Ledges

We had intended to go on a hike that would lead us to some waterfalls but a lot of other people had the same idea and we had to change plans! Instead, we took a short trip to Whipps Ledges to explore. It was much less crowded and easy to avoid people there and although we didn't stay long (people got hungry! and hot!) what we saw was beautiful. 

 

Owen

Owen, waiting to go into training. They make every day different and that keeps it interesting for him, sometimes it's weight training, sometimes they're working on speed. He goes twice a week and he loves it! Also, I just really liked this picture. 

Photo editing by Jamie

Beach Again

Paige asks to go to the beach just about every other day so we finally got her there again! Third time this summer I think? We picked up some sandwiches from Jimmy Johns and brought them with us to eat dinner before playing. I sat on the beach and watched the fun because that is fun for me even though Paige does not understand why I don't want to get in the water! The boys mostly played football and Paige swam around doing mermaid dives and handstands. 

I finally got in a beach picture!

The boys

I think Owen's favorite thing to do is make diving catches

Paige is so strong!

This run turned into a leap

We had to document Owen's slicked back hair:)

All the Rest

Photos I liked but didn't need their own post

I noticed this plant has a face now!!

Owen and Griffin hanging out

I can not get over Griffin's arm in this picture:)

Paige was so excited Griffin laid down near her. 

We got maybe halfway through this game of Monopoly. This picture wasn't even to document the fun, but to make sure no one cheated because we were going to bed and leaving it for the next day! Ha ha!

Paige getting ready to show me a dance she learned and Owen playing video games

Tiny frog I saw on my walk!

To the Beach!

This is our second trip to the beach this summer and we convinced Owen to come along this time! We drove extra far to a different beach and Paige liked this one even better than the first. It was pretty windy but that actually helped keep it from feeling too hot, the only bad thing was that our sun tent upended and started blowing down the beach! We caught it before it hit anyone though. 

Anatomy of a Dunk

Bagels!

We heard of a new bagel place, Cocky's, we wanted to try so we decided to order some takeout and have a picnic in the back of the van! It wasn't close enough to our house to drive it home first and we didn't want to eat inside the restaurant so this was the best option for us. The sandwiches were big and filling and very good! 

Auditions!

Time for dance company auditions! They came a little later this year as everything is being pushed back. Paige was one of the oldest kids at tryouts but once you compete as a junior you just do a skills assessment so hopefully that will be what she does next year! 

They've condensed Paige's training schedule into two days so groups aren't coming in more than a couple times a week. That means right now she's dancing on Fridays from 8:30-3:30 (with a 45 minute break near the end). This week though they had an audition clinic to learn what they would be tested on at the auditions which extended her day to 5pm! It was a looooong day but Paige dealt with it really well. Auditions were the next day at 3 and Paige was a little nervous but ready to get it done! She came out happy and we went for celebratory treats at 808 Shave Ice. Paige and I got butterbeer slushys and Pat and Owen got shaved ice with different flavors. So good, I can't wait to go back!

Adults are not allowed in the building right now unless absolutely necessary but the studio took this picture!

Paige and her friend were getting in the cars after coming out of the audition so I had them turn around for a quick picture

This flavor was so good!

We found a shady spot on the tree-lawn to enjoy our treats so we wouldn't have to sit in the car

Braces!!

I can't believe it's been two years since Owen got his braces on! Here are the before pictures and this post is the day of/after getting them off. It might sound strange but I actually had a lot of fun with Owen at his orthodontist appointments. I took a picture of him at almost every appointment and it was funny to see what reaction he was going to have and just have a little bit of time with him. So I was a little bummed that I didn't get to finish out the process with him but with the new rules they prefer to have less people in the office so I was stuck in the car. It made for a fun reveal when he came out though! He requested donuts on the way home to celebrate which sounded good to me! Now we go back next week for the retainer!

Blueberry Picking!

We've been picking blueberries with these friends since Owen and Ella were in kindergarten together so this was our 8th year together! We had the kids recreate a photo from our first year for the occasion. They mostly maintained a decent distance but we had to get them a little closer for the photo. We used some of the blueberries to make this cobbler. Pat's family had brought us some handpicked blackberries from their yard so I decided to try half blackberries/half blueberries for the recipe. It came out really tasty but we keep forgetting to eat it so even though it was good maybe it wasn't good enough to make again? 

Tie Dye

Paige and I made our own tie dye shirts the other day! I asked the boys if they were interested but they were not...so we were on our own! I was prepared for it to be a very messy project possibly ending with both of us having blue and purple hands for awhile but we were able to end the project the same color we started! I bought a kit that came with gloves and had the dye already in squirt bottles (just add water) so it was actually really easy. Here are the results!

The Fourth of July!

The Fourth of July was hot this year but we managed to pack in a lot of activities anyway! I made a red, white and blue breakfast-blueberry muffins to go with yogurt topped with raspberries and blueberries. While the kids ate, I went on a 5 mile run with Pat accompanying me on his bike. It's so nice to have company to pass the time! Then we headed out for our first socially distant visit/lunch with my parents since quarantine started. It was exciting to see them but a little sad that the visit couldn't be the same as it used to be. I think I was overly careful with how we interacted but that's a good thing! After that, we headed home and relaxed for a couple hours before we went to play some tennis. Then we made ourselves burgers on the grill and ate while we watched Hamilton! I think we all loved it although Owen was a little restless with every thing being sung. By this time it was dark and time for sparklers!! We had fun running around the yard and while we were outside we really got a chance to hear how many people were setting off their own fireworks. We decided to hop into the van and try to find some. We found a decent spot where we could see two different sets going off and then headed home pretty exhausted!

Summary-breakfast, run, visit, lunch, lounging, tennis, dinner, Hamilton, sparklers, fireworks, bed.

Socially distant picture, I'm impressed we got everyone in!

Popsicles!

Hamilton!

This was Paige's sundae!

Sparklers!

More sparklers!

We sat on the windowsills of the van to get a better look at the fireworks