Sunday, June 26, 2011

1 for the price of 5?

I signed the kids up for group swim lessons, but then none of the group showed up...
You can't beat private lessons at the group rate...
The boys were in the same class together...



Even though bad weather cancelled some of the classes, they all have learned a lot. Ella can swim across the pool and jump off the diving board on her own now, and the boys have learned some new strokes and how to dive.

My little blooms

One of my favorite flowers in Duluth were the lupines that grew wild along the roadside. I was a little sad to see that they don't proliferate here (there are plenty of other pretty flowers though, so I can't complain). Well, a few weeks ago I glanced at the foliage in our front yard and lo and behold, there was a patch of lupines growing, just like it had been meant for me.


I always like to take advantage of the photo op that a sunny Sunday provides, so I also took some pics of a few other (more human) blooms...




Breakin' a leg

Taron's class put on a little skit during the last week of school, and Taron was the troll under the bridge. He did a great job, instead of just reading his script like most kids, he put a lot of character in his voice, I was really impressed. Way to go Taron!





Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Here's the Deal

One of Ella's favorite games is this Monopoly Deal card game, basically it's like monopoly in card form. I think it's rated for ages 8 and up, but that's not stopping this preschooler... she knows all the rules and what each card means, and has even won me 5 times in a row when I was really trying to beat her. She would play it 24/7 if she had a willing participant, and when she doesn't, she plays against herself.

Caden snapped this photo of us playing...








Monday, June 13, 2011

Just for the record...

I can move my arm again! I "injured" my shoulder a while ago from washing my hair too carelessly (yes it sounds strange, my shoulder joint gets stuck a lot and I usually put my arm down carefully, but this time I just let it drop and it messed something up) and for the past week or so I've lived with my arm pretty much pinned to my side, too painful to lift more than a few inches. I've been extra careful though and I finally feel like it's back to its good old self.

Not that anyone cares to read about this, but I thought it might be a good idea to keep track of when stuff like this happens, for my own personal records. Since I don't keep a personal journal anymore, I guess y'all get to read about my latest aches and pains... enjoy!

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Fun in the Sun!

There's an affordable country club a few blocks from our house that has a fun pool and a decent golf course, so we thought we would try it out...



The kids love the diving board...

Although Ella took some convincing to try it, she finally did.



There's a kiddie pool...


And slides...



And some non-pool features, too. The kids liked the mini putting range...


Ella was holding her club backwards, but my advice must not have been clear enough...




Kids kids kids...

Just a few random photos of the kids...

Sierra had a solo in the school choir concert...


Caden gave a report on Beethoven...



Solei turned 15...



Ella and I discovered a new park...




And so did Taron...



One big bird cage...

Once in a while a bird manages to get into the dog room somehow (probably through the screen door the dogs broke), but none had ever brought a friend...


Yes, they did eventually get out... well, at least I hope that's what happened...



4-2=2

A few weeks ago, Ella mastered the art of riding her bike without training wheels! Hooray!



Why my allergies are going crazy...

Our yard is in bloom!

It's been beautiful to look out and see what's blooming, especially after such a long winter, but I sure am paying for it with my allergies!





More Crew photos

We've had some requests for more photos of Solei and her rowing, so I found some on the crew website. She is usually good at avoiding the camera but when you're stuck on a boat, it's a little difficult...
I love this one...



And the winners are (Solei is third from the left)...




The team that wins gets to throw their coxie in the river...



The food tent...some good eatin's...
The Grand River where they row...