Last day of school for Sophie, Last day of Lacrosse for Gracie & Last day of Scouts for Annie!
This week there were definitely a lot of lasts! During the week Sophie had her last day of school – and fortunately I was able to be there with her for it. I was very impressed with my little one and her athletic prowess! She did a great job of playing catch with me – and really had a lot of fun playing soccer around the gym! Melani felt she might have been showing off a little since I was there. Regardless, it was great to see her have so much fun and see how proud of herself she was!
Annie had her last scouting function this past week too! Instead of a regular meeting – the troop went miniature golfing and had ice cream afterwards. Annie was par for the course after just the first hole. Let me clarify that – I mean she had the same amount of strokes for just the first hole as would be par for the entire 18 holes! I think soccer is much more Annie’s type of sport! I do not see her being a professional golfer – ever!
I think the girls had waAAaay more fun playing with the inflatable man than the miniature golf itself! They were pretty rough on him – but he escaped without serious injury!
Finally, during the week Gracie had her last lacrosse function. They had the girls split up into two teams and scrimmage each other rather than an actual game. They really rotated the girls around so some of the younger ones got to do things like face-off and score that they might not have otherwise done during the regular season. Gracie got to face-off twice and did score. She really enjoyed the scrimmage, the season and the girls that are on her team. Overall it was a really good season for Gracie and a great experience for her!
Friday
On Friday evening we, as a family, installed the large circular swing that the kids got for Christmas on the swing set. There have been a lot of fights lately over the two single swings that were back there. So now there is a single swing and the circular swing. We were pleasantly surprised at how well the kids played together with circular swing. It can easily hold all three of the older kids (as well as Sophie). They had a lot of fun spinning it and pushing it. They were pretending it was some kind of carnival ride.
Saturday
Saturday morning is all about soccer! Gracie and Dominick played first. They played a bigger and stronger team – with a lot of the kids being on the older side of the league limits (so closer to 12). Both of them played really well again. Gracie seemed a little timid in the beginning – but got more aggressive as the game went on. She is still building her confidence – but has improved dramatically over last season! She had one opportunity to score – but didn’t get a good foot on the ball and her shot went wide.
Dominick worked his butt off! He carried the ball up several times, showed some really good footwork – but got stymied a few times by a really good defender. But that never seems to discourage Dominick! He kept charging. He was finally rewarded with one goal. So all said and done Gracie & Dominick’s team lost 1 to 3 with Dominick scoring the only goal for their team. He is only 9 – and holding his own very well against kids that are a few years older than him. Way to go Dominick!
This week we all went together and stayed for both games – so I got to see Annie play as well. She had several shots on goal – and one that was arguably over the line (I think it was) – but was not called a goal. She is absolutely giddy while she is out there playing! What a change from the girl a couple of seasons ago that I had to force to play!
Sophie – well – she is ready to play soccer – but they (the Town) is simply not ready for her!
We spent the afternoon working outside. I made a lot of progress on the roof of the playhouse. Gracie and Dominick were really good helpers – handing me the shingles, tools and screws while I was on the ladder. They also spent a lot of time making things out of the scrap wood (since I am putting cedar shake shingles on the playhouse). It was a good opportunity for them to learn how to use the drill and the saw.
We were outside late Saturday evening – since it is still so light out well past 8:00 pm at this time of the year, So we ate dinner late and then decided to go get ice cream at about 9:00 PM. Melani was reluctant to take the baby out so late – and was afraid of what people might think about us having a 2 year-old out so late. I assured her that the place would be empty…. Well, it wasn’t! First we saw my business partner Nick and his lovely family! A few minutes later – another one of my friends showed up! It was like Grand Central Station during rush hour!
Sunday – Father’s Day!
After showering I came down on Sunday morning and found a colorful hammock in the middle of our living room! I was very impressed with Melani & the kids for surprising me, for assembling the hammock (correctly), and for doing so – so quietly that I didn’t even hear them! I had been wanting a hammock for awhile – so it was a really welcome gift! Thank you Melani, Gracie, Dominick, Annie & of course, Sophie!
Breakfast consisted of a huge fruit salad and some green waffles! Melani always does a great job with special meals – and the kids helped her out – a little….
Sunday was a raining day – so we kept the hammock inside the entire day. I actually got two nice little naps in it already! But there is someone that likes it even MORE than me! Yes – Sophie!
Sophie, had great fun putting all of her play food in the hammock! She is able to get in and out of herself as well. Just by the look on her face you can tell how much she enjoys it!
On Sunday evening after dinner Gracie helped me tell a 4 D story to the kids. 4 D as in 4 Dimensional. What do we mean by that – well basically we enhance the story by incorporating more touch and feel into the story. I will post the story when I get a chance – with the materials we used to enhance the story. (UPDATE: I did write the story down & post it. You can read it here: 4 Dimensional (4 – D)Storytelling!)
It was short – but rather intense. We had all the other kids blindfolded and escorted them into the dining room. Even Sophie! We explained that nobody was going to get hurt and that we were going to focus on keeping things safe. We then proceeded to pelt them with marshmallows, dip their hands into bowls of slimy worms (oops – I mean spaghetti with olive oil) and eyeballs (ok – maybe they were olives)! We were impressed with how well Sophie did – keeping he blindfold on for most of the story!
Needless to say – eventually the story devolved into nearly a food fight – a parent sanctioned food-fight, none-the-less! It was definitely a hit – and Gracie and I are already planning the stories sequel!
Monday
Upon my arrival at work – It became apparent that the roofers were finally there to start on our roof! I was a little surprised – since we didn’t have any notice that they would be starting on Monday. So it is bound to be a noisy week – one that will probably not go in the books as one of my most productive!
I hope you have an enjoyable and QUIET week!
Sincerely,
