Summer Activities

Since school finishes at the end of May our summer starts early, before it gets too hot. A great time to take advantage of local activities and camps. We started with a soccer camp where the kids got some exercise and learned a few soccer skills.

The playground right next to the soccer field was a great place to play and have a snack before heading home.

The kids each entered a Lego contest with their own original creations. Rachel's is something she wants to do this summer (the beach!) and Carson's is a super-strong hero.

Towards the end of June we had swim lessons at a nearby pool. Rachel can now jump off the diving board with almost no fear and Carson will now gladly jump in from the side of the pool. Its wonderful to see them master something that was too scary last year.

I was able to get up to see Pete and Jen for a weekend, it was great to see them. Here they are in front of their acupuncture clinic (Acupuncture West). They have done a great job with the decor - even though it feels sterile like a doctor's office they have added softening touches to make it very relaxing. 

We planted strawberries on the deck this year in containers. We're hoping the deer will not be brave enough to venture up on the deck so will leave them alone.

Carson had his first experience with surgery this year. He had an extra tooth growing out from the roof of his mouth and x-rays revealed a second tooth up there that was impacted. We found a great surgeon and had them both taken out, and the baby tooth in front of them also came out. Carson was a real trooper, it was about a week before he was fully healed. He had a great visit from the tooth fairy, 3 teeth under his pillow!

May 2013

May was a busy and fun month with lots of end-of-the-school-year activities. The kids both took part in an art festival at school where they each sang songs with their class and artwork was displayed all over the school. Rachel's first grade class put on an opera titled "Legend of the Cavemen" which they worked on all year - it was their own creation. And Carson's kindergarten class put on a wonderful kindergarten program with songs, rhymes and dances.

We also had a great Mother's Day - the unseasonably warm weather made it a perfect day for a family hike. The kids are great hikers, especially when we have yummy snacks. 

Rachel in her cave girl outfit during the opera performance.

We stopped for ice cream after Rachel's opera and after a brief rain shower we were treated to a beautiful rainbow!

Carson dancing during his kindergarten program, such a handsome boy.

The warm weather has brought the bikes out. Even though our road is too steep for biking, the driveway works just fine.

Spring Break 2013

This year for spring break we headed out to San Diego for a week of sunshine and fun. It was nice to escape the cold weather and bask in the sun for a week. Between Sea World, Safari Park, Legoland and the beach we had many adventures and created some lasting family memories.

Our pit stop on the way out to California was a small ghost town near Barstow, CA called Calico Ghost Town. It is a fun little tourist trap where we toured an old silver mine, peeked into an old school house from the 1880's, and saw a house made out of bottles! It was a great place to stretch our legs and get a bite to eat on the long drive.

Next stop: Sea World in San Diego. We had fun watching the Pets Rule show of cats and dogs. Each of the kids had a turn on the Atlantis roller coaster with Daddy (in the back row in photos below). Lots of rides, lots of shows, and lots of sea life to view - a good time was had by all.

Next stop: Safari Park in Escondido, CA. This was probably my favorite park since the main attractions were animals instead of rides so there were almost no lines! We started at the carousel then to the Petting Kraal where the kids enjoyed brushing the goats. We played on large animals at the playground, fed ducks at the ponds, and fed birds at Lorikeet Landing. We saw some beautiful butterflies and saw tons of hoofed animals from the Africa Tram ride. Most amazing was watching a cheetah run at top speed, they are fast! This was especially exciting for Rachel since the cheetah is her favorite animal.

Next stop: Legoland in Carslbad, CA. Fortunately we planned a rest day between Safari Park and Legoland so we had some time to recharge our batteries. The kids loved the rides at Legoland - we started with the more mellow rides but by the end of the first day Daddy convinced us to try some roller coasters which turned out to be great! Just the right size for little ones and wimps like me. We also had a chance to build with Legos in several different areas which the kids loved. Carson loved the Star Wars exhibits in miniland, he knew all the planets and battles and could have stayed there all day.