I also went to Dylan's graduation party.
I started summer school, so I am officially a 2nd grader!  I am enjoying it because we have actual real desks to put all of our stuff in!  It is nice to get out of school earlier and do things.  Mommy took me to Twist's vet appointment, and we went to Camille's birthday party.  We also got to go to the spray park after school one day!  I got to participate in another track meet.  I ran the 400 meters in 1:41 and took 5th place and got a ribbon.  I also ran the 200 meters, but I'm not sure of my time or place.  I did well, but got stuck behind a couple of other girls and kept getting tripped up.
Of course, we have been having a lot of play dates with Brynn, Bella, and Carrie (or a mix of them).  I also had a play date at my house with Ella and Gabe!  We had so much fun!  Then, Gabe's parents invited us to go swimming at their clubhouse pool!  We had a blast and I didn't want to leave!  Gabe's dad told Mommy that I was very well-behaved and used good manners.  Mommy was really proud of me.  We will definitely be getting together more this summer!
Two lefties drawing

I was on the color guard for the end of the year ceremony for Girl Scouts

Lighting the candles ceremony

Receiving my badges from Miss Erin

Bridging up to being a Brownie

Play date with Ella

Watching Mako Mermaids!

Playing games at Camp Read-A-Lot

Helping Daddy mow the lawn

He even let me steer and said I did a pretty good job!

Pics from the last soccer game

Me and Bella

I spend most of my time trying to perfect a handstand

Racing at field day

Playing a relay game with Julianna

Me and my 5th grade role model Charlie.  What a great role model she is!

The fire truck hose down!

Last day of 1st grade.  I still want to be an animal shelter worker

Emily had to get in on the action

Last day with Miss Schooler

Gotta take a picture of my masterpiece

I don't really fit in these anymore!

Selfies with Mommy

And I took one of my own!

Making masterpieces in the driveway

Daddy snuggling his girls in the morning

Waiting in line for the Log Flume and Thunder River

We got soaked!

Ready for the Colossus

Shooting paint at Art in the Park

Hanging out with my library sidekick for summer reading at Art in the Park

Making music

 Checking out the kittens at Art in the Park

A project with Mommy from her childhood-layered chalk-colored salt in a jar

Getting creative with animal crackers and Emily

Hanging out with Mommy at the park

I'm not afraid to climb anymore!

Crazy ghost!

Fun with Emily

But it gets serious when she tries to steal brown puppy

I think this is some kind of photo-bombing

Flying high!

Horsing around with Emily

 Showing Emily the good stuff on the phone

Waiting for the track meet to begin

Ready for my events

I got to hold a real chicken at Duane and Mary's!

Never too old for the slide!

Ellie, Ella.  Long hair, and we dress alike (not on purpose) for our play dates too!

 In the pool with Gabe and Ella

 Spray park fun with Emily

 Snuggle time with Twist

Excited about field day!

Jumping in the pool at field day

We can make a game out of anything!

Running the 200 meters-I am in gray

Running the 400 meters-always coming from behind!

Running at the spray park