Summer fun: August edition

We've made the most of our last month of summer before school started. The kids were home for 162 days between when school was shut down and their first day of school this year! We enjoyed a visit for a week with Gramps and Gramma while I had workdays and Chris worked.  

Owen has developed quite an obsession with everything related to Clones. Unfortunately for him, they were popular in the early 2000s so they're not even available in stores (although he shows me ALL the ones he finds online!! If only money was endless!). He continues to draw nonstop and has even mailed in some drawings to give Lego some ideas ;)

I loved when he made this instruction picture but it's the only one he's made like this, I believe.

 We enjoyed taking the kayaks out to a local lake. The kids have both seemed to enjoy it too! We've discovered a great way to cool off ;) 

The kids and I enjoyed swimming at the beach area of a local lake. Cooling off with icecream always goes over well :) 

Chris let the kids shave his head silly for the night before he planned to shave it himself. 

More chalk/lettering practice:

(We're pretty obsessed with Hamilton right now!)

This summer I've been working with Owen on riding a bike. He's great with his balance bike but hasn't mastered the pedals enough to put it all together. I went through the same struggle with Willow, but I would literally PAY someone to teach him! He has zero motivation and it's usually a battle. Ugh. 

Willow and Nana have been busy sewing this summer. Her latest project was pajamas. Owen got pajama pants out of the same material too! She's also been working on playing the piano. We've really enjoyed the app we found and she generally keeps a good attitude about practicing, though doesn't practice unless told. Here she is playing "I Want You Back."

Since we're in the habit of eating our emotions, we went out for ice cream the night before I went back for teacher workdays. These are the faces I get when I make them take a picture before they start eating. Hee hee

We also checked out a new Hawaiian shaved ice place the night before the kids returned to school. Both were hits!

On Saturday morning (10:00) Willow asked if she could paint her room. We didn't have any reason against it and had extra help with Tom and Patti in town, so by 2:00 we had paint and by that evening we had a first coat on! It's been purple for 7 years and now it's a mint green. She rearranged a few things while she was at it!

Willow was a great helper!

Whiskers wanted to be involved too!

Willow was voted the messiest painter:

Check out the before and after:

Another angle:

Meanwhile, Owen and Gramps downstairs...

We were so sad when our neighbor Jacob moved. He didn't move very far away yet we haven't gotten together since they moved, unfortunately! Owen still always mentions his name as a friend, though. He was invited to Jacob's party and had a great time on the inflatable water slide they had!

Reunited!!

Meanwhile, Canton and Owen still play together for hours weekly!

These two are something else!! I feel like these will be regular expressions around here for the next 3 years...

I drive along one of the many greenways around town on my way to work and wondered where it led to. In looking online, it looked like it went right past one of our favorite ice cream stores. Willow and I checked it out on Saturday to find that it was 2 miles down the path, then invited her friend Bella to come with us on Sunday for the same route. I *think* the Hawaiian ice place is just 1 mile further so that will be our next trip! Willow may only go on a bike ride with me if a treat is involved!

Rare non-kitten pics

My phone storage is filling up fast with kitten pictures! It's just hard to resist since they're so cute!! Here are a few "catch up" pictures from June. Owen hadn't played with Canton since the shut down but we let them start playing together again at the beginning of June but they stay outside (their preference anyways!). It's been sweet to see Willow joining them more (I think she's just looking for someone else to be with!!). 

 Willow helped make a bird house with Chris. 

 One of Willow's friends lives in the other culdesac in our neighborhood so we walked over to her house to deliver a cupcake and card. She had an awesome yard sign! They were excited to see each other for a few minutes!

The kids have loved the sprinkler-saucer swing combination!

Willow has gotten more adventurous in jumping off the swing! (slow motion)

We went to get free donuts for Donut Day and this is how Willow was sitting. You know you're deprived of "seeing things" when you can't keep your eyes out the window!

The milkweed has come back strong and the bees are happy!!

We've spotted one caterpillar so far!

Owen got this 300 piece Star Wars puzzle as a gift but he hasn't been interested in puzzles much. He let me walk him through strategy for it and was excited at multiple points in the process!

I'm super excited about my new school for next year. I've met with the principal twice and think it's going to be a great fit! I even got to pick out my own classroom out of 3 that were available. I haven't had my own classroom for 10 years! It'll be quite an upgrade from my 4' counter and table in my office before! Eventually it'll be turned into a camping themed room with flexible seating (picnic table, tent, log stools, camping chairs, etc.).

On Father's Day we went to Dunkin Donuts and Owen got frustrated saying that he didn't know what they had. In my confusion I told him to just look at the wall of donuts. What he was trying to say was that he couldn't read the signs under the donuts to know what they were called. Yikes!! Good thing we were due for new eye exams that same week! His "new look" will be coming soon!

Willow got a keyboard for her birthday and we've enjoyed an app that's teaching her how to play. At the end of lesson 11 it had her do a "recital" for others. She's doing great and already playing with both hands! (Excuse the mid-day pajama look...we're still in Corona mode!!)

Meanwhile, the flowers blooming around our yard bring us joy and peace!!