At 8 (nearly 9) and 6, my girls are at such a fun age. Naps are a thing of the past, they can stay up a little later, they are fun and silly and always up for an adventure. Between Cal and I, we managed to get a fair bit of vacation this summer which is always a treat, and we definitely filled the summer with good, old-fashioned memory making.
Lady A played on an all-girls team for the first year, which means that she had her foot on the ball WAY more this summer and really began to build her confidence. A naturally kind little girl, she learned that it was okay to steal the ball, and beamed with pride each time she got a goal! With only 5 girls on her small team, she had an amazing season and is already looking forward to the next one.
Each year, I like to take off the first week of summer - working in a school board it's a nice break after the craziness of June. For my girls, I like them to ease into the simple joys of summer - lingering in their jammies as long as they'd like, riding bikes on the street, playing with friends, and just generally being kids in the summer. I prefer that to sending them right off to summer camp, where the routine remains the same for all of us (wake up, make lunches, get out the door...you know the drill). That week we simply enjoyed hanging out and playing with neighbours and friends. It was a delightfully relaxing week!
Back to the grind for me the second week of summer means that the girls were off to camp. Lady M had the opportunity to go to her long-awaited horseback riding camp. She's been asking for this for ages, and after taking lessons for a year, the time had come! She gladly spent each day that week at the barn tacking, grooming, mucking out stalls, playing in the loft, and of course, riding. She was a dirty mess each night, with a great big smile on her face.
Lady A spent that same week at Art Camp and had a chance to let her inner Picasso shine! She created project after project and was so proud of each and every creation that she brought home. A winning week for both of the girls!
Later in July both girls attended a dance camp that they have gone to for years. Mostly crafts and activities with a little bit of dance, they enjoyed every minute of it. Our favourite part is the recital at the end of the week, of course, when our little dancers get to show off their skills! Mostly because it's about 4 minutes of pure cuteness.
After a few weeks back at work, I was able to take off the first two weeks of August. The first week was a classic stay-cation. The girls and I filled our time playing with friends and just enjoying being at home. Of course we also had to start packing for our favourite summer adventure...the sports & leadership camp where I work each summer.
The second week of August brought about our adventure up north, which I'll share about in a separate post, because it really deserves it's own!
By far, our favourite adventure this summer was simply the days we spent on our boat. We didn't even have to travel that far, as the girls were perfectly happy riding for a bit, then stopping the boat in the middle of Lake Ontario and just jumping in to swim. We had different friends and family out on the boat to spend time with us (some handled it well...others learned that seasickness plagued all three of their children...at one time!). But each day out on the lake was just the best family time of all.
And in case the boat wasn't enough, we capped off the summer by picking up a pair of used Sea-Doos to add to the watercraft collection. Now we are just trying to squeeze the remaining warm days of summer out of September before we have to pack all the toys away. Thank goodness the Ontario September has been beautifully warm and sunny!
Each summer is amazing, but this one has been my favourite of all...so far.
