whew...

Wow...being home with the kids for the summer is wearing. me out.  and it's only been a week!  This was a very big week.  Nora said goodbye to 2nd grade and is headed to third grade. THIRD GRADE! That sounds so grown up to me.  It does to her, also. She is pretty proud of herself and feeling pretty grown up these days.  Xander is now headed to kindergarten.  No more preschool for that guy.  Yes, I was one of those mushy, gushy tearful moms on his last day.  My baby is headed to the big school. It is so, so true that the days may feel long but the years are short.  Days seem to move at a snail's pace, but the years are flying by when I look back. 

getting ice cream on the first day of school 

getting ice cream on the last day of school

(see what I mean?!?  so big)

Enough of the heavy.  We've been keeping very busy so far.  I signed the kids up for the swim team through our neighborhood.  It is serious business, this swim team stuff.  Nora is a Piranha, and Xander is a Mini Piranha.  Xander loves that he's a terrifying fish, and I love that he's a "mini".  Win, win.  Nora wasn't sure what to think about it in the beginning.  The kid can swim, but she hasn't had much instruction in the way of different stroke techniques.  She's working hard and LOVES getting ribbons at the meets.   So what if she's swimming in slower heats?  A ribbon is a ribbon. I am just glad that she is enjoying it.  It gives us something to do, so we are at the pool every single day.  Swim it up, I say. 

way to go, my sweet little piranha!



Xander doesn't swim in the meets, so he hangs out with me and begs for candy from the concession stand.  My attempts to prevent that by bringing yucky watermelon and the such haven't helped yet.  You can't really blame him for wanting chocolate over watermelon...is there really a contest there? He is my game player, so he and I have had fun getting out the board games and puzzles. Here he is displaying his sportsmanlike conduct during a game of Jenga...

 

We also went to this really cool presentation at the public library here called Predators Versus Prey.  We learned a lot about some cool animals, and we even got to see them up close...very close, I had a snake around my neck. We saw a pygmy hedgehog, a few snakes, an owl, and even a bobcat.  My Nora even answered some tough questions...like that some kind of falcon is the fastest animal in the world, even three times faster than the cheetah.  That National Geographic Kids subscription is really paying off...if answering questions at a library event is considered payment.  That kiddo loves animals. 

checking out this very cool owl

So, I have zero fun new recipes, no DIY crafts, and no cool new decorating ideas.  Just me and the family trying to survive the summer. Hope to have some new stuff soon...but don't hold your breath.