Watching the hydroplanes

We met some friends Friday morning and watched the hydroplanes do some practicing on the race course. It was a beautiful morning.The kids enjoyed throwing things at the water almost as much as seeing the boats. We had comfortable shady seats on the levy and had lunch while we watched the first half of the airshow. Funny, I think Helena wore the same shirt and hat last year.

Friends came to visit!

We had a fun visit with some friends who live too far away. Thankfully, they have family in Idaho and return to this part of the world. The kids had a great time playing together and I think their parents could have talked all night.We got to meet sweet Lauren this time. Wouldn't have this been a cute picture if I had been a little faster and caught them both looking at me? We are so glad to have had this time to spend together!

More swimming lessons

We signed up for another two weeks of swimming lessons. There were more kids in Nora's class this time, but two were friends!
Helena borrowed Grace's big pink ring one day.Henry spraying his friends. Nora did some more jumping off the diving board on the last day and this time she was able to swim to the side herself.

It's fun being at the pool and chatting with friends, but I will be glad to have some quieter mornings at home.

Busy baby

One of her favorite self-appointed tasks is to clear all of our shoes off of the shelves in our closet. Today after finishing that she decided to empty the laundry basket as well.

Celebrating Independence Day

Our church has an annual picnic that is part of our traditional activities if we are in town. We eat too much yummy food with friends and this year we stayed to play for a while before heading home for late naps in preparation for the late night. Mark brought our Kubb set and the kids played Frisbee and made sand castles. That evening some friends stopped by and we ate popcorn and watermelon and popped party poppers and lit sparklers and played with glow sticks while waiting for it to get dark. The town fireworks are set off from a barge on the river and we walked the big kids to the shoreline park to watch. I remembered there being more noise the last time Mark and I went, but it wasn't overwhelming this time. The kids liked seeing the show.

Swim lessons

Nora had two weeks of swimming after we got back from our trip to Idaho. She started off repeating the Minnow class and passed into Level Two. She definitely improved her floating skills and can move her arms and legs together in a much more coordinated way. Henry and Helena enjoyed splashing in the wading pool and paddling around in their floaties. Penny was a supportive audience. On the last day they play games and can jump off the diving board if they want. Nora jumped six times!