Craziness

I can't believe I haven't written in 3 months.  Wow.  This summer has been CRAZY, but at the same time it doesn't seem like we've done much!  Let me see if I can sum up our last 3 months... trips to the waterpark at Kings Island, speech therapy for Claire (she has made AMAZING progress this summer), VBS, a family reunion, summer ballet class, soccer practices ending and then starting again for the fall, and preparations for both girls to start school.  In less than 3 weeks, Kate will start Kindergarten (how in the heck is that happening?!?!) and Claire will start preschool!  I am not one to lament the passing of time, but somehow realizing that both my girls will be in school this year and that Kate starts riding the bus does make me nostalgic.  At church, Kate moved up to the Kindergarten "class" in early June, and somehow the realization that I'm now the parent of an elementary aged child makes me feel old.

Claire has been taking weekly private speech therapy this summer and has been making amazing progress. She is now linking up to 5 words together (with some prompting), using 2-3 words consistently with no prompting, and is articulating much more clearly.  The past two weeks at speech, she's even said "cake" and "cook" instead of "take" and "took".  She has been able to get the K sound on the ends of words for a while, but the beginning has been a challenge.  Miss Susan is a miracle worker, however, and we're now getting Ks on the front of the words, at least some of the time.

Kate took a 2 week summer dance sampler and has discovered tap.  She loves it.  She's taking a ballet/tap combo class this year (during Claire's preschool on  Tues mornings, so I will have approx 1 hour to grocery shop in peace every week during Kate's class.  I am more excited about this than Kate is about dance class, I think!).  She's also playing SAY soccer again this fall.  This is the first season Mark has not helped coach her team.  I may have to force him to go back to coaching after this.  I'm kidding.  Kind of.  Her coach is coaching 3 teams in 2 leagues this fall and practice times have been a nightmare. However, Kate's playing on the same team as one of the girls from her preschool class last year, so that's fun.

I'll sign off with a few pictures from our family reunion last month.  By most people's standards, it would hardly count as a family reunion (there were only 19 people at it, and that includes all he cousins, aunts, uncles, grandmas & grandpas and even my great aunt!), but we get together every summer with my mom's family and it's so much fun.  

Kate & Max checking out Alex's DS... they were enthralled.

Kate showing off her slip n slide skills

Love this photo of Kate - I crouched right at the end of the slide and snapped it at eye level.

More mad slip n' slide skills...

My cousin Michael getting in on the action.  He's about 6'4".  It was hilarious.

Nice expression, Alex.  :)

Claire's version of the slip n' slide consisted of her crawling the length of the slide.

Claire's dismount

Alex torturing his sister Maggie

These girls walked down the path to the community park in my aunt's backyard.  All conversation stopped for a good 3 minutes while we gawked at their outfits in disbelief.  This was taken in 2010, not 1986.  But were it not for me telling you, you'd never have known that.

Alex getting crazy with the younger cousins....