4th of July Week

We had a great sandbar in the ocean!

Mmmmm. . .

Kenzie & Caleb were more into eating the sand.

Happy 4th of July!

 Emma was not prepared for the first pop of fireworks in the day. . .

The girls became good friends with our beach neighbors.

Claire Elizabeth, meet Clair Elizabeth. Seriously.

Fun times watching the fresh catch of the day being brought into the marina and cleaned. . .

Morning shot of a fox on the dunes.  

There was a family of them living in a hole under the screened porch of our beach house.

 

Claire discovered the fun of boogie boarding on this trip. She often paddled her way out to the family party in the ocean. . .

 Aunt Kathryn came to visit!

First time to play putt-putt!

 

Saying good-bye to new friends, Clair & Will. . .

A week at the beach is always the perfect way to celebrate the 4th of July!  We had such a great time with family and new friends.

One Fish, Two Fish

 Swimming the length of the pool. . .

 Job well done!

 

 Swimming across the deep end. . .

The girls finished their last swim lessons today with a show for the parents, and a popsicle party!  They both did a great job throughout the week, and enjoyed learning from "Mrs. Em".  Interestingly enough, we first knew Mrs. Em's daughter because she became Claire's substitute teacher at school when her original teacher left on maternity leave.  That was after I had already scheduled our swim lessons.  It took a couple of weeks, but I finally put the pieces of the puzzle together and realized the connection.  Such a small world!
Congratulations, girls!  We are proud of our little fish.

Ballerina Dance Camp

Emma had such a great week at her Ballerina Dance Camp.  Each morning, the girls had a ballet class, craft time, music and dress-up.  At the end of each camp day, they were greeted by a "special visitor".  These ballerina visitors included: Cinderella, Clara from The Nutcracker, Snow White, and the Lilac Fairy.  On Friday, the parents were invited to a little performance of all that the girls had learned.  Emma was so excited to show us her new ballet moves.  She loves to dance!

"Paradise"

Claire has found a new love - the nail salon.  Emma is in a morning dance camp this week, so Claire and I are spending some rare time together with just the two of us.  As a special treat, I decided to take Claire for her first real pedicure on Monday.  While sipping free juice, and getting her legs massaged, she looked at me and said, "This is my paradise."  She was grinning from ear to ear!  Considering that she has been asking to go back everyday, I am sure Jeremy is thrilled that I have exposed our daughter to the pampered life.

Picking Blueberries

Yesterday, we went to a Blueberry and Blackberry Festival.  The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed picking lots and lots of blueberries.  We also had fun taking a wagon ride and listening to some live bluegrass while eating shaved ice.

A Father's Day Treat

 The girls had a good time sifting the sugar for our lemon glaze. I believe they were laughing in this picture because Claire had just splattered sugar everywhere. Ahhh, cooking with kids.

 

Today was Father's Day!  Having picked some yummy blueberries yesterday, the girls and I decided to put them to good use this morning by making Jeremy some homemade blueberry scones with a lemon zest glaze.  They were delicious!!  Jeremy got to eat his while gazing at the beautiful picture frames that the girls painted for him.
After breakfast, we got all fancied up for church, and although it was my intention to get a picture of Jeremy and his little ladies in their Sunday best, I completely forgot! Oh well. You can imagine how cute they all were. :)

Creative Arts Camp

 Below, the kids were given a setting, and then one by one added to the setting by "jumping in the picture" and acting out a part.  This scene was a playground, and Claire was "an old lady sitting on the bench reading a book".

Claire participated in a full-day creative arts camp this week.  This was her third summer to go to this camp, and she looks forward to it each year.  The camp is perfect for Claire because it covers a lot of her favorites - art, dance, drama & music.  At the end of the week, the kids display their art projects and do a performance of the things they have learned.

Our Family

Here is our most recent family picture - as drawn by Emma.

Fun in the Foam

 

    

We recently went to the zoo, and Claire and Emma played in the "foam zone" for hours!!  While we were there, we also rode the train, the carousel, and saw some animals.

TuTu Cute

Emma got a Make Your Own TuTu Kit for her birthday.  She was very proud of the end result!

Dora and Diego Have Arrived!

 

The Castle 

The House 

Claire was jumping up and down with excitement. . .

  Not sure what to say about this one. . .

 

 Emma working with the pattern wheel. . .

Yesterday, we went to see the new Dora & Diego exhibit at our hands-on science center.  Although the girls enjoyed checking out some of the new things, they spent most of their time building with the large, foam blocks.  They worked very hard, and built two structures - a castle and a house.  Every now and then a new friend would join in to help, but for the most part they did all of the building themselves.  They did a great job, and I was highly impressed with their creativity.
Oh, and if you're wondering - yes, Emma wore sunglasses the whole time we were there.