Day 2 Minnesota Visit: Soccer & "The Beach"

We went to Noah's soccer jamboree and watched him play 2 games. In between we enjoyed a picnic. It was HOT so afterwards we went to a nearby beach (lake) to cool off!

At the jamboree and picnic:

At the beach:

After cooling off at the lake, we went back to the Olsons' house to have dinner and relax:

Minnesota Visit: Day 1

We had a great visit with the whole Olson family in Minnesota. It was truly a blessing to see how well Hugo and Maria are doing and what wonderful family life they enjoy. We loved spending time with everyone, and got to experience a little of their life in Minnesota, from soccer to "the beach" to time at home to a field trip to see some Minneapolis history.

Fer and Wendy were so excited to get on the plane -- or rather, the bus to the plane!

The whole family met us at the airport and we headed back to their house to get acquainted:

South Orange Dolphins!

Joining the swim team has been a great way to transition to summer. Practices started the week before school ended, and Fer and Wendy have now swum in two meets. The meets have been at the town pool, and are fabulous organized chaos, with 150 swimmers running around while the coaches wrangle them to get ready for their events. Fer has swum in a relay for both meets, while Wendy has done a 25 meter freestyle. Considering that three years ago neither of them could swim (and Wendy spent most of her first summer with us refusing to get into the pool at all), we are so proud of them both!

Fer and Papi at the meet:

Wendy diving in and swimming her best:

The Dolphins jumping in the pool at the end of the meet to celebrate another win!

Dance Recital - Carnival 2012

Fer and Wendy were amazing (if proud parents may brag for a moment) in their dance recital at Kean University. No pictures were allowed during the routines, but I did get 2 from the finale of the second performance. We were so proud of both of them! They have learned so much and they looked wonderful up on stage, confident and happy. We so appreciated having Gigi and Grand-dad and the Cannings join us for the first performance, and the girls loved going for Colombian food in nearby Elizabeth with the Cannings in between shows. It was a great end to the first year of dance school.

First, we had to get the girls' hair into buns! Here they are with the fabulous Ms. Shakeira from Salon Femi in Montclair:

Before the performance, in the lobby and backstage with friends:

Contraband pics taken during the finale!

A Day at the Beach!

The girls loved celebrating the first day of summer with a trip "down the shore." We went to the beach in Avon with our friend Becca and her dad Peter, who have family there. The kids caught crabs and fish, jumped in the waves and had a great time playing. The only moment of drama happened when I almost fainted from standing too long in direct sun and 100 degree heat index, but fortunately Peter is a doctor, his sister a nurse, and his niece the head lifeguard, and they all took great care of me and got me back on my feet quickly.

Last Day of School!

Fer and Wendy had a great year in 4th and 3rd grade and we are so thankful for the wonderful teachers, administrators, and families at Clinton!

Some pictures from the last day:

Off to school, proudly wearing their new Maria Priadka School of Dance 2012 show t-shirts:




Fer and her friends waiting to clap in the 5th grade:




Fer with her teachers:






Wendy with her teachers and her class:










And now, onwards to summer with the South Orange swim team!

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to our wonderful Papi! Fer, Wendy and I are so blessed by your constant care for us, by all your hard work to provide for us, by your humour, your kindness, your steadiness, and your love. As Wendy wrote in her card, "Thank you for being such a great Dad!" And from Fer: "Thank you for being yourself and understanding our troubles. I love you so much." Ditto on all counts from me -- you are my rock.

And of course, happy Father's Day to Grand-dad, certainly for me a model of what a father can be. I am so incredibly grateful to have such a wonderful dad. Also to Grandpa Jack, much beloved by us all, and to Terrill, Matt and Aaron, fabulous fathers to their kids and amazing uncles to our girls. We are so blessed!

A few pics from our celebration in Tivoli -- thanks for hosting such a nice lunch Gigi!

Family 5K: GIrls on the Run in Florham Park!

We had a great morning in Florham Park running the 5K with Girls on the Run. Fer and I ran together, finishing in about 43 minutes. She ran more than she ever had before, alternating 3-4 minute stints of jogging with 1 minute intervals of walking. We are so proud! Wendy burned up the course with Chris, finishing in 31 minutes and 30 seconds. Afterwards, we had a chance to celebrate with one of Wendy's 3rd grade classmates who also did the program, enjoying doughnuts and trampoline time at their house in Maplewood.

Before the race:






And after, the girls wearing their medals: