More Summer Fun ~

More Things We Did This Summer:

Lots of visiting with friends, having playdates, going to different parks, beaches and playgrounds.

Many, many trips to Como Zoo and Como Town (including first rides on the rollercoaster) ....

.... and riding on the 'every summer favorite' -- the giant swings:

Lots of playing in our backyard, and some showing off of two cute,

sandy back-sides while digging holes in the sand ....

Lots of time to draw and do art .....

Some cooking and baking, including blueberry muffins to celebrate the 4th of July!!

Lots of time for writing too, and creating their own office space .....

Lots of time to read, read, read -- and really special reading

times with Daddy, that also included lots of cuddling.

Creating costumes and modeling them

(unicorn costume designed and created by Ella) ....

Modeling Kitty Costume Designed by Ella,

created by Zoe:

Visits to the Creamy Cone .....

Gymnastics every Tuesday -- and almost giving me a heart

attack as they learned rolls, jumps and flips -- especially

when they learned to climb the SUPER HIGH ropes.

Ella kept climbing and climbing (front in blue)......

..... and almost went to the very top ....

Zoe climbed and climbed and climbed .....

and made it to the very top .....

She would have rung the bell but her arm wasn't long

enough to reach over that far ....

Our pal Jia had a Harry Potter Birthday party so we

researched the books (haven't read them yet) and came

up with our own Harry Potter School Girl outfits .....

I even dressed in character as one of the professsors

and told fortunes to the party-goers!!

On one of our bike rides Ella noticed this baby turtle in

the middle of the street -- Zoe and I thought it was just a

wet leaf.  It was very close to not making it, so the girls carefully

brought it to a puddle of water that perked it up quite

quickly, then Zoe carefully put him in her baby carrier on 

her bike and rode back home.  We made a turtle

habitat for the little guy and Ella names him Bill.  We also

looked online and found out Bill was actually a baby snapping

turtle!!  We helped him get back his energy and brought him

back to the pond, right across from where we found him.

On one of our Como Town trips Ella was chosen to help

the magician/juggler perform tricks.  She did an awesome

job and I was relieved balloons were used, not the machetes

he juggled with while standing on a ladder : )

We found out the girls' new beds from IKEA are perfect for

reading books together, are cute and sweet and are really, really

comfortable (and are big enough that Tom and I can sleep with 

the girls too if we want) ......

Buddy still gets an awful lot of attention and love -- he

seems to really like books about dinosaurs too .....

And spending time with special family friends, Gisella (left)

and Aprill (right) -- who are like aunties to me .....

It's been a summer full of lots of fun.  We didn't do all the

extra things I had hoped to, and we didn't see all the friends

we had hoped to.  But all that we did do, the big and little,

added up to make for a really, really good summer.  It just 

flew by a little too fast .....

Year two of my job is definitely easier in many ways than last

year, but still a lot more busy and intense than I would prefer --

and my students don't even start until September 10th.  Between

getting my room ready and A LOT of meetings I haven't even 

started looking at curriculum/paperwork.

Ella and Zoe met their teacher last week (really happy about

who they have and how that all went -- more on that later), and

are excited to start First Grade on Tuesday.  I still can't

believe they are old enough to be in First Grade, and I've come

to accept that I'll feel this way every year, no matter what grade

they are in or what they are doing. : )

It's all SO good.