End of Summer

With the end of summer vacation in sight, we joined our friends Sue and Jen and their kids at Carpinteria beach on Monday.

It was beautiful, and the children had a great time.

Violet thought it would be fun to walk to Dink's for breakfast, so we spent one morning this week doing just that. Violet walked the whole way, there and back, nearly a mile each way.

One evening, we were out and about and Cora had brought a bit of money. She chose to surprise me and Stace by buying some candy for us from the new bulk bins at Ralphs. Violet took this photo.

Some school friends invited a group of us over for a swimming play date on Thursday. The children had a lot of fun - not long before they'll be seeing each other every day again.

That evening, I took Cora to Encino for her first focus group, with a company I've done paid research groups with for years. She had a great time, and made $125 (which her driver took a small commission from).

We had Colleen, Rigo, Lucas and Liana over for dinner one evening. Cora thought it would be great fun to roast marshmallows - inside. She gathered mini marshmallows, bamboo skewers and a tea light.

Suddenly, we were down to our last week of vacation, with school starting Thursday.

I decided to take the girls to Discovery Cube on one of the days, and we had a nice time together. Violet is using the scanner in the grocery store section of the children's museum here.

An area upstairs focuses on the science behind Formula 1 racing. Here, the girls are competing in a Pole Position-type game, using their own pedal power.

And this little exhibit shows how predators and prey have their eyes set very differently on their heads.

What a great summer we enjoyed in 2016! From beaches and museums, to playdates and library trips, and from England to Hawaii, this is one we'll always remember.

Now, on to first and fourth grades!