Summer according to my iphone

Summer officially started by getting my classroom cleaned.  My tiny helper kept himself busy while I worked. 

We have a new tribe member.  Welcome baby Amelia!  We already adore her and have welcomed her into the fold. 

She's got a lot of bigger kids to show her the ropes. 

Summer = Swim Team.  Kind of rules the house.  This kid got a double punch of swimmer's ear in both ears and had to take a few days off.  She cried for a full day before pulling it together and marking her calendar with her return date to the pool. 

So many things just smell like summer.  Some staples are: Carosel rides

Watering all of the plants,

eating ice cream, in a tutu

watching a concert (performed by our cousins no less! Hadley as the lead singer and Finn on the drums.  Monster Factory rules!)



Hitting the track  (The kids come with me now and they bring their bikes for when their little legs tire out.) 

Enjoying a backyard tire swing at a best friend's house

Getting haircuts to get ahead of the heat

And just enjoying the beat of carefree days.
 

Twins

These two bought the same shirt last summer on the Cape.  Kind of funny that they both wore it coincidentally the other day.

Swim Team

Swim team is in full swing.  There are so many things that I love about it: the idea of team work alongside the individual goals set, the wet towels, the early mornings, the smell of sunscreen, the big white tents set up for each age group, the snack bar.  All of it is so reminiscent of my own childhood experiences.  What I love most though is the fact that this is a show driven by kids.  The coaches are college students, all former neighborhood swimmers, and they do a stellar job training the little ones.  I love watching the big kids take responsibility for the smaller ones.  It takes a village to raise a swimmer.  And a great team cheer. 

Luca's Preschool Graduation

This tiny kid graduated from preschool!  He still has one more year, but we now call that year "pre-kindergarten". 

His teachers adore him and have pulled us aside to tell us what a nice boy we have.  I guess he saves his spirit for the house. 

The ceremony was held at Monkey Bizness and the kids had a ball playing and eating pizza.



Congrats Luca! 

The Kindergarten Graduate

Mia is a graduate of kindergarten.  I took these photos before she left for school the morning of her kinder performance/graduation.   

It's amazing how much these kids learn in one year of school.  She came home with a gorgeous drawing of the Maasai tribe which I plan to frame.  I asked her why she chose the Maasai and she said, "Because Mom, they are so cool.  Do you know about them?"

We biked up to school and Luca likes to practice locking his bike.  One more year and he'll be heading to the same school with Mia. 

The kinders performing.

They circled us at the end and sang a sweet song about love.  Mia kept saying to wait for the end because it was her favorite part. 

I like this picture.  This was the day before "the incident", which I plan to write about eventually.  Congrats Mia!

T-Ball

It's official.  The PINK SOCKS have had their first game. 

I couldn't resist a shot of their adorable pink socks.  A nod to the team name.

I love this picture.  Coach/Uncle Andrew giving Mia some pointers as she steps up to bat. 

And she's off....to first base. 

Luca can't wait for his turn next year.  He is thrilled to "hit things with a bat."  Sounds about right. 

I find this sport slow.  Apparently my girl does too.  When you play outfield on a t-ball team, there isn't much action.  Here she is literally sitting, as the other team dashes past to third base. 

The handshake, led by coaching helper, cousin Lyla. 

No picture says summer better than this one....orange slices with a favorite cousin/teammate after a t-ball game.  Long live summer!