six!

You'll never guess based on the post title and above photos but ... Olivia turned six earlier this month. I say it every year but I can't believe we have a six year old on our hands because she really and truly was just born yesterday - or so it seems. We're going to wake up to driver's ed and prom next year.

She has grown into such a fun little lady.  Her energy continues to know no bounds.  She is our early morning riser, almost always the first one up in our household.  She adores school and I love when she shares all the details with me on our walk home everyday.  Olivia is most in her element when she is building and creating.  She is observant and notices small details around her. She is a very loyal friend but is not exclusive.  She is friends with everybody!  She is such a good older sister, giving so much love to her sister (usually) and brother (always).

Olivia loves all things Paris and anything having to do with the Eiffel Tower so when she said she wanted a party with only her girlfriends, a chic Parisian party was the perfect fit.

She loved this cake and it was almost too pretty to slice up!

She had been dropping hints about a bike for awhile, so she was over-the-moon excited when her daddy wheeled it out. 

Each year on Olivia's birthday, I have my annual tradition of interviewing her with the same 15 questions I started asking on her third birthday.  It's so fun to see how her responses change or stay the same from year to year.  Here are a new six year old's responses:

1. What is your favorite color? Pink
2. What is your favorite toy? Legos
3. Where do you want to go on an airplane to?  Jamaica
4. How old is Mommy? 35 (correct)
5. What is your favorite outfit to wear? Paris dress
6. What is your favorite food? Penne pasta
7. What is your favorite animal? Giraffe
8. What is your favorite book? Fancy Nancy
9. Who is your best friend? Nushiika and Nea (two friends from school)
10. What does Daddy do at work? Type
11. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Jump on the trampoline
12. What is your favorite fruit? Grapes
13. What do you want to be when you grow up? A babysitter
14.  What do you like to do at school? Art
15.  What does Mommy do while you're at school?  Take care of Quinn

Happy, Happy Birthday sweet Olivia Rachel!

Destination: USA - Texas

Oh, Texas.  I don't know how I feel about you anymore.  After living away from you for four years now, you don't feel like home and I don't feel like I fit in with you.  It's not your fault.  I've changed!  And don't even get me start on how your heat and humidity make me need to take another shower after walking outside for only 10 seconds.  One the other hand, you offer the best food.  Nothing compares. Plus, you're home to so many dear friends that I wish we could spend time with for more than two hours once a year.  And family of course.  My girls ask why we can't live in Texas with their cousins.  But it was good to see you and remember all of our fun memories together. 

So after doing our short tour of the midwest, it was time to get back to our home state.  First stop was Houston. Our four days there consisted of:

• A stop to the DMV to get myself a new driver's license
• Tex-mex
• Hanging out with friends
• Swimming
• Tex-mex
• Target runs (yes, there were multiple of them!)
• More visits with friends
• Sitting in traffic jams
• Tex-mex
• Catching up with former work colleagues 
• Dining with friends
• Shopping
• Tex mex

Yep.  It was a good visit. 

When you have baby girls and then your dear friends have baby girls (and boys too. not pictured. obviously.) and the girls grow big enough to play with each other, your heart overflows with gratitude for all these girls and their families.

After our few days in Houston, it was off to Granbury, Texas.  This is how you pass the time on a 5 hour road trip...

The girls were so excited to see their cousins.  Of course, princess dressing up with a requirement. 

Who needs flying carpets and horses to transport princesses around when you've got four wheelers??

Our time in Granbury was relaxed and filled with days playing with cousins, swimming, watching the Olympics, boating and loving all the space in Mama Glory and Granddad's house to run around in and makes messes.

Cousins!

The beautiful Streit Family!  

Our flight back to London was on a Saturday evening out of Chicago, so our plan was to fly from Dallas to Chicago on Friday, spend the night in Chicago and spend another half day doing a few things around the city before going to the airport.  Yeah...didn't happen.  Thanks to storms around the Dallas airport, our flight from Dallas to Chicago was cancelled.  The airline rescheduled us on another flight later in the evening.  Unfortunately, that flight kept getting delayed by 60-90 minutes every hour until finally after midnight, it was also cancelled.  By then, the airport hotel had no vacancy so our family was left to spend the night on the chairs and floor of DFW.  It was awful.  Not the type of sleep (or rather lack of sleep) you want before you have a long haul overnight flight the following night.

The next morning we took a flight to Kansas City and then from Kansas City to Chicago, before hanging out in the Chicago airport for 6 hours waiting for our final flight home to London.  You better believe we were tired of airports.  What a way to wrap up our trip. Arriving back home in London never felt so good!

Destination: USA - The Midwest

America the Beautiful.  With the girls out of school for summer holiday, that meant it was time to pack up our big suitcases for our annual excursion to the USA.

With many friends and family to be see over our two weeks there, our first stop was South Bend, Indiana. Normally on our trips home, we go to the Cincinnati area where my parents live. However, this year we changed it up and did a small tour of the midwest, making stops in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan over six days.

It's always a beautiful sight to see the golden dome of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend

The biggest highlight in South Bend was getting to meet my brother's new twin babies, Hudson and Greyson. Arriving into the world on June 11, they are so precious and it's fun to finally have a sibling join me in the journey of parenthood.  Gosh, Quinn looked like practically a teenage next to the twins!  Hard to believe he was their size just a few months ago.  I CAN'T WAIT for 2-3 years time when these three little guys will be getting into so much cousinly mischief together.

Also in South Bend we squeezed in a quick visit with my dear friend Stephanie and her family.  Stephanie is one of my oldest friends.  I've known her and her family since I was probably around 4-5 years old. It's pretty incredible we've kept up our friendship for 30+ years when you consider we've only lived in the same city for about 14 months!!!  The last time we met up was eight years ago when there was only one child between the two of us.  Now look at these six!  

From South Bend, we drove up the road to a house my parents had rented in Michigan to spend a few days with Mom, Dad and my brothers and sisters who journeyed in from all over the country.  The house, situated on a small lake, was perfect.  With warm midwest days, the lake was ideal for various boating activities.  The house came loaded with kayaks, a paddle boat and a row boat, toys (the girls were in toy heaven!), a swingset, volleyball court and a bonfire pit which we put to use one evening roasting s'mores. It all was a pleasant (minus the darn mosquitos) reminder how great summers in the midwest can be.

Chillin' at the little beach down by the lake

If you look closely in Olivia's hands, you'll spot Fred, a toad that she caught with some help from her uncles. After enjoying him for a few minutes, Olivia thought Fred missed his family so she decided to release him into the lake so he could be reunited with them.  Upon entry into the water, he was promptly swallowed up by a fish. Fortunately, she missed that part and thinks Fred is still living a nice life with his family. 

This is how baths look when you're traveling

About a 30 minute drive from the lake house was the real lake...Lake Michigan.  One afternoon, we packed up our beach towels, sand toys and sunscreen and headed there.  With the hot temperature, we were all looking forward to cooling off in the water.  Well, the water was FREEZING.  Normally by August during a hot summer, the water is a pleasant temperature.  It was not that day.  The girls, Geoff and and few of my brothers braved the cold for a bit while the rest of us preferred to stay nice and hot on the beach.

Grandma and Paw-Paw with their five grandchildren

The Heckman clan...17 and counting!  I'm so thankful for each person in this photo.  One night at the lake house, we went around, one by one, describing something that we love about each member.  What an incredible time we had recognizing everyone's uniqueness, what they contribute to our family and affirming their gifts and talents. How many families do that?!?  Love them so!

After saying our goodbyes to my family, we were off for a day in the Windy City.  It had been five years (wayyyy back here) since we last visited Chicago.  It's such a fine city, especially when the sun is shining and the lake is sparkling.  

After checking into our hotel, our first stop was Navy Pier and of course, included a ride around the big ferris wheel there. 

After leaving Navy Pier, we hopped on a boat for an excursion onto Lake Michigan and tour down the Chicago River.

Someone in this photo might have been overly tired.  Any guesses who??

Growing up near Chicago, the city has always held this idea in my mind of being so big. So fast-paced. So cosmopolitan. However, after now living in London for the last four years, Chicago felt on the slow side.  The thought "Where are all the people at???" actually crossed my mind.  Funny how your perspectives change.  I don't even want to think about how I'm going to feel about Houston when we eventually move back.  I'm probably going to feel like we moved to a deserted island! That is until the traffic quickly brings me back to reality. 

  

Part two of our USA tour to Texas up next!