Summer camps

Since I'm in denial about school starting this week, let's recap the classes and camps that the children were involved this summer.  I have to say, I was really impresssed with each and every activity that we were apart of this summer.   Sioux Falls has some really great camps to offer. 

Avery took advantage of the camps more than anyone else this year.  She was a busy bee, but not crazy busy, you know.   I loved the balance of our summer with play, relaxation, camps/classes, vacations, and family time.  It's been a good one. 

And, just for my reference next year when I will surely forget the contacts, here is the specific info on each camp. 

The Harrisburg art council puts on quite a show with their camps.   Avery was involved in art, drama and music camp.  They are affordable and run by school teachers.  The kids have a blast with all the creative projects,  games and activites they provide the kids. Plus, Avery really learned some new skills. The Harrisburg art council offers the sign ups through the elementary at the end of the year.  The classes fill up very quick.

Drama camp.  This camp was the biggest stetch for Avery.  But she learned a lot.

Next up.  Music camp.  I especially loved this camp because Avery had the chance to learn about so many different instruments that she probably would not of otherwise had the chance to explore.  Each day was a different theme, song and instrument.  She loved the teacher and the class.

For 3 days a week Zach went to summer school.  This is the first time he has enjoyed his summer school experience.  Mrs. Smith makes all the diference in the world....and we are so thankful to her.  Not only did Zach enjoy school once he was there, he asked about it when he wasn't in class.  He looked forward to his class time.  Mrs Smith is truely a special teacher and we thank our lucky stars for her and Zach's recent change of heart towards school. 

Mrs. Smith kept Zach after school to work individually on his computer skills.  He learned to make a power point presentation.  He was very proud of this accomplishment...just ask him about it, he will gladly share.

Art camp was, well, just perfect in the eyes of one 7 year old. And, just for the record I was a little bit jealous of her time cutting, pasting, and painting. Oh, crafts so many crafts. Simply put, she loved it.

Ellie went out on a limb this year and attended 2 basketball camps. I was so proud of her as in the past she felt to discouraged to attend a basketball camp. Or persue a team sport. I can't overlook how the net on our driveway and the hours of time she put into her jump shot helped her gain some confidence. Never the less it was hard for her to do and she did it willingly. Go Elle.

 The first camp was through the school district.  She enjoyed her time there and really learned some new moves and drills.  The camp was 2 hours a day for 4 days.  It was held at the high school. 

  With her new found confidence she enrolled in TIBBS camp.  This camp is known for being hard core!  Only serious players should apply.    Hard practices, drills and skills are taught there.  They will refine your form and push your endurance.  The reputation is TIBBS is TOUGH.  You come home exhasusted each day from camp. And, yes what they say is true.  She was exhausted, it was hard and unfortunatley it also shook her confidence.  She didn't like this camp.  So I am not sure about next year.  It seems if she's still interested in basketball at the time ..then this camp is a must.  It's really that beneficial.  However, if she doesn't feel the passion she will probably skip it.  We shall see what a year brings.

(Elle practicing at all hours of the night)

(no picture of TiBBS camp)

Both girls took swimming lessons.  And because of an error on my part they ended up being in the same class.  Which was the best mistake I've ever made.  They loved being together in class.  These lessons were hands down the best swimming lessons I have ever seen.  Awesome.  The classes were red cross certified so the instructors were tough on technique.  But, they played fun games while swimming relays and practicing strokes.  Both girls loved their lessons and hardly noticed the 45 min go by.   Ellie passed level 3, while Avery will retake level 3 next year.  No worries Avery...she was the youngest child in the class and held her own.   She just needs to work on her dive and she will move on in no time.  Good job girls. 

(do you wish Ellie was standing up straight in this picture.  Or is that just a mom thing?)

Girls at play

Riding double, taking turns, speeding up, slowing down, laughing all the way.
Quick.... check phone. 
Possibility of very important message needing urgent feedback. 
Nope.
Back to play. 
I truly love 12 year girls.

the Princess and the Pea

Avery came home from school excited to try out for the play "The Princess and the Pea"  I was happy to see her desire to try something new.  She has never done anything like this before.  At this point the tryouts were still a month away, I wasn't sure her enthusiasm would continue.  Sure enough, on the day of tryouts she was ready and excited.  It would be a time consuming day with a long audition and I looked to Ellie to stay home and watch Zach.  Sometimes even the best laid plans go awry.  Ellie decided last minute to also tryout for the play.  I have to admit, at first I was frustrated.  There goes the babysitter.  Pack up Zach, grab some activities for a 3 hour block of time and off we go.  As I gathered my thoughts and pulled it together, I realized this would be a great experience for Ellie as well.  I was thrilled to have both girls to jump on this opportunity. It would be a valuable experience to stretch themselves and leap out of the comfort zone and I was eager to see them audition.    As we pull into the parking lot, I just finished my " be yourself and you'll do great" pep talk...Ellie burst into tears.  She didn't want to do it afterall, she was to frightened.  I decided at that point to make her continue.  Infact, I forced her out of the car (still beliving this would be a positive experience)  Luckily, she ran into a friend and quickly wiped away her tears. 100 children tried out for the play in a group audition.  I was in the auditorium and heard the girls tryout.  I was so impressed.  They both used expression when they spoke and obviously impressed the directors as well.  I was on pins and needles as they read the names of the children that would be cast.   First they read Ellie, she made it as assistant director (later was given a speaking part) After about 20 more names, they read Avery.  I was so proud of both of the girls.
    Play practiced started that very night.  Ellie needed to be at every practice, learning all the parts.  She would assist  the director in everything from set, makeup, lining up the characters, songs, dance moves and helping those who forget the lines.  She would run the show.  In the end, the character "tree barker" got sick and had to drop out.  She immediately stepped in and wore both hats, director and character.  Avery was a "dust bunny."  This was the group of young boys and girls who sang and danced 2 numbers.  At first she was disappointed in not being cast as the Princess or the Pea.  It looks like our  7 year old has big ambitions.  But, she was the cutest lil dust bunny you ever did see. 
They did it.  They learned that tough practices and hard work pays off.  They challenged themselves, learned new skills and battled their fears.  They felt the accomplishment of performing on stage.  Sweet reward of a job well done. 

Before the show.

Avery and her 2 best friends made the play.  I brought the girls back and forth each day.

Ellie was happy to see her friends as well.

The cast of characters. 

During the show.

Ellie in her shining moment.  She had several lines in the show.

Avery and the dust bunnies did several song and dance numbers.

After the show.

Beiber Fever

Watching my kids make new friends in school is fun and exciting but, with it comes the worry and fears of who they might develop close friendships with.  What will the new friends be like?  Who will they sit with at lunch?   Do these friends share the same values?  What kind of families to they belong to?   Are they being raised with the same morals we are trying to teach our children.  And then ultimately, will my child  feel uplifted and cherished as a person?   Ellie has made a whole slew of girlfriends.  But, I don't know any of them yet.  And, I  worry a bit about the "kind" of girls she is connecting with.  I'm sure "to worry" is a rite of passage for all middle school parents.  I  know Ellie and I know she will ALWAYS choose the right. But a 6th graders life is easier with friends that support and inspire you.

Since I wanted to get to get to know Ellie's friends and the girls are crazy for Justin Bieber, we joined the gaggle of girls bursting through the doors premiere night for the Justin Beiber movie. 

It was my intention to have Ellie invite her "school" friends but she ended up inviting all church friends.  Which was fine by me.  What a great group of girls and hopefully the start to wonderful friendships.

The girls had a fabulous time.  The entire theater was filled with hyper, squealing, laughing screaming girls....and their mothers.  The screaming started at the first clip of the movie and didn't stop till credits rolled.  I couldn't help but think it was cute.  The girls were so passionate!    At one point in Justin's live concert he brings a girl up to the stage during the song "one less lonely girl."  Avery whispered in my ear in a quiet but giddy voice that she wants to be the "One" less lonely girl on stage.  I guess the fascination starts young!

Our Girls Night Out

While the boys are away the girls will play.  And, my version of "playing" is a night out with dinner and theater.  I love that my girls love the exact same thing.  I am thankful to Gigi for suggesting the girls and I do something special and very girly while the boys are away.  Great idea.  I bought tickets to the Rose Theater to see Peter Pan.  The Rose put on a wonderful production.   We all enjoyed the show.  I especially loved watching the girls as they were so intrigued with the performance.  I couldn't help to peek at them and smile as their eyes were glues to the stage watching every moment of the singing and dancing. We started our night off with dinner at Neuman's.  Then off to the main event.  Followed up with a slumber party.  All 3 of us in our big bed.  What a lovely night, one that I will always remember. 

Hmm, there are a few fun things about moving...

Namely... a "going away" surprise party.  Ellie has always secretly wished for a surprise party, so this was the perfect send off.    Her good friend, car pool buddy and one of my favorite kiddos threw a bash for Ellie and friends to say "goodbye"   To say she was excited would be understatment.  She was ecstatic!  She loved every mintute of it and thought about it for several days afterwards.  The girls gathered at Godfathers first and we brought Ellie in a few minutes later.  She was startled when the girls yelled "surprise" but quickly recovered when she realized it was a party.! And, how happy she was....that she didn't really have a dentist appointment at 6:30 on Friday night.    I know it sounds like a lame cover on my part.  But, she threw me off gaurd one afternoon and to protect the secret... dentist... was the first thing out of my mouth.  Really,  I need to work on my ability to "mislead"

Just for the record she was really surprised!  Humm, Dentist, not so bad afterall.

The girls had the whole party room to themselves.  They could be heard giggling, yelling, pulling pranks, planning their attempts to walk by the cute boys in the other room.  Giggling some more and plenty of boy talk.

 
 Just for record sake.  When the girls yelled "surprise"  Avery broke down in tears.  Sheer old fashion jealousy!  It's hard on a little 6 year old to watch your sister celebrate and to not feel included.   At least it is for Avery.  She was broken hearted for a short time but recovered with the chance to hang out with Katherine.  Katherine came to her rescue.  That's what the Lentsch's do...save the day.

The Lentsch family provided the girls with pizza, cake and the girls contributed to "going away" gifts. 

She missed her friend, Kylie who was out of town.  The girls were cute and always remembered Kylie when signing her cards and gifts.  (Kylie later surprises Ellie with her all time fav photo gift, wink.wink)

We are so thankful to the Lentsch family.  They are great friends and we will miss them immensly.  Emma is a kind, thoughtful girl and a wonderful example to her peers.  Especially Zachary and Ellie.

They went ahead and did it anyway...

I didn't want to send my first born babies to middle school.   How could it be time?  I didn't want them to grow up.  Against my sincere wishes, they did it anyway! The kids started school Thurs, Aug 19th.   The twins, middle school and Avery first grade at a new school.  A year for big changes.  And, boy were they happy about it. Sitting around the morning breakfast table we talked about "first day jitters". They all had them. But, mostly they were just plain eager to go. Happy to start their new year and experiences. As for the middle schoolers...lockers are the big thing. Ellie has been planning her locker all summer. Shelves, mirror, white board, markers, and magnets galore.  Luckily, we had a small window of time to go up to the school and practice the combination. It's tricky, ya know. Avery was looking forward to her new school with the giant Mac computers for each student. YOWZA. It made me kinda jealous, too. The new school is beautiful and full of fun equipment which helps soften the blow of leaving our beloved Fireridge.

Since our summer came crashing to a halt as we returned home from our last vacation only days before school , we were not quite prepared.  We still had supplies to get, school clothes to shop for, shoes to try on & backbacks to purchase all in one day. I felt rushed, defintley not the way   I like to prepare for back to school. But, in the end it all worked out and they were just as ready as if we spent weeks preparing.

Happy to report, Middle school was everything Ellie had hoped for. The smile that stretches across her face says it all. She loves it.   Zach seems to be doing well also. Except for his occasional "emabarassing mom" he is transitioning well.

I have to say...seeing such happy middle schoolers helped with my transition as well. Middle school is ok. I am doing fine, thank you.


Here are some of the "classic" first day photos. 

I am lucky to have 2 girls that love the camera.  These girls have evolved from "pouty" camera face to "pose and smile" at every opportunity. 

Zachary...not so much.  He is less than thrilled each and every time he sees the camera.  Still a handsome boy though.

a little peaksie at the new backbacks.

Zachary was more excited about his purple shoes than his backback.  This is for Zach.

And this one is for Ellie.

  The locker in all it's glory.

Ellie and Mckenna

Last month Ellie's friend, Mckenna moved to Cali.  She was heartbroken.  We had many "last" playdates, lateovers, parties and phone calls stretching out all month.  But wouldn't ya know it...we were in the hospital when their family packed up and moved out.  So she missed the actual "goodbye."  Which may of just been a good thing.  Have you witnessed the drama of 6th grade girls?  By the time they had the chance to actually say goodbye it was a quick phone call.  Painless.  And, rest assured the girls still catch up with one another on the phone these days.   But now it's long distance.  Mckenna will do great in California but we will sure miss her. 

One last photo shoot. 

I love the style of this one.  "Hippie chic."

Busy

Wow, I can hardly believe this summer is quickly coming to an end.  We have definitely power packed our days.  This was the summer of "camps."  The girls were interested in trying new things and thankfully the dates and times alligned up perfectly. 

Zachary wasn't interested in any camps this year.  He has a renewed commitment to attend boyscouts.  He loves Scott Brezack his current leader and friend.  Scott makes scouts fun and the waterskiing field trips make Zach's day. Thank you Brezacks. I can't believe how much this kid loves the water and the thrill. 

He also enjoys special time alone with me in the afternoons.  We went to lunch together many days when both girls were away. 

Zach also did his tutor 2x a week on Wed. and Fri. Dare I say...no pic of the happy little boy scooting off to tutor.  Nope.  He protested with all his might each day.  But, ultimately gave it and... I think he secretly likes his time with Ms Sindie.

We were busy.  I felt like a taxi driver going to and fro most days.  But, it was great.  I love having the kids learn new things on their own.  Avery decided she doesn't like basketball (even though she won "most baskets" each day.) Man, that girl is stubborn.  There is no changing her mind about it.  My hope is that in time, she will give it another chance.  Ellie decided she does like volleyball (even though she never got a good hit on the ball)  She wants to continue in the fall.   Perseverance! Love her for it.  She has a strong will and I like to see it put to a good use.  Busy summer days with crazy evenings.  Isn't that what summer is all about.