July 1

Last weekend we went on two outings that involved things the girls loved so much (playing in cars, getting food from food trucks, biking) that then there was screaming or whining or not cooperating or all of the above when it was time to leave. Just today we started reminding Sarah more often at each transition that "now is a time to practice leaving easily."  Some of the time it has worked. 

Carl discovered a company that can print a picture onto pants and he was able to make Sarah's snail pant dream come true. Sarah knew of the possibility and by her own admission she is no good at waiting. So the week prior to yesterday involved lots of impatient whining and screaming. There was one night when I heard noise at the front door at 4:45am. I went down and found Sarah. She had been peeking through the mail slot to see if the package had arrived. We told her it might take two weeks and we didn't tell her when we found out they were coming Friday. We thought a signature might be needed so I arranged for Sc to be at our house for half of Friday while I was out. She was then able to wash the pants before Sarah got home from camp. Sarah is now a very happy camper with her beloved snail pants. Yes, we did get two pairs.

Amy moved up to the next level of swimming! She is able to float independently for ten seconds! She will be kept in the same class time as Sarah, which was my sincere hope. Sarah again was horizontal with the back of her head touching the water, while she was fully supported by the teacher. And she was smiling! Have I mentioned how much I love their teacher?! A serious miracle worker. 

Olivia, a sweet black cat with yellow eyes, has joined our family. She has moved into all of our hearts and Sarah does seem ok in terms of her allergies. Only time will truly tell so our fingers are crossed. 

The girls finished their camps and we were all pleased with both experiences. It was harder than I anticipated to deal with all of the transportation and how much time that took. I think next year I will minimize how many things we have scheduled in the afternoons following camp. Our days were so packed that I felt like I was barely keeping up with what I wanted or needed to do. So it was good and I intend to sign them up again next summer but I am glad it was only two weeks and I'm glad we are done.