Girl Scout Camp!

We dropped Fer and Wendy off at Camp Hoover last Sunday -- Fer had been counting the minutes and I have to say had also been very gracious and cooperative considering that all her friends from school went to camp in early July while she was back in South Orange doing a math class and swim team, neither of which is totally her cup of tea. She is pretty amazing. Wendy had planned to go with a friend for her first week doing gymnastics but the friend's registration got messed up and so she went on her own. This didn't become clear until the morning we left, so we just carried on and hoped for the best. Their letters home were . . . interesting. Fer's was addressed to "Dear Parents" and consisted mainly of questions about our care of Snowflake though she did say that Everynight Live (her program, in which they get to stay up late and sleep late) is "really really fun". Wendy's contained only a request to come home overnight on Saturday, no sense of how her program is but we infer that at least when she was writing to us she was missing us and the pets. Both of them are really attached to the animals -- Wendy spends tons of time with both Happy and Brownie, and the night before they left I went to check on Fer to see how her packing was going and she was standing in front of Snowflake's cage holding a sign she had made that read "Dear Snowflake, I will be gone for 2 weeks and I will miss you so much and will think about you every day. Be good! I love you!! Love, Mommy (Fer)." I wish I had taken a picture, it was the sweetest thing ever. We got to see some photos during the week and it looked like Fer was having a great time, a bit harder to tell with Wendy. We visit them tomorrow so we'll see!

Marykate's Shower

We got all gussied up and drove to Boalsburg, PA to celebrate Marykate who is marrying Chris's brother Brian in September. The girls were really looking forward to seeing their cousin Jasmine who was coming with Aunt Kathy from Virginia, but Kathy got poison ivy at the last minute and couldn't make it. I have to say they were amazing as far as managing their disappointment and navigating a fairly unknown social situation -- they were so polite and sweet if I do say so and after a bit of sadness at the start they just carried on. It helped that Marykate couldn't be a more kind and welcoming person, so fun and outgoing, also that we got to see Grandma Deb and Uncle Brian. As well, I think it was pretty fascinating for them to see the gift opening, the activities (Marykate's bridesmaids did a version of the Newlywed Game which was pretty funny and then later on had us all complete advice notes to the bride and groom), and overall just what a shower is -- they had never been to one before. Much talk of what their future showers would be like, Fer's will definitely include a version of the Newlywed Game, while Wendy noticed all the lovely decorations and personal touches that Marykate's mother and sister had included and she would like those too.

Wendy's First Track Meet

When we were at a Clinton graduation party one of the dads noticed Wendy racing with the other kids and commented that she really should run track. We had thought about it on and off as an activity for her but hadn't really done much about it. She and Fer both participated in Girls on the Run, but that's a very different kind of running, and I think it turned her off to running as a sport as she is much more of a sprinter than a distance runner and GOTR is all about distance. So we decided to take her to an open track meet that a local running club offers just to see how it would go, and, as we might have predicted, she ended up doing really well. She took first place in the 100 meter and second place in the 200 meter. We're going to look into local teams in the fall!

Below, pictures with Fer and Papi after winning her ribbons.

Happy Birthday Grandad!!

We headed up to Tivoli to celebrate my much-beloved dad with a lunch party with the kids, swimming in the afternoon, and then a lovely grownups-only dinner at Ca'Mea in Hudson. Happy birthday, Grandad! We love you more than we can say.

Fourth of July festivities

It was great to celebrate the 4th with friends! We watched the Colombia-Brazil World cup game at our neighbors' house, then migrated to ours for a barbecue. We were grateful the weather cooperated and Hurricane Arthur headed out to sea, making it possible for us to enjoy being outside.

After dinner we went over to Maplewood for fireworks followed by frozen yogurt!