What I’ve been up to
From start to finish June (and part of July) was a jammed packed month! From day one there was high anticipation for a special birthday on the last day of the month, Camille had her first ballet/gymnastics recital, a trip to D.C. to visit Brandon, and mini b-day month surprises leading up to Camille’s 5th birthday!
Camille’s 1st Ballet Recital
Let’s begin with the ballet recital. Many of us parents were hoping for the best but preparing for the worst! Throughout the practice season (Sep 2022-Jun 2023) the highlight during practice time was running out to go to the bathroom or to give us hugs..they would stare at us through the window and blow kisses and pretty much ignore the dance instructors. So when I say these girls came a long way and surprised us all with a really good performance, I’m still in shock! LOL
I had a few things to learn too, like halfway through the show the moms had to rush to the back and do wardrobe/hair change (which me and Camille were almost late for!) but we made it thanks to very experienced lady who helped me get Camille together..whew!
All in all it was a pretty special day. My mom, sister Tia 3 of her kids came to see Camille. And Brandon’s brother and mom also came to see her. She got to wear make-up and got flowers..for a 4 year old that was a pretty awesome day!
Trip to DC
Brandon has been traveling a lot this year for work, so me an Camille hopped on a plane to go visit him in D.C. for a week. This was so much fun! Our hotel room was right across from the swimming pool so Camille got to swim just about everyday and we got to visit with our friends and family who live in D.C.
Me and Camille explored a little around the hotel while Brandon was at work and had a little photoshoot =) We checked out Old Town Alexandria, went to the mall, and attempted to go to a park, but it was nothing like the parks in Ohio. We even went to see the Little Mermaid!
One of the biggest reasons we went out to D.C. was to celebrate the high school graduation of our good friends we knew since we were stationed in Germany. Can you believe their son wasn’t even born yet when we first met..and now he is entering into adulthood? Wow, this is what it feels like to be “those people” who say stuff like “I remember you when you were a baby” or “I used to change your diapers”…LOL
Pre-school Graduation
I have to start off by saying, I almost missed Camille’s Pre-school graduation! I was supposed to be on a lady’s trip to Atlanta with a bunch of family members for our 1st Annual Glazier Girl trip.
Well the night before I was to get on the plane I just didn’t feel right about leaving. My flight was leaving that morning at 10am but Brandon wasn’t arriving until 2pm that day. That would mean I would need to drop Camille off at daycare, go straight to the airport in Cincinatti and hope Brandon didn’t have any issues with his flight (he almost missed his flight btw) so he could be home in time to get Camille from daycare…I guess my mommy intuition was kicking in because on top of the fact that it was Father’s Day weekend, I had a lot of unfinished business at home and work which didn’t make this the best weekend to be leaving. So I canceled everything and stayed. And I am so glad that I did!
I finally had a minute to myself to go through my emails and important papers and that’s when I saw the date of Camille’s graduation! Do you all know how sick I would have been if I would have missed it!? God knew. And that’s why I gotta listen to my intuition!
The ceremony was super cute and they had the whole cap and gown and everything. Camille handed out Nerds candy to all her fellow graduates and they had a little party afterwards. Brandon even got the Grandmas on video chat so they could watch too!
Birthday Month Celebration!
I mentioned that leading up to Camille’s birthday I wanted to try and do something a little special everyday to really bring in this milestone birthday. Growing up, I didn’t have big birthday celebrations so call me extra, but I wanted to really make it special.
—Let me be completely transparent, a good majority of the things we did, were things that we would typically do or were already on the calendar to do i.e going to a movie, going out to eat, her picking out her clothes, etc..but I just tried being intentional everyday to give significance to what we did to make it feel extra special for her birthday month—
Well that was more than a notion, especially with how busy June was all around! But we did our best. Whether that was getting to pick what she ate for dinner or getting her ears pierced in D.C., we did something fun, exciting, or special everyday (well just about everyday)!
Some of the highlights were: getting a manicure at a nail salon, getting ears pierced, going swimming and jumping off the diving board =), wearing makeup, going skating, and so much more! I plan to post a compilation video (whenever I get my life together..so be on the lookout over on IG!)
The “Splash Party”!
Camille is
turning 5!
The theme for her party was The Little Mermaid and it turned out sooooo cute! I was able to find the 2023 Little Mermaid decorations (featuring Halle Bailey) which was all the more special because she represented all the little brown girls who got to watch this beautiful girl play such an iconic character.
We had so much help from our friends setting up the decorations and her cake was ah-mazing! She told me last year that she wanted a rainbow cake, so that’s exactly what I got! (I love that she know exactly what she wants!)
Camille also knew since last year that she wanted a pool party so we rented out the Recplex party room and had a ball! Having Camille in swim lessons leading up to her party really paid off! She was swimming like a little mermaid and me and Brandon felt so much better about just letting her have fun and play without being overly protective.
Later that day, after Camille’s nap, our neighborhood had its 4th of July firework celebration which was the icing on the cake. Camille put on her Little Mermaid costume and passed out leftover birthday cupcakes. So much excitement for our little 5 year old (I still can’t believe she’s 5..LOL)
Having Brandon’s brother, his mom, his cousin and her boyfriend come made it extra special for Camille. Being a military family living away from family makes it tough especially for a little girl who LOVES her family. I love and appreciate them so much and hope they know how special they truly made Camille feel.
Overall thoughts
Even though this was one of the toughest and busiest months of the year, we all made it through it, mostly unscathed, and a little better because of it.
I got to see Camille grow and learn new things, host houseguests a couple of times, hold down the fort while Brandon traveled, plan a Father’s day surprise, plan a brunch (unfortunately had to cancel), turn in a big work report, do little special things just about everyday for Camille, listen to my intuition and not go on a girls trip, and volunteer for the General’s retirement ceremony ( and didn’t pass out! …unlike the unfortunate Colonel who went down halfway through the ceremoney (gotta remember to not lock your knees while standing at attention..)
I know I can do hard things! Especially with the love and support of my friends and family (which I’m learning to lean on more for help.) Sometimes listing it out helps me see how much I truly have going on and what all I have accomplished because I am quick to beat myself up for feeling like I haven’t done enough..(I know, I’m working on it!)
So let me encourage you to do the same! List out what you did and check your growth from time to time. And don’t forget to celebrate you!
Life is so good! And I look forward to celebrating the big and small things throughout the rest of the year as well!
