Summertime and the Living is Easy.....ish

Has summer really already come and gone? Seems like we just left for our first summertime trip back to California and here we are about to take off for our THIRD! Well, let's backtrack a little.

At the end of May, we flew to Gamma/Gampas house for little relaxation, catching up, and celebrating the May birthdays. Gracie had a blast playing with her cousins and getting to spend more time with the family. We also got to dedicate Gracie at PazNaz during this trip, which was so special for us. It meant so much to me to do it there, in the church I still call home, surrounded by many of the same people that watched me be dedicated so many years ago. Afterward, we had a big party to celebrate the May birthdays, Mothers Day, and the dedication. Most of the family came up so it was a full fledged Nocita pool party! (One of the last. Sniff sniff.) We also took a couple trips down to San Diego to visit the Roblees and give Gracie some more time with her cousins, Auntie and Uncle. This trip was also extra special because we got to go meet Amanda and Brian's new baby girl, Quinn! She is so perfectly precious! It made my heart SO happy to be there with one of my best friends in the world and both of our little girls. Such a special time. It was a jam packed 10 days. We definitely wore Gracie out during this trip! But as usual, she was a trooper through all of the travel and schlepping around.

After leaving California, we had about 2 weeks at home and then it was off to New York to visit Bart's family and surprise his brother Matt for his birthday! Matt and his girlfriend Allison hadn't met Gracie yet so that made it an even better surprise. It was definitely a success! Gracie partied the night away, balloons stuck to her head, bouncing away on the dance floor. We also got to spend some quality time with Bart's cousins, Peter and Barbara and their son Julian, where we stayed for a few days and just enjoyed some relaxing! It was also a fun treat to get to celebrate Bart's first Father's Day. We got to have a nice little quiet morning, just the three of us, while he opened his presents and we reflected on his first year as a Dad. A very special time for sure.

When we got back to Florida I went right into finalizing the details for Gracie's first birthday. We kept it low key with just a little BBQ pool party. Our friends David and Jean were kind enough to open their home to us so we could have a nice location for the party. It was a perfect afternoon just hanging out and celebrating our first year as parents. Gracie didn't really know what was going on, but she sure enjoyed smashing into her sugar free/gluten free/everything free messy cake! People often tease about first birthdays. After all, the kids don't know what is being celebrated nor will they ever remember it. But it meant a lot to me to have this party and celebrate our first year as a FAMILY! And of course, to celebrate surviving our first year as parents. Plus Gracie started walking right around her first birthday which gave us a little something extra to celebrate! And fear. ;)

Then in August, it was back to California. Bart had to go to Europe for some business (and let's be honest, some fun), so Gracie and I took the opportunity to have another trip out to Gamma/Gampas where more pool fun ensued. While we played with the fam, Bart got to play at BRNO, a well known track in the Czech Republic, and although he had to ride a bike that was in less than perfect condition, he still had so much fun and even did well in a last minute race he entered for fun. His riding skills have really improved since he traded his parachute for an R1 and has been committing more time to the track. Aside from a few minor accidents that have made me less than thrilled, it's been so fun to see him excel in something he has loved for so long. He has had a few podium finishes throughout the course of the CCS circuit and we got to witness some of the excitement when we joined him for his race up at Roebling Raceway in Georgia. While I was a tad nervous about a 3.5 hour drive alone with a toddler, Gracie was a champ as usual. I had no idea just how much it would mean to Bart to have us up there with him, participating in his world for a few days. But it his words, it was a "highlight of his life." Gracie got right in there with the boys, working on bikes, playing with tools, and stepping up to her role as crew chief. These days, without skydiving, Bart and I live in two different worlds when it comes to life outside of our family. He's TST and racing, and I'm music and fitness. So when we get the chance to come into each other's worlds for a few days, as a family, it's always a lot of fun and makes the things we enjoy that much sweeter. :)

I had some fun performing opportunities this summer with a variety of different gigs in the community and also a summer production of Handel's Messiah, which proved to be a lesson that I do NOT enjoy classical singing! But it was a good experience nonetheless. We also attended some fun parties, had a ridiculously hot and less than thrilling trip to the zoo, squeezed in many hours of Ironman training (blog to follow), enjoyed plenty of family beach days, and a BIG highlight for us this summer - putting Gracie through the Infant Swimming Rescue course! What a crazy ride! 6 weeks, 5 days a week, 20 minutes away. Not even sure how we squeezed that into the rest of this chaos! But what an incredible program. By the end of it, she could float on her back unassisted, get to her float from any position (even fully clothed!), find the side of the pool, and the steps. Such an emotionally charged, rewarding experience for us to watch her go through. It really was fascinating to watch her learn these important lifesaving skills and see the process from start to finish. Really excited to start the next level in the spring time!!

Whew. We don't get bored around here, that's for sure! And September had its own bout of crazy Rogowski fun but we'll stop there for now. :) Enjoy a thousand or so pictures from our summertime adventures!