Just like every other month this year, June came and went faster than we could say shaz-am!  Here are some of the notable happenings we were able to experience this past month:

Happy Birthday Tyler!
Tyler turned 27 this month and did not appreciate any of my reminders that he is now officially in his late twenties (in contrast to last year when are points of view were completely opposite- go figure).  I guess denial is the first sign that it has become a reality. 

This year’s birthday seemed a little down-played since his present was actually purchased several months ago.  Tyler got season tickets to the RSL games this year for his birthday and while he has enjoyed them, it’s a little weird not presenting some sort of a wrapped gift on the big day.  Making things seem further unbirthdayish, we spent the day at his friend Ty’s wedding and did not get home until late in the evening, just in time for Tyler’s soccer game.  Ugh.  We decided to compromise by making Tyler a birthday cake to eat after the game.  It was a very tasty cake, and thankfully, once combined with the birthday dinners on both sides of our family, and a delicious Chilli’s dinner for the two of us, it ended up making for a very yummy 27^th bday celebration. 

Daddy’s Day
We were able to celebrate Tyler’s first Father’s Day!  Aleah gave daddy some awesome Ed Hardy jeans, new socks, and this hilarious tie that comes equipped with a squeaky toy and a rattle sewn inside.  Haha!  Love it!

Aleah and I are so thankful for Tyler and all that he does for us!  Tyler loves being a Daddy and Aleah has him wrapped around her little finger!  He is so sweet with her.  In fact, a darling lady in our ward told me that she loves watching Tyler hold Aleah because,  “you can just tell,” she says, “he just loves her.”  Aw.  Best of all, not only does he love being a daddy, he is good at it.  Ty is so patient and gentle with Aleah and is always such a big help.  We love him so much!

Additionally, Tyler and I are so thankful for the dads in our lives.  Both of our fathers help and support us every single day.  We can’t even put into words how grateful we are for all that they do for us.  We are so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives!

The Grange Homefront

I’m afraid to say that I used the wrong terminology in last month’s post.  Instead of saying “we sold our house” I should have noted that our house was “under contract” which is in fact a huge difference.  I work in the housing industry and am well aware of the different definitions so I can offer no explanation (aka excuse) for my slip of the tongue other than the fact that I am in a huge hurry when I write these and am extremely sleep-deprived J

That being said, we did not sell our house.  Furthermore, it is no longer under contract.  I’ll spare you all the wonderful details, and leave it with this: the buyers are silly and ended up cancelling the contract.  Boo!  This means that we’re officially homeowners to the second power and have just recently put our house back on the market.  We are so happy that we saved precious funds for this scenario and that everything will be okay.  However, it’s still disheartening to make double mortgage payments so feel free to pray that we will find some awesome buyers to move into this great home.  I want so badly for a cute, young family or newlywed couple to move in and to be a part of this incredible ward.  We just need to find them!  Aaaah!  So stressful!  Remind me to never move again, okay?  Okay.

Miss Aleah

Aleah took her first ride on a motorcycle and a bicycle this month.  It was so much fun and she completely loved it!  Tyler and I are looking forward to the day that we can take her hiking and camping once all this house madness dies down.  I’m absolutely convinced that she would love it just as much as Tyler and I would.

This little girl’s development has been through the roof this month!  It seems like she learned to crawl and then the floodgates opened.  She literally learns something new every day!  After she learned how to crawl, she also learned how to work her toys (which buttons to push, etc…), started dancing, babbling, climbing, clapping, waving, and understanding words.  She now says da-da and mama along with all sorts of similar sounds (la la, na na, and so forth).  She knows what “no” and “hi” and “come here” means.  This has been the BEST part of the month for Tyler and I by far.  It is so much fun to watch her take everything in and learn every day.

I’ve been doing some learning of my own this month; particularly in the genre of house-cleaning.  It seems like keeping the house clean gets harder as Aleah gets older.  Taking things apart and emptying drawers, boxes, and cupboards are some of her favorite pastimes.  What usually ends up happening is while I’m cleaning a mess, she is making a new one.   Oftentimes, it’s so fun to watch her delight in making messes, that I just soak in the moment and watch her.  Then I have two messes to clean instead of one.  But it is just so worth it.  She is amused by everything and is such a happy baby!

Aleah loves to stay active and always wants to be a part of what everyone is doing.  What a sweetheart!

And with that, I’ll sign off until next month.  Talk to y’all again soon!