Summer Recap and Life Lately

Seriously, where did the summer go? It just goes by so fast these days. I know I talk about how crazy life can be with four kids but I feel like time goes by quicker when there's always a million things going on. That's just daily life at the Cruzan house! I thought I would share a recap of the summer and share what's happening lately for my "little" crew.

I'm so sad we didn't make it to the beach this year! This is our second year not going. Last year Mia was just born and this year I don't know what happened. Maybe the thought of taking the family to the beach was too overwhelming. If you have kids you know what I'm talking about. There is a beach trip pre-kids where all you really need is a beach towel, chair, sunnies and a good book.
Then, there is the beach trip with kids... the one that consists of floaties, goggles, sand toys, extra clothes, sun block, umbrellas, wagons, coolers.... you get my drift. The thought of packing us to the beach is overwhelming. So, maybe next year. I am super sad and also extremely pale!

We did make it to the pool a lot. The pool seems more manageable for some reason. We still have to bring a whole crap ton but maybe minus the sand toys hahaha! I guess not dealing with sand is a plus, too.

Noah's mom moved back to Virginia and the girls drove back with her in June. They stayed at Noah's sister, Sarah's, house for a couple of weeks until we could pick them up 4th of July. It was nice for the girls to spend some quality time with their cousins and Sarah/Moe.

I feel like we didn't take too many trips this summer like we normally take. We missed our trip to Pensacola to visit Noah's brother, Jeremiah, due to some bad weather. We took a day trip to Jacksonville instead and took the kids to the zoo.

We decided to really get serious about potty training with Levi and I thought it was going to be a lot harder than when I trained the girls. Levi embraced it and is doing so well! He is even in underwear all day at daycare! We are still in Pull-ups at night but we will probably stop that soon too! Yay for only one in diapers!

My potty training tips: In the beginning, take trips to the potty every 30 minutes! Practice positive reinforcement! Take the potty with you when you go out! Go straight to underwear if you can. They don't usually like to feel wet and pull-ups are too close to diapers!

I stopped breast-feeding Mia cold turkey this past weekend while I was away in Atlanta. Surprisingly, Noah said only the first night was hard. It's still been kind of tough at night but she's adjusting. She's growing so fast. Her and Levi graduated to the next rooms at daycare. It's so cute because they get to have breakfast together every day before they are split up. I love how Levi holds her hand in the classroom.

The second week of school is already underway for the girls. Ava is in third grade and Lily is in first grade. They like their teachers and I'm excited for the both of them. I hope they have an awesome year.

So that's what is going on with the Cruzans lately. We are constantly busy so it's nice to sit down and reflect on it all. Soon I'll be planning the next birthday and/or our next family trip! There's no rest for the weary!