Last of the Summer Fun

 We had some more fun over the last few days of our summer vacation.

We went to Cami's 7th birthday celebration at her pool one evening, and enjoyed pizza and cupcakes and playtime.

 Violet greeted me Friday morning by pulling along all her favorite animals in the cardboard sled. Sometimes, she is so stinking adorable. Sebastian thought so, too.

 Friday evening, we went out to eat and then went to Kohl's to get Stacey some work shirts and Cora a back-to-school outfit. The store prominently featured some Little Critters books in the front, which the girls looked through while Stacey shopped. This is how they walked down the aisles.

 Then, we surprised them with a trip to Menchies. It'd been several months since we'd last been there, and they had been asking.

 On Monday, our final day of summer break, we spent our midday at the park with some school friends. Someone brought a slip and slide, and the children had a lot of fun. Cora and Violet didn't have their bathing suits, but eventually gave in to their desire to cool off.

Some of the boys had found baby lizards, and my girls were fascinated. Sebastian (Cora's friend, not the cat) was nice enough to share his tiny friend with Violet.

Later, Cora went to Sophia's to play, Violet rested, and then it was time for swimming lessons. We barbecued for dinner, and Stace built up a fire for marshmallows.

Farewell, Summer 2014! We will miss you and remember you fondly.

Sensational Sunday

Our final weekend day of Summer Break was a fun one. It started with Stace and the girls waking up in the tent, in the back yard. They slept well, and Sebastian even joined them at one point in the night.

I slept in my bed, but got up early to get some groceries for a special breakfast.

 Eggs, pancakes and bacon were on the menu, including some long pancakes with bacon cooked inside, perfect for dipping into warm syrup. Sometimes you can get yummy ideas from Facebook/Pinterest.

Cora shared hers with Owletta the Third. Somewhere in Palm Desert (or Palm Springs), the former Owletta is making a new life, hopefully with a new set of friends.

After Cora's tears subsided, we resolved to get a new one, but couldn't find the same brown barn owl at any of the four CVS stores I tried. We did, however, find a pink version.

Cora and I worked on a back story for the color change - Owletta was painting flowers on her ceiling, kept getting paint drips on herself, and couldn't wash it off. She then jumped into the paint and rolled around, to even out the color.

 After breakfast, Violet and I took a walk, up the hill into the Summit, and down through the beautiful oak-studded valley. Though I'm sad to have Cora's summer ending, I'm glad I'll be able to take my morning walks again.

 When we got back, we played at our little playground for a bit, and then Stace and Cora came up with the swimming gear and surfboard.

That early on a Sunday morning, the pool was empty - perfect for Cora to work on her skills. She got much better at popping up to standing on the board.

 Violet had some paddling time too, and Stace raced the girls across the length of the pool, with one paddling on the board.

After our pool fun, we had lunch, spoke to Nanny and Pop, played and tidied up.

 Then, it was off to our next fun event - ice skating! The Ice Station invited back all the summer campers for a free session for their entire families.

Violet was super excited about this, and she did get better on the ice. So did Stacey. Following Cora's tutelage, I worked on skating backwards, something I'd never really tried before.

Sophia and her family came too, so we enjoyed skating together.

Such a fun afternoon! Then we were off to evening church, and later home for dinner (delicious pesto pasta with Stace's homemade pesto).

Here's a couple of videos of Cora skating during the week at camp.

A Magical Day

A few months ago, Cora was awarded a free ticket to Magic Mountain for completing her monthly reading goal. The ticket expired Sunday, so we went on Saturday afternoon.

Grandma got me in as her buddy, so the three of us had a fun afternoon together before Grandma went across the park to start her shift.



On a hot afternoon, Cora especially enjoyed her Dipping Dots ice cream treat.

Cora was such a trooper - we had to park in the farthest, farthest parking lot (I think we were in Castaic) and it was very warm. She walked all afternoon without complaining.

In her sneakers, Cora hit that magic 48-inch mark. This allowed her to get on Grandma's favorite ride, Goldrusher; Revolution (with a vertical loop) and Colossus. I was so happy to share these big, thrilling experiences with my girl!

Cora loved Revolution and its "loop-de-loop," as she called it. She was nervous beforehand, but never stopped smiling during the ride. Afterwards, she wanted to ride it again, and felt brave enough to tackle some of  Magic Mountain's crazy looped coasters. Not yet, sweetheart! She needs another half-foot of height.

Sadly, Colossus, the iconic white wooden coaster opened in 1978, will be closing next week for good. Therefore, we had to ride it, even if that meant waiting a while. Here's how Cora entertained herself for part of our hour-wait - yes, we're in line here well outside of the main queue area. Then she turned her attention to the little camera, taking selfies and videos of the line.

I'm so glad I got to ride Colossus one more time - I've always loved this ride. And I'm really pleased that Cora got to experience it, that she was tall enough on this trip to do so.

Almost our turn!

I wish I had some ride photos, but I'm not brave enough to take my camera (or my phone) onto a roller coaster. The photo setup was a cute idea, though.

This one was too - the ride featured prominently in National Lampoon's Vacation, so here have the Griswolds' station wagon.

After the ride was over, Cora wanted to go again, but the line remained too long. Instead, we had another go on Revolution before our final ride, on the tram to the parking lot.

Day in the Life, Summer Style

I've realized, regretfully, that I failed to capture a "Day in the Life" post this past school year, with Cora in first grade and Violet in Ms. Diane's class. Before any more months go by, here is a snapshot of a typical 2014 summer day.

Before Stace leaves for work around 6 a.m. Wednesday, he carries Violet into our bed. She loves snuggling, and was longing to sleep with us the night before. She had been placated with the promise of morning cuddles.

At Genia's house, Violet and I shared a bed while Stace was working in Valencia. Violet loved that, and has been asking to snuggle much more since we came home.

My alarm sounds at 6:30, and I get up around 6:45. Before settling in with my Bible and coffee, I make sure all the doors and windows are open. That's my hot-day morning routine, to try to get in as much cool air as possible.

At 7:30, I try to wake up Cora. At 7:45, I try to wake up Cora. At 8, I try to wake up Cora. At 8:20, Cora is awake, and lies in bed reading for a while.
I make blueberry-pear oatmeal for breakfast. Around 8:30, Violet emerges, and we eat together. Cora isn't ready to come eat yet, and I don't mind. I'm not ready to eat right after I awaken, either.

Around 9, Cora comes out of her room, dressed and ready to play. Chris and David, the neighbor's grandsons, are out front playing, so she joins them. She's folded the clean clothes I put in her room and made her bed, without being asked.

 Violet needs a little more convincing to fold her clothes. I overhear Cora encouraging her: "If you do it, you'll be a better swimmer and have more fun at gymnastics."
Violet's not sold on the idea, but eventually gets the job done.
At 9:45, Violet gets dressed and makes her bed, with one blanket. The other is over the chair. Her explanation: "This one's scrabby when I put it on my bed. That means, not being pretty."

I start an exercise video (yes, you read that right; I'm THAT old-school). Cora's back outside, playing monkey-in-the-middle with Chris and David. Violet joins them, briefly, before unhappily coming in, mad at Cora for something or other. She retreats to the playroom with the Legos.

Then, Chris and David come in to play, and Cora makes a jug of ice tea-lemonade from a mix to share. They don't stay long - Toni's taking them to a movie.

While I finish exercising, Cora gets to work scrubbing her bathroom floor. She's been saying she wants to make money, so I offered her the job. When she finishes, she sets to work making an "Out of Order" sign. "I need a little tape to tape up my sign," she says. "I don't want anyone slipping!"

Around 11, I pay Cora for the chores she's completed over the past few weeks. She gets five dimes per chore, with two going into a savings bank, two into her wallet, and one into her giving/charity bank. She then borrows my cell phone to text Daddy - she's enjoyed that this summer.

Soon thereafter, Cora's friend Sophia and her mom Sue come to pick up Cora. She's going to their house for lunch and a little playtime, and then Sue will take them both to summer camp at the Ice Station.

Meanwhile, Violet has decided to paint, using q-tips (cotton buds) to dip into the little paint pots.

"Did you know that pink lightning is the hottest lightning?" Violet asks me. "There really is pink lightning."
Violet likes to preface her statements with, "Did you know that..."
When she's finished, she cleans up the paint, and has fun scrubbing clean the water cup. In this time, I've scrubbed my bathroom floor.

After a quesadilla lunch around 12:30, we get in the car to head to Violet's summer camp at My Gym. Violet and Cora are both enjoying camp this week, from 1 to 4. My Gym and the Ice Station are both near Stacey's work, so he can pick them up on his way home.

After dropoff, I stop at JC Penney's with a $10 coupon. Though I can't find a bathing suit bottom for myself, I do find Stace a work polo shirt for $3 out-of-pocket.

At 3, I head over to the Ice Station to watch Cora and Sophia skate. Cora's been asking me to come and watch, and it's great to see her skills progressing. She's learning to stop better, to spin, and to skate backwards.

 Then, I get some groceries on my way home.

Stace picks up the girls, and they stop at Walmart to buy potting soil on their way home. My parents have given us cuttings from their rose bushes, and Stace is hoping to grow them in our yard.

By 5, the girls are in their swimsuits, and we head to their lessons. Cora is in Level Four classes at Meadows Pool, and Violet is in Level Two. Cora is learning advanced strokes and diving techniques, while Violet is learning how to float and swim better.

After swim lessons, we go home and I start dinner, while they rinse off. Then, Stace and the girls fill water balloons for our next event, park fun with Mom2Mom/school friends at Valencia Glen.

Dinner - homemade tuna/veggie patties on French bread - isn't ready until after 6:30, which is when Popsicles at the Park begins. Whoops. Normally, we pick up pizza before this summer's Wednesday night routine. But we're having pizza Thursday night at a birthday pool party, so we didn't want it twice in a row.

After dinner, we get into the car to get to the park. Cora is bringing several of her Beanie Boo animals to play with, so Violet is bringing her pink dolphins (regular size and mini). "I'm bringing Dolphy and Surfs," she tells me. "When I'm older, when I'm 5 1/2, I'll change their names to better names."










We reach the park a bit after 7, and our friends have kindly waited for us for the water balloon fun.

Sara, who came up with the idea for Popsicles at the Park, explained the rules. Not hitting the adults was the main rule, along with picking up all the tiny pieces of balloon when the fun was over.

After the balloons were cleaned up, it was popsicle time. Sara and her husband Tony bring Otter Pops for the whole crowd each week.
At 8:20, we leave Valencia Glen, and 10 minutes later starts the bedtime flurry of vitamins/pajamas/teeth-brushing/reading.
At 8:45, Violet and I read together in her room, while Cora reads in her own room. Recently, she's decided she doesn't want Stace and I to read to her. She'd rather read her longer chapter books on her own. This makes us sad, though we're glad she enjoys reading so much.
Around 9, I kiss Violet goodnight and go to Cora's room. We discuss the next day, pray, and I tell her it's time to turn off the light. She's not happy about the end of reading time. Meanwhile, Violet has gone back to the toilet.
By 9:30, both girls are in bed; within 10 minutes, Cora is asleep, with Violet not long behind her.
After this very pleasant day, good night!

Palm Springs Air Museum

On Saturday, I planned to go to the Palm Springs Air Museum with Chris to get out of the heat. As it turns out, it wasn't hot. It was overcast, and it actually rained. But we went to the air museum anyway. The planes on display, some of which were still flight-worthy, were flown from the Second World War onwards.

  There were a couple of planes that you could actually get up into and sit in, as well as static displays. On the day we went, they had an open cockpit setup on a Bell Cobra (above).

This was a Vietnam-era cargo plane, which you could climb into the cockpit and the navigator's seats. It wasn't a complete plane; just the front section was on display.

 Above is a beautiful example of a Supermarine Spitfire from WWII.

The highlight of the day for me was climbing inside a B-17 Flying Fortress. We were able to enter the plane from behind the pilot's seat, walk along the inside, including across the bomb bay gantry. We exited the plane towards the end of the rear section.

On board, to answer people's questions, was a gentleman who must have been in his 90s. He was a bombardier aboard a B-17 during the war. I chatted to him for some time; he was stationed in East Anglia and used to enjoy his time off in Piccadilly Circus in London. It was a great experience to talk to someone who actually took part in bombing raids in these very planes.

Palm Desert Weekend

As if two summer trips weren't enough, this past weekend we joined my parents at a gorgeous condo in Palm Desert.

They've been taking this vacation for years, and always have invited us, but it hasn't worked out before.

This year, we were free and ready for the challenge. What challenge? Well, going to the desert in August! It was 110 in the days leading up to our trip.

Stacey was truly nervous about how he'd handle the heat.
We planned to do a lot of pool time, and take advantage of the indoor kids' club area, with free movies, toys and crafts.

When we arrived Friday after 7 p.m., it was still 100 degrees. But the condo was just beautiful, with a full kitchen, all much fancier than we have in our own houses.

Stace took the girls over to the nearby tennis courts to hit some balls. And after we got the girls to bed, we enjoyed wine on the patio, which was still plenty warm.

To our surprise, Saturday dawned cloudy, and if not "cool," it was very temperate. We made a nice breakfast and enjoyed the pool with children's area and water slide.

Stace and my dad went to the Palm Springs Air Museum, while my mom and I played in the water, the kids' club and watched an Ice Age film in the plush theater.

In the evening, we checked out nearby Palm Springs, which was drizzly but packed, with 45-minute or 1-hour waits at the restaurants we thought looked good. We finally were able to get a table at a yummy and authentic Greek restaurant.

Our food took a while to come - with us taking the table, the restaurant was completely full - but it was delicious. The waiter was so apologetic, he even gave the girls a free dessert and took our appetizer off the bill. So, in the end it was all well-worth the wait.

We then let the girls choose some taffy at a fun candy shop on our walk back to the car.

Back at the condo, we played a bit more tennis, before calling it a (late) night.

After checking out Sunday, we were allowed to stay and use the facilities all day. Stacey and I had a good workout in the fitness center, and then joined the girls and grandparents at the pool. Again, the weather was cloudy, a little drizzly, and just warm enough for swimming. Violet got a lot of practice in, and both girls loved the slide.

And then, the lightning started, and the pool was closed. Hence, here are photos of us NOT in the pool, or on the water slide.

Before we left Palm Desert, Stace and my dad had a drink at the bar, while we girls headed back to the kids' club. With the strangely cool weather, Stace would have loved to play golf at the beautiful course all around the property. So sad that he forgot his clubs!

Still, we had a great weekend together, and are very thankful for the trip!

On our way home, we got drenched. A very unusual heavy tropical storm - of the once-in-500-years variety - hit the mountain/desert areas we were driving through, a good 100 miles east of SClarita. Mudslides in the local mountains actually killed one person, and destroyed homes.

We were glad to make it home safely.

Violet SWIMS!

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I proudly present, Violet the SWIMMER!!!!!

That's right, our little one who refused to leave the step a month ago, now can swim across our pool.

She had six private half-hour lessons with a swim teacher named Nicole, and by about half-way through was swimming on her own.

At the beginning, Violet said "no" or screamed about everything Nicole asked, but Violet would then give it a try. Nicole was great with her - encouraging and friendly, but firm as well.

We are all so proud of Violet, who calls herself the "purple fishy," because her name means purple. When we go to the pool now, she wants to practice swimming all the time.

Here are a couple of videos from her final lesson on Thursday - even in the deep end!

 In other news this week, I came home from a weekend morning walk to this stunning pancake breakfast, complete with a strawberry cut into a flower, and mint leaves.

On Wednesday, we met up with Colleen, Lucas and Liana at Newhall Park. Miss Diane was teaching summer camp there, so we got to catch up with her, too.

 As it quickly got too hot to play outside, we headed over to McDonalds for lunch, so the children could use the play area.

Then, I encouraged Colleen to leave her kids with me for a couple of hours so she could get some shopping done. Meanwhile, I could do housework and blogging while the children played happily.

We also had a couple of swimming playdates this week, including one with Cami here, and another at Emily, Charlie and Tommy's house.

This was our last open week of summer break, hence the rush to fit in as many playdates as we could. Next week, the girls will be in camp in the afternoons.