Last year when Julia was taking swimming lessons she was PETRIFIED of jumping off the diving board. We would be driving to lessons and in the back seat she sat worrying about what she might have to do all the way to the pool.

Today, when she jumped off the diving board into the deep end and swam to the side of the pool, I had a lump in my throat. She also took two trips down the slide alone and without a life jacket and found her way to the edge of the pool, unafraid.

Right before the certificates were handed out at the end of class, her teacher led them in a game of Red Light Green Light. When the light was green the kids swam towards her back. When she turned to face them they had to stop and tread water. I watched Julia to see how she'd do, and saw her panic. Her teacher calmly said, "You're all right," and moved closer to her. Julia's face was a mixture of fear and relief. She was crying. Her teacher held her while she led the kids in the remainder of the game. Julia attempted a nervous smile, feeling a bit better. Again, mommy tears welled up.

One mountain climbed and a new once introduces itself in the distance. The bravery and the fear all wrestle for space in one tan and shivering body, standing at the edge of the pool.

All Avery did was ruin Julia's Lincoln Log cabin. Julia got rough and a few fierce kicks later her sister had a mini-shiner.

Julia had her requisite time on the step, we talked about what else she might have done that would have been safe, she spoke with her sister, (sweet hugs and a sorry ensued) and then she had to come up with a consequence. She decided that she would write her a letter, with six or seven sentences, saying she was sorry. What follows is her letter, complete with her spelling. Things are over and done now, and hopefully next time she stops herself before black eyes follow.

Deer Avery
I am soree abwot the I. I am mab abowt the log hows. You shood be mor carfl. I promis to not do it agen. I am saing soree in this ledr. wuns moor I sa soree. Frum Julia

When you schedule stuff for your kids in the summer, you never really envision all the driving to and from involved, the busy days that will result. I was fairly zealous in signing them up this summer and though next week will include one more week-long art camp, we've nearly arrived at the end of the madness.

First there was nature camp for three days in June. The girls LOVED it. We just finished four Wednesday afternoons of Trampoline and Tumbling. We are treated to demo after demo of hilarious tumbling moves performed on their beds. Today also rounded out two weeks of daily swimming lessons. Avery is in Catfish 3 and Julia moved from Frogs to Goldfish during her class. I have enjoyed sitting in the shade reading my book and watching their progress. I won't miss trying to find a parking spot, or just needing to be somewhere every day, but hauling them to these activities has only helped them develop new skills and confidences.

Throw in other things like play dates and doctor appointments, story time and grocery shopping, Tuesday market and life! Add all that comes with a move and things have definitely been busy for us. Crazy busy. And our weekends? Full, every one of them. We are definitely going to crash soon. August, I predict, will be our month to crash. Maybe in the midst of crashing there might be a trip to a roller rink and maybe a lemonade stand but top priority: RELAXATION. Hopefully I'll also get some hammock time when my husband installs my hammock somewhere in our new expansive yard(hint hint). Just thinking about all the stuff we've been up to makes me tired!

Today I'm having my allergies tested. The girls, allergic to peanuts at this point, will be having theirs tested on Thursday. To do allergy testing, you must stop taking your allergy meds for three days. I miscalculated and so I will have had four days off the Zyrtek, with a dose of Benadryl on Sunday for relief because you are allowed to have that more than 24 hours before the testing.

I am SO ITCHY, it's AWFUL. Whatever it is I'm allergic to will reveal itself today. I will enjoy knowing, but in the meantime, oh, I've suffered. My back is covered in scratches and hives. I itch all over. What is up with this?

When I had Julia the pregnancy ended with the WORST ITCHY RASH I've ever had. Pupps, I think they call it. Sounds terrible, and is. Then after I had Avery I was basically covered with hives all the time and went on Zyrtek. It's going to be good to get to the bottom of this with both myself and the girls.

The Cabin

Over the 4th of July we headed up to our family's cabin, built by my dad and grandpa back in what we figure to be about 1981. We met my brothers and mom up there and had the best time!

Today We Did Vegetable Prints

It might surprise those of you who think me a crafty lass that I am very apathetic when it comes to crafting with my kids. It is a rare day when I haul out an actual art project for the beautifully worthy artistes in my care. We just don't do it enough. Let me tell you, it is always worth doing, though. They love it. Look at the focus!

I was very aware of all the 4th of July crafts out there on the internets, but me? I don't think about art projects like that. I see the possibilities in the vegetable stems left behind upon chopping up some serious crudites. It's like that each time I cut up broccoli, my mind imagines how cool it would be to make vegetable prints,but this time I didn't throw the stems away. I also had pepper tops, complete with handles, how convenient, and an old potato that I carved into two stamps.
T'was totally worth trying. An art project a week, that's what I'm aiming for this summer.

"The three old ladies fill their bags with homemade jam and flowers and magazines and say, "What a wonderful show the summer put on this year!"
-Garmann's Summer

Garmann's Summer, by Stian Hole is a quirky gem we picked up at the library last week. There are the collaged illustrations, both humorous and brilliantly beautiful. There is the story itself, told about a boy's sixth summer. There is the gift of poignant and ironic moments, like when Garmann, so anxious to lose his first tooth looks at his aunt's dentures suspended in a cup of water. This book is about fear, the things we fear as six year olds and 86 year olds. Fears are magnified when twin neighbors can do everything "Garmann doesn't dare to do: bicycle, walk tightrope on the fence, and hold their heads under water. And they can already read, and they can spell "rhubarb"-backwards and forwards." As summer comes to a close and the aunts leave, Garmann finds both solace in his backpack filled with school supplies, and also wishes his sixth summer didn't go so quickly. I saw school supplies in Target the other day, and can completely relate to the feeling that summer will be gone in a blink of the eye. I loved this sweet and zany book. Check it out as we literally did. See what you think.

It's Fun to Frolic in an Empty Rental

I am happy to report we found a new rental house. We signed the lease last week and move in mid-July. WOO HOO!

We looked pretty seriously at four different places. Our top choice was one in our neighborhood, ironically the exact same house we are living in now but three blocks away. It had A/C and the rent was lower than ours. We could have literally moved everything in our house into the exact same place in that house. The bummer is, we turned in our application behind another family and lost out. Obviously something else was in store.

The one we picked is in the same town but in a new neighborhood with a family friendly reputation. If I had to move Julia to a new school, this was about the only one I would have considered. Apparently from talking to a few friends all the first grade teachers are great and they stay with the kids to second grade, so I am excited by the prospect of her having two solid years with someone and am especially excited for her to make some great new friends. The neighborhood has a pool, tennis courts, and little bike paths that weave their way behind the homes. Our new house has an actual yard surrounding it, room for the kids to run and play. It boasts a huge covered deck which I guarantee we will spend lots of time on. There are some fun things growing in the yard, like peonies! It's on a cul de sac so it will be bike friendly for our little bikers. My husband will actually have an office, and we will have a/c. It's all one one level, built in 1983. It has a wood burning fireplace and tons of storage in the attic above the garage. The people we are renting from are very sweet, too. It feels right going through homeowners not rental agencies. They are flexible and human with less silly fees and regulations. Most importantly, they are not planning to sell the house out from under us.

The downsides of the new house are the curb appeal (it looks.... well....granny with its' bird bath out front) and size. We will only lose about 200 square feet but I'm fairly sure that is made up for with our yard. I will also really miss the current cupboard situation in our house now. I'm going to have to get creative about where all this kind of stuff goes because there's no areas like this in the new place.

I am looking forward to moving in and making it our own. I am also looking forward to purging some of our current junk. Before me lies packing and packing and more packing and then lots of cleaning. Tomorrow I will schedule movers.

Change is in store, change we didn't ask for, but change I think we're really ready for. I'm excited!

The girls and I took a trip to my mom's last weekend. We did some cherry picking with uncle Ry, lots of swimming at the neighborhood pool, hit the Arts Festival, and also took a trip to the fish ladder, seeing a few spring chinook and summer steelhead. Our visit was like summer, slow and warm and easy.
Uncle Ry documents the girls' growth in a doorway each time we visit.

Biker Chick

Miss Avery is riding the "Bumpa Bike" these days. She just climbed on it yesterday kind of on the sly and tentatively pedaled her way around and around our cul-de-sac. The focus on her face cracks me up! I predict she'll be riding sans training wheels by the end of the summer, though there's no need to rush, of course.

Happy Father's Day

My husband said his favorite thing about being a father was listening to his girls sing in unison. The girls favorite thing about him were, "When he took us to the sea lions,"(Avery) and how "he always gives us treats when mommy's gone,"(Julia). One of the things that I love about him as a dad is that he is so excited to see his kids when he comes home from work every day.

We spent Father's Day this year at one of my husband's favorite places: the beach. We got to enjoy three nights at a vacation cottage in Arch Cape which we bought at our preschool auction. Lots of exploring, time at the beach, and relaxation. Daddy also got some new Lucky jeans (which he looks so great in!) and a hummingbird feeder. Thanks for being a great dad hon! We love you!

As a kid, we lived in ten different houses between the time I was five and 18. I went to five different elementary schools between kindergarten and sixth grade.
It explains why all the muscles in my body tense up when I find out that they are selling the rental house we live in and we have one month to move!

AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!

We have been lucky to have this rental for four and a half years at a pretty good price. I am not sitting well with the idea of an intermediate change before we buy a house. I am really a creature of habit. I love our neighborhood, house, the proximity of everything, etc.

I am going to try and embrace the idea of change, very directly, that we did not plan on. I really hate the idea of Julia going to a new school but I guess that doesn't necessarily have to happen. I know there are other good schools, too.

I was just hoping the next change we made was to buy a house, not to rent a new one.

I remade my coasters into something I was happy with. I can't decide if they're coasters or small wall hangings. Anyway, they are being coated with glossy finish and left alone on wax paper this time. The backs are all the same, a dotted fabric I found in the fat quarters at Joann's.