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I have a lot to be excited about. Here are some upcoming events that I'm looking forward to (in order):

Musikgarten Training in Dallas: 

I am going to be the new music teacher at the preschool this year! I am so excited, but nervous and worried. Will I be a good teacher? Will the kiddos like me? Will I be able to control a classroom of preschoolers? Will I be able to teach them what I have planned?

The best thing about teaching music at the preschool is that I only have to teach once a week - on Wednesdays! That means I get to spend more time at home with Lydia and can start expanded my piano lessons business by taking on more kids (although it'd be great it I still only had lessons on Mondays and Tuesdays...). The next best thing about teaching music is that I get to do two of my favorite things at the same time - teach kids and teach music! Perfect!

Anyway, the preschool uses the Musikgarten curriculum, and, since this is my first year, I am really relieved that there is an actual curriculum! AND that there is training for this curriculum! The training is in Dallas from Wednesday through Friday. The preschool is paying for my training and for my hotel! It's like a mini vacation...except most of the time will be spent sitting and learning. Brian is able to get off work so that we can both go up to Dallas. Lydia is staying with my parents.

The only down side to our "vacation" in Dallas? The pools (indoor and outdoor) are under renovation! 

Flash Back! July 2011 - playing the piano with Lydia!

My 26th Birthday!

I turn 26 on July 30th! I'm not really that excited about be 26, but I just love birthdays! And I love celebrating them with my family. Leah and I are having our birthday dinner (which will include Jessie, since his birthday is in July, too) Sunday the 29th. We'll hang out at my parent's house, swimming and playing games. Then, my mom makes us whatever we want for dinner and then we get to have cake! Leah is having home made ice cream as her "cake" and I'm having home made ice cream cookies (home made cookies and store bought ice cream). Jessie hasn't decided what he's having yet.

Brian has been hinting at my presents for my birthday and I'm excited. He always gives the best presents! My Lorie Line tickets were supposed to be my birthday present, but he just can't help himself. I wish I were as good at giving gifts as he is.

Flash Back! Our 21st Birthday!

Twins Days Festival!

A few days after our birthday, we're heading off to Twinsburg, Ohio for the Twins Festival! We haven't been since 2008 and I am so excited. My mom and Nellie are coming along with us. We're leaving the boys and babies at home. Jessie and Adah will be in Austin with Jessie's parents and Lydia gets to spend time with her Austin grandparents, since Brian will have work (and he can have a mini break). 

We started going to the Twins Festival back in 2003, when we were 16. We loved it from the start. It's just amazing seeing all these people who look just alike! Everyone stares at everyone. There's a talent show, yummy food, local crafts, and the research area (where we get paid to let them experiment on us!). It is so much fun.

We decided to not take the husbands this year. We figured they'd be bored and wouldn't have any fun. We stay at the festival ALL day! We also didn't want to take the babies, since they'd have a hard time staying out in the sun all day long. We decided to have Nellie come so all the Dunlap girls can enjoy a vacation together.

Leah and I just finished picking out our 4 matching outfits for the festival. It took us two days and several stores to find everything! We have a special, home made outfit for the plane ride. Then we need an outfit for the Friday Hot Dog Picnic. Saturday is the parade and hanging out at the festival (we have two possible outfits for this day). Sunday we spend part of the day at the festival and then we're heading home.

Our last time in Twinsburg, Ohio! 2008!

After these three events, it's almost time for Brian to start setting up his classroom. His older sister, Tamara, will also be in a brand new classroom this year, so they're going to help each other set up their classes. I will spend at least one day at Brian's new school helping. August 20th is Brian's first day back at the school for teachers. And August 27th is the first day of school!

I will be heading for two training/meeting days for the preschool on the 20th and 27th and then meet the teacher day is the 31st. We don't start the preschool until after Labor Day. It's getting closer and closer!

In other news, Lydia is officially (basically) 100% potty trained! She usually wakes up from nap and bed with her diaper completely dry, unless she pooped in it. While at Six Flags the other day, I put her in a swim diaper (just in case). She asked to use the potty twice while wearing her swim diaper! I put her in her diaper and pajamas before we headed off to get Brian from work the other night and she asked to use the potty instead of just going in the diaper! She woke up at 2:00 last night, so I took her potty and she went right away. She woke up at about 7:15 and then just hung out in bed until 8:45 (probably slept at some point) and was still completely dry!

She was so amazingly easy to potty train, I hope my future children are just as easy! But, she was SO READY! It made it a whole lot easier that she enjoyed walking around naked, but never wanted to wet herself. She is so good at going potty before we leave, or when we get somewhere. She's also really good at holding it! Now our challenge is to get her to poop in the potty and not in her diaper during nap. I'm thinking of getting rid of diapers during nap and having her sleep in her panties....maybe that will solve the problem...we'll see.

And I leave you with a super cute picture of Lydia:

Wonderful! Magnificent! Glorious!....Punctual!

A lot has happened since early June.

1. Lydia is Potty-Trained! Lydia did amazing the first week of potty-training and has only gotten better. It's gotten to the point where we don't have to ask her as often if she needs to go potty - she tells us when she needs to go. We do put her on the potty before we head off somewhere, when we drop her off at Sunday School, or if we notice she hasn't gone in awhile. I also continually ask her if she needs to go when she's playing with her friends. Over the past month that she's been potty-training, she has only had a handful of accidents - most of these happen when she is playing with friends. She has had a few poopy accidents in her underwear. She has only managed to poop once in the potty. The other times, she was playing with friends and ended up pooping in her pants. This will be the long process....but we'll get there. At least she's not wetting herself!

2. First Month of Summer Piano Lessons Completed! I have really enjoyed seeing my students over the summer. Of course, I rarely have all nine of them the two days I teach. One or two are off on vacation most weeks. I've only experienced about 2 Mondays where I'm teaching the whole time. This is definitely a blessing...teaching all day was tiring, but worth it. I enjoy getting my lessons "out of the way" on Monday and Tuesday and having the rest of the week free. I love that my two students who started with me in September are totally blossoming! They can sight read their pieces now - we don't have to break it down into sections each time, which is amazing. This month we're studying Ludwig van Beethoven, and these two girls get to play a simplified version of "Ode to Joy" and they love it! I am really enjoying my lessons with the student who is doing the Edna Mae Burnam books. I really like these books. From now on, any student who is 8 and older, will learn from these books. She takes it slow and it makes sense and my student is doing great! So far, none of my students have accomplished the One Minute Challenge (naming and playing 21 notes on the staff). I was worried that maybe it was impossible to do it in a minute....nope....I can do it in 24 seconds! My oldest student is only 17 seconds away from getting to a minute. All of them are making progress each week, which is great.

3. Brian is Working at the Movie Theater! At first, he didn't want to go to work each time. But, I know that he enjoys it. It is hard not having him at home in the evenings or during the day, since I just got used to having him around all the time. But, I'm sure he enjoys the break from home and socializing with people. Last week, we had the grandparents babysit the girls overnight and we (Leah, Jessie, Brian and I) watched Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. It was really good! We then went out to eat at Red Robin. Jessie went home and we watched Brave (not as good as I thought it would be). Brian working at the theater definitely has it's perks.

4. Month One Down of Exercising Each Morning! Leah and I have been very good at getting up before 7:00 and exercising. We used Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred for the first 4 weeks. We didn't seem to get any results and it the exercises weren't challenging (but the Level 2 exercises were too challenging). So, we decided to do different exercises. On Pinterest I found a good one that is intense and gets us moving. I'm a little sore from it today, so hopefully it will do the trick. After working out, we go on a 2 mile walk with the babies. It's nice being active. Hopefully we'll lose our goal weight of 10 pounds each. I also started a 1200 calorie a day diet which will hopefully work as well. I'm hungry, but it's interesting realizing how many calories are in my favorite foods. I've been good this whole past month with not snacking throughout the day or eating after dinner, so the 1200 isn't too difficult.

5. We Cut Down the Tree! On Monday morning, my dad, my uncle and Brian started cutting down the tree in our front yard. Last summer, several woodpeckers pecked so many holes in the tree, it started to rot. We were worried it would fall - and we didn't want it falling on our house. So, we cut it down. Our neighbor across the street (who always has a very well-kept yard) saw the guys working, brought over his chainsaw, and cut most of the tree down for us! What a great neighbor! We just have the stump in the ground. There is a large stump sitting in the yard because we found baby birds in a hole. We will wait until they are grown or die before removing that tree.

6. It's Independence Day!  Yeah for July 4th! One of my favorite holidays! We get to spend time with family and friends, eat home made ice cream, swim in the pool, and watch fireworks! 

7. It's Almost Grandy's 90th Birthday Extravaganza! This weekend all our cousins are coming in to celebrate Grandy turning 90. My mom and dad have a ton of things planned. Already my Aunt and Uncle (who live in Saudi Arabia) are here. My oldest brother is coming in today. And everyone else arrives Friday. I'm excited!