Do Your Best and Have a Fun

The title of this post came from some funny translated directions in one of Rich's model kits. Funny, but appropriate to our summer. I really did plan to keep up blogging this summer, but all my girls are young enough to still want to hang out at the pool with me. So even though I want to type that I am sorry for not keeping you informed, I'm really not. I have had a GREAT summer vacation and am rather sad it is coming to an end.

We have had SO much fun. Many trips to the library and the pool, sleepovers, blowing bubbles, Adventureland, swimming at the pool, camping, playing badminton (badly) in the backyard, swimming at the pool, Art classes, piano lessons, picnics at the Rose Garden, the Iowa State Fair, and softball to name just a few things.

Have I mentioned swimming? Natasha and Sarah both braved the Diving Board this year, and now Sarah spends most of her time over at the diving well. She even went off the high dive a few times, till she leaned a bit too far forward. Not quite a belly flop, but not very fun either. Natasha could have gone off the diving boards long ago. She always did well enough diving during swimming lessons, except for the fact that obviously timid and young swimmers have to pass a deep water swim test, and Natasha just didn't feel comfortable asking a lifeguard to tell her what to do. Oh, and nevermind the long (fast moving) lines full of gangly teenage boys goofing around. But with a big sister to follow, Sarah had no trouble looking like she knew what she was doing, climbing the ladder for the first time and jumping enthusiastically off into the deep. Swim test? Who needs a swim test? Me, I get to sit in 2 foot deep water while Mira pours more water over my head. Our favorite pool just closed today for the season. So did our second favorite, so for the last 3 days before school we will be heading to a new pool - the only one left open for the remainder of the season, and it's supposed to be 87-90 temps so it is quite likely to be crowded. Hmm. Perhaps the sprinkler will do instead?

A few photos from our June vacation: you will see more when I get around to scrapping the rest of the 700 photos later this year. Here is Mira sweetie holding up one of the many arches we saw. Just ask Natasha or Sarah how Arches are formed and what the difference is between an Arch and a Natural Bridge.

A lovely shaded resting place on a hike. Shade is good! Mira was good at finding any shady spot - on some hikes we stopped many more times than we would have preferred just because Mira found a small patch of shade. That's the price you pay for an observant hiker with stamina - in a 3 year old!



The girls & I at Four Corners, each in a different state. They thought that was pretty cool. Rich stood on all 4 states at once.Our photo of Wall Arch. Wall Arch is (was) one of many on the Devils Garden trail at Arches National Park in Utah. Gorgeous (and hot and difficult) hike. During the course of our trip, the girls each earned 5 Junior Ranger Patches while learning about the geological, historical, plant and animal life at each place we visited. At Arches National Park the focus was on erosion and gravity, and that eventually all arches will fall as new arches are created. The short film at the visitor center showed part of Landscape Arch falling off in 1991, 5 years before Rich and I visited the first time. When they were asked to draw what Landscape Arch looked like in 100 years, all 3 girls guessed that it would have collapsed. I don't think anyone guessed that Wall Arch would go first. Here's the story and photos. Hmmm - photo look similar to the one Rich took?

Come back for more summer highlights tomorrow!