August Part 1

We made raisins.  We really did.  It was hot and dry and Jens wanted to try it, so we did.  I would like to say they were delicious, but it was a little too hot and they actually got a little burned. 

Cowgirl Cora--she looks so cute in hats, but rips them off very quickly.

 We went to Angora Lakes with the Littles!  We tried to go a few weeks earlier, but the very small parking lot was full and there is no over flow parking.  We left earlier this time and when we got there there were four or five empty spots, but within five minutes of parking the lot was full.  We were glad to make it in time.  We had to hike about a half mile back to the lake where there are several little cabins and a little snack bar with delicious lemonade.  We could have rented a paddle board or a boat, but the Littles brought an inflatable boat, which entertained the kids for hours.  Jens must have rowed miles.  The setting was beautiful and small enough that it was peaceful and relaxing.  We will go there again!

 As you can see from this picture, we stayed about 30 minutes too long, resulting in Jens's pouty, grouchy face.

We did have an unfortunate incident in which Cora's backpack tipped over.  She got a nasty scrape right by her eye.  I do love the crazy hair in this one, too. 

School started up August 13th.  It was really early, but the kids were ready.  Honestly, when it is so hot out I would almost rather have them back at school.  We were very excited to have two students at FHE this year.  Jens is in 4th grade and Sylvie is in K. 

 The biking crew.  I think Jens was secretly happy to be back on his bike.

 Sylvie is on late slip, so she didn't go to school until 10.  That meant she was ready and waiting for a LONG time.  We did hair and painted nails while we waited for the time to come.

There might have been some near-tears from Sylvie on the drive to school.  "Mom, I don't know HOW to do Kindergarten,"  she said tearfully.  I offered her a "warm hug" and told her that her teacher would teach her how to do kindergarten.  When we got to school there were lots of friends to distract, so by the time they went in to the classroom, she was happy and excited. 

Both kids came home happy and excited about school.  Sylvie practically sprinted to the coloring table with her first homework.  She didn't even want a snack first.  She was making a "me" paperdoll.  It turned out pretty cute, but not as cute as Sylvie!

 We were just as excited for the second day of school.  Sylvie was letting her style show that day!

July (the Rest)

Brace yourselves--I am just going to put up all the rest of July in one humongous swoop.  We were happy to get home and stay home for the rest of the summer.  The first six weeks wore us out and we were ready to relax!  We stayed busy with swim team, friends, and little things.  

Sylvie and Kami painted their own nails.  The results were thick and nail polish on the table, but the happiness and excitement were worth it. 

We did some lunches and dinners at the pool.

Cora learned to make more, bigger messes faster.  She also escaped from the play center at the gym, slipping out the door and running undetected through the lobby.  Luckily she 1. didn't try to go out the front doors into the parking lot 2. didn't make it onto the pool deck and 3. I found her as I was picking Jens up from the kids club, wandering around in the Bistro area.  It was a bit of a shock to the system, but she wasn't stolen or injured.   She is finally a true proficient on the stairs, although it still makes me nervous when she wants to play on them. 

I finally got back on my poor, neglected bike and remembered how much fun it is to ride outside, especially on a beautiful morning. 

 The girls played lots.

Jens went to Cub Scout Day Camp, which went over two days.  Highlights included archery, bebe guns, crafts, his first aid kit, and getting a choco-taco at a gas station with Landon on the way home.  He had a really great time and got VERY dirty. 

Mike took the kids to see How to Train Your Dragon 2, which they loved.  Cora and I stayed home, which I loved. 

 Of course, in July the State Fair rolls around.  We had shockingly temperate, beautiful weather our day at the fair.  We loved looking at the livestock, the gardens, the baby animals, milking the goat, and the crafts.  The kids rode a few rides, which was also pretty fun.  Especially since Jens and Sylvie were both big enough to go on the swings together so neither Mike nor I had to go.  Hurray!  Fried cheese curd, cotton candy, and funnel cake were our treats.  We wisely packed our own lunch this year.

 This was our last swim meet.  A word about swim team this year: it was so great and so fun.  Jens and Sylvie both had good attitudes and improved steadily during the season.  Jens got faster and his strokes got better with each meet, and by the end of the season he really loved it and wasn't DQing in any events.  Sylvie started the season without really knowing how to swim.  It was fun to see her grow and improve each practice.  She seems to be a natural swimmer, and I have a feeling she will spend many more summers in the pool.  Also, we loved having so many friends on the team.  There were always people cheering for the swimmers, playing games, eating snacks, and wandering around.  We ended up with lots and lots of ribbons, and towards the end we even got some blue heat ribbons!

At the end of July we were so excited to have the Johnsons (minus Matt) come stay for a couple of days.  Our kids just love each other, and even though Sylvie wasn't feeling great (she barfed on my floor the second day the Johnsons were over) the kids had a blast.  We did water and the Ivory soap experiment one afternoon. 

I took the big kids to the grocery store and let them both choose whatever they wanted.  There were so many options they spent at least twenty minutes thinking about it and trying to pick the very biggest, best thing.  We are glad to have such great friends, and we are glad they came to stay, even with our sicky germs. 

 We were actually supposed to go camping the day after the Johnsons left.  We packed everything up and Friday morning we were starting to load the car when Sylvie started throwing up again.  We decided camping with a stomach bug sounded terrible, so we stayed home instead.  We were very sorry to miss out on a fun camping trip with friends at Lassen Volcanic Park, but we definitely made the right decision.

This one is too cute.  She has a slight obsession with shoes. And bike helmets.

Jens got 30 smileys on his chore chart, so we went on a donut date.  Good job!

How cute is this outfit?  I couldn't believe she left the head scarf on so happily, but she did, even when we went out to eat. 

 Once Sylvie was feeling better, we took a family day and went to Tahoe.  It was beautiful and the kids had a great time.

 We had one little hiccup.  For those of you with a steel trap for a memory, this swimming suit might look familiar.

  It is a size 2T and the last time Sylvie wore it she looked like this:

I actually brought the suit for Cora to wear, but somehow Sylvie's swimming suit got left behind.  I couldn't believe we managed to squeeze her into a 2T, but the thing about a used swimming suit is, well, it is pretty stretchy.  It actually looked really cute on Sylvie, and no one would have guessed it was a baby size!  Cora was just fine hanging out in her pj top and a swim diaper.
 Monday night was swim awards night.  It was a little crazy, but the kids loved getting their medals.  I was sad to have the season end, but ready for a break from daily practice.

 The end of July was scorching hot.  One day we had friends over to play in the water.  They spent the whole afternoon outside with water balloons, (Jens learned to tie them himself!  Hurray!) water sprayers, and snacks.  It was great.

 Science!

And that was our July.