Swim Team

Where do I start.  I don't know how this happened, but all three girls are on the Aqua Bears swim team for the summer.

This isn't a job.  Or even a volunteer position at church.  We picked this.  Why?

I wonder this at 6 a.m. on Saturday when we are all getting up and heading for the swim meet.

But then there are the friends.

And they start to look like they know what they are doing.

And how can you discount all that down time in the tent with the DS. That is quality time, folks.



And this girl has the BEST attitude.  Even though her official swim team suit is still on backorder.  Who is that darling girl in that sea of blue and black shining in her bright pink?  That's my Neve.



And then there is Kiera. She swims! She loves Kaya her swim teacher (she is 11).



She won her heat on Saturday and exclaimed, "Mama, I was so fast!". She is anxiously awaiting the delivery of her blue ribbon.



We aren't quite at the love portion of our fling with the swim team, but we are definitely beyond the hate. Wish us luck for next Saturday.   Yes, that is our nation's birthday party.  How will we be celebrating? Parade?  Pancake breakfast?  No, swim meet.  From 7 a.m. till 2 p.m.  Hmmmmm.

Changes

Kiera had quite an eventful day today.

For about a month or so she has been begging for me to cut her hair. I was a bit reluctant, as she begged for about 6 months for me to stop cutting it and let her grow it long. Which I had been doing (against my better judgement).

Today she was insistent on getting her hair cut.



This was Kiera yesterday. Long hair and tube enabled swimming.



She has been swimming at swim team on a kickboard with a cute 11 year old instructor. I have been thinking that I needed to get in with her and start helping her figure out how to do it on her own. Today was the first chance I got. She took to it like, well, a fish.







I seriously couldn't believe it. Wow, now I can't just chat by the pool with my girls. I need to get myself a pair of eagle eyes for a newly minted swimmer.

Learning

My baby learned to write her name.




Now we just need to work on proper places to write such things.

Father's Day love

The best way I know how to show love and affection is by baking. The kids helped with the homeade monkey bread for breakfast.



Things were a bit on the busy side last week for Clay's birthday. This little number is one of his favorites. How can Raspberry Creme cupcakes not be a favorite, eh?



Clay. You are the best. Daddy. Ever.

My children are so lucky to have you. And so am I.

Photo Editing Class

This gal is seriously talented. Want to take her FREE class with me?


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Camping under the Golden Gate

Oh how I love the weekend. Great weather. Really. Sunny and 68 degrees across from the city by the bay. No fog. No shivers. Did I mention the sun?

Cousins. Josh and Sarah. College girlfriend. Mine, not Clay's. Tracy is so much fun, and so sweet to go camping with six rowdy kids.

Couldn't be in love with a campsite more. The whole carrying the stuff down the hill from the car was a bit of a pain, but not having cars drive past all day (and all night) was brillant. We got to look at the bridge whilst setting up camp. We listened to the waves all night, and the birds all morining. We didn't even have to use our earplugs for the fog horns (look, ma! no fog!). In love.



This weekend was rich with treasures. There is an old abandoned fort above the beach that the kids turned into their own private clubhouse. They roamed and imagined and were free. What a treat. Down on the beach someone has generously left a rope swing for us all to enjoy. A baby sea lion slept on the beach while Mama hunted just off shore. The only bummer for the weekend was that in our haste to get camping after the swim meet we forgot to check the battery in the camera and it died after about 10 shots. Good thing Josh, Sarah and Tracy had their cameras (I look forward to seeing some of those great shots!)

Critter count: deer in the campsite, mice under the tent and in the bathroom (can you call pit toilets a "bathroom"), racoons, a millipede, a banana slug, seal lion mama and baby, long skinny snake, and a blue tailed skink.



After we packed up camp, we headed up Mt. Tamalpais. We had to take advantage of the clear sunny day to see that view, right? I will say that trying to book this campsite took some perserverance, but it lived up to the hype. Now I want to try to book Slide Ranch for next summer. Anyone been there before?

I still can't believe that none of our friends from Memphis have come to stay with us yet. Seriously, how can you resist this. C'mon, people. Come and see us.

Happy Birthday, Baby

Happy birthday to the most handsome boy in the world. You are the best.



Seriously, how did I get so lucky to be with you?

Sorry this week is so crazy. I promise to bake you something fantastic, soon. El Balazo with the Blatter's for dinner will have to do for today. Two more days of crazy. Then we can all breathe.



Raspberries and chocolate? I'll see what I can do.

Sweet Pea

Round two. Maren and Neve have had so much fun with Dom this year. They have both learned a lot and are really loving dance.








Two shows Saturday with a Quiznos pitstop in between was quite the marathon, but they did amazingly well. Maren is in the front row toward the right of the screen and Neve is right behind her to the left (the one with the flying hair in the very beginning).



We are so proud of you girls. Love ya.

Blue Hawaii

It is that time of year again folks. Yep, dance show time. Kiera was up at bat first with a Thursday dress rehersal, a Friday night performance with a community choir and then the real deal the next afternoon on the big stage.



Kiera has had so much fun with her friends all year with Miss Christie and her ballet class. She may have has her resistant moments, but was so ready for the recital. I downloaded the song last week and had her show me the dance, thinking that she wouldn't have a clue. She performed it for me perfectly, smiles and all.



She was so excited to get hair and makeup going on. When I put the mascara on the first time, she just stood there staring in the mirror. "Mommy, they are so long," she mused as she blinked slowly over and over again. Precious. By the third performance she was old hat. No jitters, just ready to shine.


The theme of the show was a trip across the good 'ol USA. Our stop: Hawaii. Elvis stylie.


Enjoy.

First Grade Program

Neve had her First Grade program on Monday night. We were double booked as usual, but all except Maren were treated to a fantastic show, filled with singing, spoken word and a little dancin' thrown in there. I am too lazy right now to go upload all that footage and make it into something to put here. Did you know I took over 100 photos today that I have to wade through? Neve got to introduce the show, along with a few other students and did a great job. Our sweet little Neve has grown up so much this year. Second grade, here she comes...