Weekend with Ely in Hayward

Our weekend away with Ely

Daddy has been visiting Hayward, WI for his job and found a hotel that will take dogs.  We brought Ely to the town's annual MuskyFest.  There was a carnival and street fair we all went to.  We even took Ely for a short paddleboat ride!  The girls got to swim in the pool twice.  Daddy took the girls mini-golfing while I walked Ely around.  Samantha even got 2 holes-in-one!  She was so proud of herself!

It was awesome to realize we can take him with us on a 4+ hour drive.  We love that he's portable and can join us on our adventures!

International Children's Festival 2013

We got to spend the whole day with our friends at the International Children's Festival.  It's a tradition that we've done for a few years.  The dads weren't able to come, but we made the best of it.  We ended up heading back to our friend's house for dinner and got to spend the entire day with them!

I tried to keep the girls out of the house since it's smelly from all the work that's being done.  I'll completely admit that I'm nervous about the chemicals in new carpet, varnishes and paint.  Thankfully, the paint was no-VOC which was the best possible outcome.

 

 

 

Sofia's last days as a preschooler

Sofia's last week as a preschooler included a playdate at a friend's house (with good manners!) and her spring program at school.  Daddy had been out of town, but made it back to see his girl shine. Nana, Papa and Grammy came to watch her too.

Her smile has changed quite a bit since she lost a top tooth in a scooter wipeout last week.  Yesterday she pulled the other top tooth out herself (it had been hanging since the crash) and was very proud of herself.  I saw the fall and remained calm throughout - I was grateful it wasn't worse, but it was scary for me to watch.  Sofia refused to come home afterwards and insisted that we walk Ely.  It was obvious she was in pain, but she got right back on her scooter and moved on.  I think she enjoyed showing off the various cuts and scrapes too.

It's hard to believe that Sofia will start kindergarten already.  As I took her to school this morning, she said, "Two more days of preschool and then it's on to kindergarten at GH".  Wow... she really does understand!  I'm relieved she seems to be handling the transition well so far!

Samantha's final days in 2nd grade

Last week I went to school to see Samantha's class perform a play to thank all the volunteers from the year.  Her friend got to play me with the Art Adventure program, which was hilarious!  Samantha played Mrs. Braun which was a surprise to no one, I'm sure.  Another volunteer asked if I was her mom and when I said yes, he stated that Samantha is in control of her environment.  I laughed and nodded.  I hear so many positive comments from adults who know her. 

Yes, I think this kid is extraordinary.

There was a school picnic, the final chess club tournament and the bags of schoolwork that made their way home.  I'm proud that Samantha got through ALL of it so it's one less thing to do when summer is over.