Summer So Far

We have had a fun, yet very busy summer, so far! School let out June 5th and we hit the ground running. We started with Emma's ballet recital June 6th, left for Disney June 8th, returned home June 16th, some college friends arrived June 21st and stayed for a week, and now I am finally getting around to potty training Kate, while Boss helps with the children's home recreation program these next two weeks. Did I mention that Boss started his new job as the Director of Education for Mid Western Children's Home today? No? Well, he did! Whew! I am tired just thinking about all we have done these last few weeks.

Disney was so much fun, and I am so glad that we went! We spent two days at Magic Kingdom, one day at Animal Kingdom, a half day at Universal Studios, and one day at Daytona Beach visiting family. It was HOT there (almost unbearable), but we still managed to have a good time. The girls were enthralled with meeting all of their favorite characters and princesses, and it was definitely a magical experience for them! Emma's favorite ride was Splash Mountain and Kate's favorite ride was the Barnstormer. My girls seem to love roller coasters, and Boss and I are not sure where they get their bravery from! My favorite things were the Lion King Show (the girls got to be in it!) and the Mickey Mouse 3D movie. I am pretty sure that Boss liked the Dinosaur ride at Animal Kingdom and Splash Mountain the best. While we were there, Boss was also fortunate enough to get to see the Lakers beat the Magic for the NBA World Championship, which was one of the items on his bucket list, so that was pretty special. Florida is a wonderful place to vacation, and we hope to go back in a couple of years!

We also got to see two of my cousins and their families at Daytona Beach, and we all had so much fun together! I had not seen one of my cousins since the year Boss and I got engaged, so it had definitely been too long! I loved watching my kids play with their kids and wished we all lived closer to each other to be more involved in each others lives. The beach was also beautiful, and it is a Zickafoose family tradition to stick our feet in the ocean at least once a year.

We are excited that the month of July is finally here. July is a big month for birthdays in our family, and we have a lot to look forward to. Emma's birthday is July 8th and the girls family party is going to be July 11th at Jump Zone. At the end of the month we are going to spend the weekend at Put In Bay to celebrate my 27 years of life. It will be another busy month, for sure, but it will be filled with lots of fun and memory making, as well.

Last night, Boss and I were rocking on our back porch (in our pretty, new black rockers!), and I told him that I feel so blessed to lead such a charmed life. Emma was catching firefly's in the yard, our big yellow lab was laying at our feet, and for that moment in time my heart felt so blessed. It is easy to start dwelling on the negatives of every day life (living with five troubled teenage girls can certainly produce lots of things to feel negatively about), but if I stop and think about it, I truly am so blessed. I am trying my best to cherish these busy summer months with my family, as I know that one day soon they will only be precious memories in my mind.