Lovin' Summer

The kids have figured out that a nice easy going summer is a big treat. This reading session was followed by a break where Abbie came in the house saying , " I love summer!" We love the sunlight and the sun-warmth. We are working on enjoying the simple pleasures of summer every day.

An ice cream treat at a fancy ice cream party!

The kids playing with the camera. They have quite a collection of summertime images!

A romantic Costco date with mom and the 4 girls. This is a bit of a tradition enjoyed over the years with different subsets of children. I know I will miss these days when the time comes that I make these trips solo.

I usually have a gimmicky-but-fun summer work motivator. The clipboards (idea from Stacy Julian) were such a hit last year, we are doing a repeat with a few changes. We still liked the actual clipboards from last year, so we didn't make new ones. I can make changes to their forms as needed. In fact, this photo is version 2 of 3. They have a new sheet each week and the big girls are earning money for a ticket to the musical Wicked to be used in the fall in San Francisco.

Luv This Kid

She does it again! Abbie has a unique gift of perseverance and tenaciousness. A couple months ago she decided she wanted to sew tote bags and duffle bags for each child in her class (24!) as a little "happy summer" gift at the end of the school year. Mom had mixed feelings about this goal of her's but wasn't sure how to guide her without taking all the wind out of her sails.

Abbie made herself one tote bag and decided to modify her idea to make bean bags for her class. Nearly all by herself, she made a class set of 24 bean bags and proudly passed them out the last week of school. She is a hard worker with a big heart. Way to go, Abbie!



During the final weeks of school, I questioned the kids about what they thought their teachers might like as a thank you gift at the end of the year. Abbie's thoughts were:

My teacher likes yellow.

My teacher likes polka dots.

Mom, she'd like a yellow-polka-dot umbrella. Get her one of those.

Oh sure, I'll just pick one of those up at the store! Imagine my surprise when I stumbled into the umbrella above. Abbie was not surprised, but pleased.