Since we started school this week, I figured it was a good time to recap the summer – especially since we didn’t really post anything all summer any way! I think we can truly say we did this summer right. Lots of lazy days with sand between our toes, lots of fun evenings with great company, lots of time to enjoy all the good that we have. As Trapp and I often remind each other – this is where the good is.

Definitely the most frequent activity this summer was swimming. Our beloved Reservoir just down the street was the perfect low key destination for late afternoons and weekend mornings. Both girls took swimming classes there for two weeks in July. Hannah went from a tentative swimmer to a full-out fish. She can swim under water, jump in the deep end, and by the end of the summer was furiously practicing her somersaults. She seemed to never get tired of swimming and usually had to be dragged out of the water to go home. Lucy also got much more comfortable – putting her whole face in the water and submerging her head to grab dive sticks off the beach floor. She loves the sand just as much as the water, though, and spent many an hour digging and filling her many buckets and pails.

Back here at home, the girls’ days were filled with lots of play. They are each other’s best friends now and concoct all kinds of adventures – usually led by Hannah, with Lucy providing her own spunky kick. They did lots of cooking with dirt and leaves, lots of playing with water in the little swimming pool on the deck, bike riding with their “bike crew” (a few older kids from the neighborhood we met who go to Hannah’s school), and tons of art projects – stickers, painting, coloring, and play dough. Their favorite, though, is when we have a “PART-EH” with the neighbors. Which usually means we all are hanging out on the street, having a few drinks, and they get to stay up late listening to music with the ladies or being chased by the young guys who tease them endlessly. We are so lucky to live on this fun street.

Instead of traveling far this summer, we did lots of little day trips – which are so much easier with kids. We went camping for Father’s Day weekend in Cape Cod.  We went to Plymouth Rock and visited the Mayflower with Uncle Kevin and also took a boat out to Georges Island to see the old fort there. Davis Farmland was a fun day of petting animals and playing in sprinklers.  We drove to the real beach (on the ocean) towards the end of the summer and had so much fun digging huge holes in the sand.

But above all, our trip to STORYLAND was the hit of the summer – the girls still talk about it almost daily. This place is like taking  a 5 year old girl’s wildest dreams and putting them all into one. Cinderella, swan boats, all the nursery rhymes – it was all there. I would definitely say that meeting Cinderella was ten times bigger than a trip to Santa. No question! It was a great way to end the summer.

As for us parents, we enjoyed it as well. Trapper started biking to the train every day and spent lots of fun mornings at the beach with the girls. This last month he has been busily preparing for his TED talk which is next week already! I’ve spent the summer focused on growing – a garden and a baby. In big and small pots throughout the deck, we grew tomatoes, peppers, lots of salad greens and herbs. It’s been decided that next year we need to get out of the containers and into the ground – with the help of our neighbor’s green thumb. And while the excessive heat didn’t make pregnancy fun, I’ve been blessed once again with a pretty easy pregnancy- no major complaints. It’s clear I’m getting close to the end, however. He’s simply running out of room in there and I frequently have the feeling that he has his hands on my left hip and his feet on my right rib and is pushing outward with all his might to try to create more space for himself. As long as he waits til Trapper’s home from his trip next week, I’ll be happy!

Advertisement