Welcome July

After returning from Mexico, we have hit the ground running. It seems we haven’t had a free moment since we returned, but we have had a great time together as a family. Maggie had golf camp the Monday after we got home and discovered she really likes hitting a ball. She improved everyday she was there, and we have gone to the course as a family a few times. Lanna likes to hit too, and on one outing I saw her behind me with a stick hitting pine cones. Improvisation at it’s best.

July rolled in with our usual family celebration of Lanna’s birthday and 4th of July festivities. We had our traditional 4th breakfast followed by a trip downtown for the annual parade and finally, a walk around the lake to watch the festivities and stroll through the booths selling junk. We had to opportunity at about a dozen different places to get a henna tattoo, but somehow we managed to pass them bye. That night we watched fireworks from Nanny and Grandpa’s house and saw about six different shows going off around us. It’s amazing what you can see from the roof!

Next up was Lil Devil’s basketball camp hosted by the LCC Women’s Basketball team. Both the girls attended and really enjoyed themselves. Of course you know from previous postings how literal Lanna is. The coach told the girls when they were dribbling down the court to look up. Lanna did exactly what the coach told them, and managed to make it all the way down the court dribbling while looking straight up at the ceiling. She earned special praise from the coach for doing exactly what he said.

The girl attended Goal Line Soccer the next week at 7th Avenue. This was Maggie’s second year and Lanna’s first. The coaches come from England and do such a great job with the kids. The girls enjoyed everyday and can’t wait for next year. This was the third camp this summer, and did I mention how nice it is to have a spouse that is a teacher?

We finally had Lanna’s birthday party, and she chose a Chef Party for the theme. The kids decorated their own aprons, frosted cake (followed by skipping the decorating part and consuming the frosting and sprinkles straight, which I think they liked the best) and had a scavenger hunt for kitchen items. The twins came up for the weekend (and their parents too) which makes Lanna’s celebration a multiday event. We always enjoy when they visit, and the kids are exhausted by the time the weekend is over. Nanny and Grandpa bought a blow-up human habit-trail for the pool, and the kids have had a blast playing in it. Who knew a square and two tubes could be so much fun, they play in the pool for hours…and hours…and hours!

July is almost over (Yikes!) and we will be into savoring the last month of summer. Lanna is enrolled in Kid’s Chef Academy (yes, another camp) the first week of August and is very excited. We are hoping her interest in cooking will continue to grow, and eventually she will be making great dinners for the family! The summer has been busy, but we have had a great time and made some wonderful memories.