Sum Sum Summertime! (August)

Nice summer weather continued into August. LOTS of swinging going on in the backyard.

Ailey practiced her soccer kick.

And helmets were worn often while biking.

After one fun day outside, the girls and cousin Luke got tossed into the bathtub before bedtime.

Arts and crafts time.

Ailey took swim lessons for six weeks.

Marin and Silje watched a few of the classes.

We did end up with a few HOT days and brought out the sprinkler. (The pool didn't go over well with Marin and Silje -- maybe next year.)

Lunch break.

And back to the sprinklers.

We went to the sprinkler park with some friends one morning. Ailey loved it.

Puzzle time! Ailey was so cold after the sprinkler park that, despite the 78 degree house (I think it was low-80s outside), she put on long pants and sleeves.

Soccer lessons through July and August.

"Kids love soccer!"

In the past week the weather has cooled off some and the backyard has been a little quieter. Today, the last day of August, could easily be called a "Blustery Day" with rain and wind, and it's cold. Silje came up with this indoor activity to help pass the morning....

This afternoon is Ailey's "Back to School" event and meeting her teacher, tomorrow the first day of school! Fall is beginning.

Summertime Summertime ... (July)

June's weather was absolutely abysmal. Summer didn't offically start until July. But start it did, and it has been beautiful. Only a couple of really hot spells (and none nearly as long as last summer's heat tidal-wave), not much rain, and lots of opportunity to take advantage of the backyard.

Here are some pictures from July. If these pictures were a true sampling of how much time was spent in the backyard there would be 100 more pictures. But backyard play just became part of the daily routine -- nothing to grab the camera for. I liked it that way.

Marin and Silje are always this affectionate. Really.

When we got home from MN at the beginning of July, we found that a bird had made her nest and laid eggs in one of our flower baskets. We took good care of them and checked on them often. They flew off quickly once they hatched!

We took a few trips to Ailey's elementary school over the summer to ride bikes and check out the playground.

Andy climbed all the way to the top of the wall!

Marin giving a boost.

Ice cream cones in the backyard. "Cheers!"

We had a BBQ with Andy's family while his aunt and her two kids were visiting from the east coast. Here are Andy's parents and his Grandma Elsie, with two of Andy's cousins, and his sister's three kids. Quite the crew!

Cousin Aaliyah giving Marin kisses.

Ailey's Day

Ailey starts school on Wednesday -- Kindergarten. She'll be attending half-day mornings. So far she's excited about school and about riding the bus.

Today was our last "free" day before school starts, so I let Ailey choose what to do this morning. After realizing the museum is closed on Mondays (and the subsequent several minutes of melt-down), she got excited about a ferry ride. The weather cooperated with us even though rain was predicted.

The plan was to walk on the ferry, get off on the other side and right back on the same boat. Round-trip. But one of the ferry workers mentioned the park on the other side, so we decided to check it out.

On the boat

The "park" on the other side was more of a sand dune with supplied sand toys and a couple picnic tables. The girls did have fun.

Ailey "planted" a tree

Ailey's second choice (or 3rd, since the museum was discounted), was to get out the art box. Marin and Silje participated as well, and got to paint with watercolor paints for the first time too.

It definitely feels like summer is over. Most of the kids in our area have another week before school starts, but I'm ok with the end. And excited to start something new - Mom of a Kindergartener!

Pity Party: Today, My House, 4:00pm

Four o'clock and all is ... well, give or take a few minutes, it has become the Crying Hour around here. The hour during which I cry - sometimes inside, sometimes hiding behind a tissue, sometimes loudly while walking from room to room.

Marin and Silje are no longer napping. At all. Unless, of course, they fall asleep in the car and I can't reach them to pinch them awake.

1:00 now comes and goes as if it was part of the rest of the day, and no longer a part of that peaceful Me-Time of day. I don't get to take my time over my lunch. I don't get to puruse my email. I don't get to load the washing machine without a half-pint sized twit trying to reach in and throw it all back out. No more reading in the stillness. I don't get to nap if I desperately need it.

See? Pity Party.

Because by 4:00 in the afternoon Marin and Silje are at the end of their sleepless endurance and are whining and fussing and hungry and tired because they just can't make it a whole day without sleeping.

But if they do ever sleep - even for just 30 minutes - they whine, fuss and cry when bedtime comes around. And if I'm ever going to get Me-Time it needs to be after their bedtime. When they are finally down for the night and there is little chance of them waking up after 2 hours to interupt my chores or rest.

But while I would rather have a more peaceful bedtime, I'm having a hard time making it through the day without their nap. Sigh.

This wasn't a fun transition when Ailey kicked naps at 2 1/2-years-old either. But at least she was willing and able to sit in her room for an hour of Quiet Time. That's been a no-go with Marin and Silje thus far.

So maybe I should just forget the idea of Quiet Time and start celebrating the Pity Party! Let's see, I'll need streamers and balloons, M&Ms and strawberry punch (maybe a double-tall-iced-mocha for me), some rowdy music and a pinata. Want to join me?

Fun with Cousin

While Andy and Winston golfed, the girls and I spent the afternoon and evening with Grandma Linda, Aunt Sarah and Luke. The kids all had fun playing in the backyard AND they were willing to sit for a picture. A far cry from last year's attempt at a cousin picture, this year we actually got something cute. Thank you, kids!

Don't worry though, all is still normal - none of them had naps today so the meltdowns began almost immediately after this picture.