...and July...and August...and September!

Gosh, the summer just flew by, and now that Mommy has the laptop, Daddy doesn't get as much computer time as he used to! Lets see if we can catch our readers up a bit...

July started out fast with several different Independence Day parties. We ate, swam, and ate some more. Soon after the holidays, both Malin and Gavin started soccer - Daddy helped coach Malin's team this year, so maybe next year he'll have to help out with Gavin's. Gavin did good on defense, but got too rambunctious for offense. Too much chasing the other kids while ignoring the ball. Malin was a great defender too, but then found out that the girl who was playing goalie on her team wanted to try a different position. Malin tried out for goalie, and was chosen! She made a good goalie too. Having two practices a night made for some long evenings -- and then the games started! Of course Malin & Gavin both managed to have games on the same nights -- usually at opposite ends of the county! So Daddy would get home from work, grab a kid or two and head one way, while Mommy loaded up the rest of the kids and headed a different direction. It was quite hectic (Daddy had fun coaching, but must admit he's glad it's over).

Daddy had his annual work trip to Hersheypark the end of July. This year we decided to get a hotel room in Hershey, rather than driving back and forth. It was expensive, but because we were so close we were able to close the park down both nights. Gavin rode the Superdooperlooper - his first 'upside-down' roller coaster. Malin and Daddy got to ride nearly all the coasters, including the newest addition. Darin enjoyed the kiddie rides and the water park. We had fun, but it made for some tired kids (and parents) at the end of the night.

Moving on to August...The month started out with some special Daddy-daughter time. Daddy and Pappy Sam took Malin to 'pole day' at the Pocono speedway. Malin was super well behaved. She really payed attention to the lap times to see who was fastest. She got a Jimmie Johnson hat and shirt, and even picked a hat and shirt for Gavin. Pappy Sam enjoyed the experience too - it was his first NASCAR event, and he mentioned that he'd like to go back next next year.

We kept ourselves busy during the weekends with several camping trips. Mam-maw and Pappy bought a little camper, and we towed it all the way to Mexico (PA) to get some use out of it! During all this, the kids continued soccer, and Malin finished up her summer session of ballet. Also, Daddy got LASIK surgery on his eyes.

September, and the beginning of school (three day-a-week preschool for Gavin, First Grade for Malin) came all too quickly. Malin and Daddy celebrated a birthday, and had a good crowd for their annual party. And let's not forget about the fair! Malin worked all summer on a handful of crafts to enter. She sewed a headscarf and a tote bag, made a latch-hook wall hanging, populated a terrarium during one of our camping trips on the mountain, and decorated a pumpkin. She was lucky enough to win a blue ribbon on every single one of her entries! Gavin didn't get too many crafts done, but he did do a terrarium and decorate a pumpkin -- both of which also won blue ribbons! They both snacked-out with some of their prize money, but we never got around to riding the rides this year.

Well, I am sure we did a lot of other things that I have forgotten, but since I'm tired of typing, I'll try to put together some slide shows of the summer's events.