What was your favorite part of the zoo?

Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day and Leah, Elizabeth, and I took full advantage of it.  We made the trip to John Ball Zoo and enjoyed every minute! Leah was a risk-taker and helped pay the extra cost to do the ropes course.  That was her first time and her favorite part.  Elizabeth's favorite part was looking at the monkeys.  I enjoyed watching my daughters walk around the zoo taking pictures of all the animals with their own cameras!

Did you pass your swimming level?

Leah and Elizabeth finished 2 weeks of swimming lessons at Camp Geneva last week.  Both girls really enjoyed their time in the water.  By the end of the lessons I could see improvement in their swimming which made me proud.  Elizabeth focused on working on her front crawl and is starting to get the breathing down.   Leah spent most of her lessons learning all the different strokes.  She glides through the water and picked up on all of the strokes quite easily, even the butterfly!  Each of them passed their individual levels and are looking forward to next summer's lessons already. 

What have you done so far this summer?

Summer is half over (sigh) and we've done a lot.  Check out the list:

*Go to Crazy Bounce  We made it there this week to beat the excessive heat!

*Get a library card This was the first thing we did on the list.  Both girls now have their own card.  : )

*Skate at the roller rink Skating is FREE every Tuesday/Wednesday from 12-2 at the Home Roller Rink. 

*Ice skate at the ice rink

*Watch a movie in the theater The girls and I saw Mr. Popper's Penguins and Zookeeper.

*Beach it   Our first trip was near the end of June and it was a perfect day!

*Spend a few nights at a hotel How about a couple nights in Eagle River?

*See fireworks Yep!  courtesy of the neighbors in our cul de sac.

*Have a play date with a classmate

*Sleepover at someone’s house  Yes, if grandma's house counts.

*Go to Sandy Pines

*Drive to Meijer Garden

*Go to the zoo

*Eat ice cream  We finally made it downtown Grand Haven to our favorite ice cream spot, the Dairy Treat.  Vanilla is now the flavor of choice because of the girls' GERD.

*Shop Probably too much of this!  We even hit the outlet mall in Michigan City.

*Participate in the library reading program Leah finished all 5 sheets in lightning speed.  Elizabeth is still working on her 2nd sheet.

*Have a garage sale

*Save money

*Go to camp Leah had a great experience at HoneyRock.

*Do gymnastics Almost every Monday and Wednesday...

*Take tennis lessons Elizabeth is loving her tennis time!

*Take swimming lessons Both girls had 2 weeks (last week and this week) of lessons at Camp Geneva.

*Hike the trails at Rosy Mound

*Sleep in a tent

*Go for a bike ride  The girls ride their bikes while I run.  It's actually pretty fun!

*Ride the swings at Dutch Village  They did ride the swings, but the main attraction was the animals. 

*Swim at the neighbor’s pool  4th of July weekend we were invited over for the first time and have been there several times since.

*Rock climb Leah did this at camp.

*Play games at Chuck E. Cheese Elizabeth attended a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese.

*Read We try to read every day!

Are the lockers finally done?

YAHOO!  Our family finally has a place to keep all of the backpacks, coats, shoes, etc. that have been treking through our house for years. When we built our house prior to having children 10 years ago Tim and I neglected to create a "mudroom".  For years after moving in I realized we had made a mistake by not including one.  Once Leah was born and old enough to attend preschool I asked Tim if we could buy one.  At that point he told me he could make one.  It sounded like a great idea to me and he promised it would be built before Leah went to kindergarten which was my ideal deadline.  Now that Leah is starting 3rd grade the dream has become a reality.  It was a LONG wait, but worth it!  We had one of Tim's friends do the construction part and the actual unit was designed and installed by ORG.  I am really looking forward to this fall when the girls can use it more!

How did you swallow a penny?

Yesterday I was startled by the words, "Mommy, Elizabeth swallowed a penny!"  When I looked at Elizabeth's distressed face I knew Leah wasn't joking around with me.  Elizabeth had been balancing the penny on her nose and she somehow accidentally swallowed it!  The doctor confirmed what I had already told her...we'll just have to wait until it comes out.  So, we've been waiting.  This morning the girls and I took advantage of the air conditioning at Crazy Bounce.  I'm pretty sure that bouncing doesn't help with penny removal, but it seemed like a good enough reason.  The girls had a great time bouncing from one blow up to another and are at the perfect age where I can just sit and watch (or in my case take pictures too!).  I think they're filled with enough bouncing for the summer that we won't need to return.  For now, we just wait for the penny...

How was the birthday party?

Elizabeth had a fun time going to her friend Avery's birthday party this past Saturday.  She had lunch and played games at Chuck E. Cheese before heading to a pool party.  There she had a good time swimming, diving into the water, and munching on snacks.  As a party favor Elizabeth was given her very own guppy whom she affectionately named Sparkles.  So far the fish has lived for 2 extra days at our house.  We'll see how long it survives!

Where were you when the lights went out?

It's more than a fear, for Leah it is a phobia.  Thunderstorms are, in her mind, an indication of an approaching tornado.  I'm not sure why, but she is petrified of them.  She's never really been near a tornado or experienced anything even close to one.  It doesn't matter how much Tim and I talk to her to convince her that she is safe.  In Leah's mind, death is quickly coming...literally. 

So it is no surprise that when Leah woke up yesterday morning to the low rumble of thunder panic started to arise within her.  Suddenly she wasn't hungry and had a stomachache.  She also couldn't possibly go to gymnastics due to her sickened state.  I told her in so many words that she would be going to practice and to get dressed.  As the sky darkened and the rumble grew louder, Leah's distress increased.  I guess I did what any mother would do...seriously, I did quite the opposite.  I shoved her out on the deck in the middle of the storm.  How horrible am I?  Her big brown eyes and pounding hands on the door still haunt me as I can hear her in my mind screaming, "let me in!"  I refused.  Then the most amazing thing happened.  I watched her walk into the middle of the deck in the pouring rain and roaring wind and relax while looking up at the sky.  She repeated the mantra, "it's only rain.  It's only rain."  Amazed at the breakthrough I had witnessed I thrust open the door and let her in.  We hugged.  Then she very calmly got dressed and we drove to the gym in the storm. 

As I was driving south I wanted to talk about the storm and tell her how safe she would be in a building with no windows, but something stopped me.  When we got to the gym Leah got out of the car and went inside.  Then Elizabeth and I did some errands.  About an hour later I heard the radio DJ say that another line of storms was approaching the area within a half hour and that people should drive to a safe place.  So we drove home and had just closed the garage door when it started to rain.  The two of us had fun painting and cleaning the house while waiting out the second storm.  Then it was time to pick up Leah.  When I got to the gym door I saw her waiting in a dark room.  They had lost power while she was on the high bar and it had been out for over an hour and a half.  I was informed that Leah had shed some tears, but she appeared to be coping well.  I just hope the progress she made today will have an impact when the next one rolls through town!

Does anyone care for some tea?

The girls and I had an extended weekend in Illinois at my mom and dad's house.  Our main reason for going was a baby shower on Saturday for my cousin's wife.  However, we were lucky enough to stay for a few extra days.  On our way to Illinois we stopped at the outlet mall in Michigan City, Indiana.  I really was hoping to get some clothes for me while the girls tagged along, but at the end of the afternoon they were the ones with all the loot.  How does that happen?  I arrived at my childhood home to find many decorating changes.  My favorite room in the house is now the dining room.  I love the simple black and white design that my parents chose.  So of course when the cousins (my kids and my sister's kids) decided to have tea on Sunday after church I couldn't pass up the photo op.  The weekend was busy and tiring.  Aside from the baby shower, which was more adult centered, the highlight was definitely the multiple trips to the swimming pool/water park where I was a lifeguard in high school.  I bribed both girls with money to jump off the 3 m. high dive and now I'm out $10.  Ah, it was worth every cent!

How was your holiday weekend?

We had a very busy, but fun holiday weekend.  First of all the weather was gorgeous and secondly Tim had the whole weekend off!  Our family spent most of Saturday hanging out at our house.  Sunday we went to church and then traveled to Howard City to spend the day at Tim's sister's cottage.  Elizabeth spent most of the day fishing while Leah skied and tubed.  On the 4th we had breakfast at Tim's great aunts' house and then made our way to the Grandville parade.  After the parade we went to our neighbor's pool party.  We ended the day with banana splits in the cul de sac while watching fireworks.  The girls and I were so tired that we slept in until 10:00 this morning.