A Month in Pictures

Since it's been ages since I wrote a real post and we have a lot of adventures to tell you about, I thought I'd just skim through them all in one long post & give you the month in pictures!

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July 2
Baby K turned 8 months old!

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July 3 - 4
We headed for Missouri to reconnect with lots of family & old friends (including K's godmother, Auntie V...
and the priest who did our wedding!)
We spent the 4th in St. Louis for the wedding of one of my dear friends from college. It was actually the first time I'd seen her in 10 years! Crazy! There were 4 of us that were very close. It was a wonderful reunion for 3 of us, but we sure missed you, Chare!

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July 5
We also had a chance to go to Mass at the Catholic Student Center, which is where we were married.
Then we had a lovely lunch with a dear friend before heading out to the St. Louis Zoo with one of DKG's best friends from college & his family.
It is seriously a FABULOUS zoo. If you're ever in the Lou, I totally recommend it. Besides being amazing, it's FREE. Yep, free. I'd been quite content with our zoo until this visit. Now I have total zoo envy! Did I mention that it's free??!

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July 6 - 9
After that, DKG headed home (since apparently someone in this family has to work!) and the Kumquat & I headed on to visit Grammy in Farmington, where I grew up.
It has been years since I was there, so that was fun. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to catch up with many people. Grammy had broken a couple ribs the day before we arrived, so we really spent most of the time helping her out. We'll definitely have to make a trip back soon to have a do-over. Fortunately, Grammy was able to hold the baby girl (if I was very careful in the hand-off) and had a good time with K.

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July 9 - 10
Baby K & I headed home. Oh, did I mention that we drove?
And that I insisted DKG fly home and K & I drive? And that I'm clearly insane? The girl was great for the first day & all but 2 hours or so of the second. By then she was d-o-n-e, but, sadly, we were not yet home. Not so fun for either of us. We did have a good time at a rest stop where she was happy as a clam...
but the meltdown resumed as soon as we got back into the car. We won't be doing that again. Oh wait... we're doing that again in about a week. Yup, my idea.

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July 11 - 23
We were home for 12 whole days!! Up to our usual fun & games, like:
hanging out at the pool...
grocery shopping...
taking baths...
having picnics on the deck...
watching the ducks at Bradley Fair (Look how long her hair is! And, no, it's not a toupee!)...
brunching at The Good Egg...
and sporting ridiculously cute Cardinals gear...

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July 24 - 28
We took our baby to Vegas, baby! We stayed at the Palazzo as we celebrated Lolo & Lola's wedding anniversary.
Baby K got to spend lots of fun time with them and with Tita A.
I feel like I hardly saw DKG the whole time (That's how we do in Vegas... the boys golf & the girls go to the pool. It was a bazillion degrees there; we totally got the better end of that deal!)...
but I guess I'll have more opportunities to see him soon. Right? I mean, I do live with him and all.

DKG & I got to see Jersey Boys while Lola, Lolo & Tita A babysat for us.
It was a fabulous show! And I hear fun was had (and some sign language learned!) by all back in the suite while we were gone.

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July 29 - 30
Home again, home again, jiggity-jog.
Back to reviewing general surgery...
having picnics in the yard...

and standing up!!

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July 31
This would have been my dad's 78th birthday. I'd intended to devote an entire post to him that day, but it just hasn't happened. Suffice it to say, he's one of the hugest influences in my life and I miss him terribly every day. This year (five years after he passed) is honestly the first time I've been able to really think about him without getting choked up. The times that do still really get me are when my Kumquat does something that I know would delight him. Or when I think about the fact that she'll grow up not knowing that amazing man. I never knew his parents and those grandparents were always sort of shadowy figures in my life that I have never had any true feelings for... in spite of the fact that I'm named for my grandmother. It breaks my heart to think it might be the same way for her. I hope and pray that I'll be able to share his life with her in a way that will help her feel like she knows her grandfather. I see him so much in my brothers and it does make me happy that she'll at least know him through them, even if it's not directly. I love you and miss you, Papa.

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Now on to August!!