Tennis, anyone?

Living right next to the neighborhood tennis courts, Finn has been very curious about playing tennis. We never really did go to the tennis courts. There is a very territorial tennis instructor that takes over the courts most days, so we haven't spent that much time there. Finn asked us if he could go a tennis camp this summer instead of participating in a summer sport. Um... yeah! It was just a week long tennis clinic at a local high school but Finn loved it. He went with his BFF Aidan and the rest of the kids were at least 10. Finn's tennis instructor told me that Finn did a great job but he kept switching the hand he swings with.

Sloane's latest addition...

... A face full of freckles! Sloane had a sunburn under her eyes at the beginning of summer and has since acquired a smattering of freckles. I hated my freckles growing up, but I think they are adorable on her. My little Strawberry shortcake!

Independence Day

I have attached some photos from our fourth of July. We started off the morning with our neighborhood's annual bike parade. Finn was able to ride his bike sans training wheels the whole way, and I pushed Sloane in her bike. It was fun minus the crazy neighbor who threw firecrackers from his SUV, scaring all of the children. That afternoon we went to our friends' bbq for food, fireworks, and hammock time. We were able to see the big firework show from their backyard and the kids loved it.

Padre

We didn't venture very far for our summer vacation this year. We decided to rent a condo for five days with our friends the Hodsons and Braxdales to South Padre. It was my first time to go there, and I was pleasantly surprised by how nice the beach was. I usually just hear about South Padre as a popular Spring Break spot for college students, so I was expecting a trashy beach with people doing keg stands. It was actually really family friendly with pretty clear water for a Texas beach. Our itinerary pretty much consisted of spending the whole day at the beach- playing in the waves, boogie boarding, building sandcastles, and just relaxing. My kids loved it. My curse of fair skin left me with a sunburn on the first day. Sloane and I had to slather on the sunscreen and seek shade frequently. Finn is blessed with rick's tan skin. We mainly hung out at the condo except for a few occasions. We ate at a local pizza piano bar where Sloane tried to dance on the dance floor the whole night. Rick went deep sea fishing with Finn, who immediately got sea sick and slept almost the whole time. The guys took the boys crabbing which was far and away Finn's favorite experience of the trip. On our last day we went to the Pirate Pier and visited the sea turtle rescue center. We had such a good time and will definitely go back when we get the chance.

Tiny Dancer

Sloane started her first dance class this summer. It is a ballet/tap dance combo class for two and three year olds. She gets to wear leotards, tutus, ballet, and tap shoes. I love getting her dressed up in those cute outfits. The first class didn't go so well. The moms can't go in with their children. We just let their teacher pick them up in the waiting room and then watch them through a window. It might be better if the kids couldn't also see us through that window, at least in Sloane's class anyway. Sloane cried for me most of the first class and there was very little dancing done. But, at the end of class, the kids get a stamp on their hand and a lollipop. Sold! The next class there were no tears and Sloane was arabesque-ing with the rest of the class. She is so cute dancing out there. What she lacks in gracefulness (not sure if it's her age, or something inherited from me) she makes up for in eagerness. She really stomps out her foot when it is time for tap. I might want to get her in an Irish step dancing class.

The Ides of Kindergarten

Finn finished out his Kindergarten year with a bang. There were so many fun events at the end of the year. One thing the Kindergartners do is host a "Mall" where they make gifts or provide services for others to buy with pennies. Finn decided to provide a service- giving neck scratches with a plastic back scratch-er and giving hand massages. Finn practiced both before the big day. He gave Rick a practice hand massage and Rick confirmed that it was definitely a hand massage worth a penny. I got to frequent Finn's booth at the school and he was so cute. He is totally a future businessman. The kids are allowed to take breaks and shop around, but Finn stayed open the whole time and earned the most money in the class. Atta boy! All of the Kindergarten classes got to put on an end of year performance for the parents and teachers. They perform some of the songs and dances that they learned this year in kindergarten. It was super cute. The last week of school the Kinder group gets to spend the day enjoying a Splash Day. The local fire department comes and hooks up water to spray all of the kids in their swimsuits. Their are bubbles stations and plastic pools set up for the kids to enjoy. It's a really fun end of year ritual. It all ended with Finn's Kinder graduation ceremony. The Kindergartners are recognized with a diploma for their achievement of completing the year. Finn was really excited about it. The end of the day was spent watching a video of pictures taken of his class throughout the year. It was a very bittersweet day. I can't believe my baby is about to be a first grader. I'm so proud of what a successful year he has had. He made lots of friends, learned to read and write, made great marks on his report card, and had all kinds of cool experiences. I couldn't have asked for a better Kindergarten year.

Finn scratching the counselor's back

Hand massages-in and out in under 5 seconds!

The parachute routine for the end of year celebration

Finn and his buddies at splash day

Last day as a Kindergartener!

Early Retirement

Yes, it's true. Finn has opted to retire from the sport of soccer at the tender age of 6. Finn just finished his season on the Purple Ninjas team. Cool name, not so cool uniforms. Bright purple and baby blue- say what? Finn is just not feeling the love for soccer, and it's really disappointing because he just got good! He not only scored goals but he was one of the ones right in the middle making contact with the ball a lot. He even once busted a backwards kick ball turn around. Oh well, better to leave on a high note. Take note, Brett Favre.