Busy Busy Summer!

We have had such a crazy, busy summer that I can't believe its already July! Next month Ava will be back in school in FIRST grade and the boys will be starting preschool! Wow! Well I certainly packed the kids with lots to do, but they are really enjoying every second of it and its been so much fun to see them having such a great summer. I signed the kids up for two separate weeks of camp at Ava's old preschool, where the boys will be going this fall. The age for camp is 3-6 so all three get to go together which has worked out great. Their first week was the week of June 11th. They went from 9-12 and just had a ball doing all sorts of fun things. They did crafts, sang songs, played outdoors, and even had snacks provided by the preschool. At the end of the week-long camp they performed songs for the parents in the church. It was adorable. I didn't bring my camera that week but their second week is coming up next week and I will be sure to tape that performance. The kids are also now taking a two week swim lesson at Camp Manitoqua. This camp comes highly recommended by parents of older kids in the Frankfort area. You have to be 4 yrs old for their half-day camp so I didn't do it this summer, but I plan on doing it next summer. For now, the kids are taking swim lessons in their outdoor pool and are having a blast.

Really bad picture taken with my cell phone

The boys have also started taking Tot Hockey lessons! It is so cute to see them all geared up in their hockey equipment and learning to play with the assistance of their fantastic coach, Coach Chris! I have some video montage that I will post soon of the boys at their lessons but for now here are a few pictures. So far we have learned that Evan is not really that into it but is participating nonetheless. Colton, on the other hand, is very into it. So much so that he starts to cry at game time when he doesn't have contol of the puck, let alone score a goal. Its really hilarious! He leaves the lesson pouting "I didn't win" but we are trying to teach him that its not all about winning, its about playing the game and having fun. Towards the end of July the boys will be in a week long British Soccer Camp through our park district where they will learn how to play soccer! I am hoping Evan will enjoy playing soccer alot more than he has hockey, and that Colton doesn't have a fit the minute another little boy takes possession of the ball. Oh boy! Wish me luck!

And finally, we have really increased the amount of time Ava is practicing her ice skating at the rink this summer mainly because we have the time since she is not in school all day, but also because she will be in her first USFSA competition at the end of this summer! So far, her coach is really packing in a ton of elements. It will be so different from her last ISI competition since that was way back in January of this year. Her coach recommended music from the movie Enchanted. Ava and I took it home to listen to a few weeks ago and just love it! Its much faster than anything she has skated to before and its very light and airy and fun. In addition to her regular skating lessons, she is now doing off-ice practice and power skating lessons, all per the instruction of her coaches. Both of her coaches were not at all pleased with some bad habits she had picked up during her ice show, so once that was over they wasted no time getting her right back into tip-top shape and so far we are all very pleased with the results.

It seems we have something going on every weekend for the rest of this summer until the kids start school. We will close of our summer with a much-needed vacation to the Smoky Mountains at Dollywood! We are all looking very forward to that.

Hope you are enjoying your summer!