2007 - SUMMER

SUMMER FUN

 

Brandon and Sophia still require close supervision.  To make that task easier, I had a glass storm door installed at the entrance to the house from the garage so that I can not only hear but see what they're doing when they're outdoors.  I also put down a mat on the garage floor so they can play off the cement.  Having this addi- tional play space also extends the area where toys are available and keeps some of the messes out of the living room.

Several days through the summer, Sophia and Kelsi entertained themselves by putting on make up and nail polish.  Once the immediate goal was achieved, sometimes Sophia moved on to applying body art.

Brandon has taken golf lessons for the last three summers.  One day we went to a driving range so he could practice.  Brandon can hit the ball well, but his swing is more appropriate for hitting a baseball than a golf ball.  It drove me daffy trying to get him to tuck in that elbow rather than let it "fly".  He felt that if he could hit the ball even if his form was wrong, then he shouldn't change.  I tried to tell him that this isn't Tiger's philosophy, but I lost the battle.

Dawn's friend Inga and her two children, Hayden and Lydia, came up the end of July to spend a few days visiting Dawn's family.   Carolyn, Inga's mom, came along and stayed with me.  One afternoon the eight of us visited the locks on the nearby Erie Canal and took a ride on a canal boat which is towed by horses.

Ready for a ride on the canal boat

The moms - Dawn and Inga

This summer I took a couple short trips out of town.  Grandma Sherry and I drove to Pittsburgh to see the Dale Chihuly glass exhibit at the Phipps Conservatory.  On the following day we toured Fallingwater, a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home an hour southeast of Pittsburgh.  We had a good time sharing the experience and being free of our grandparenting responsibilities.

Fallingwater - a corner window with no mullion

In September Teresa, a friend I met on a cruise several years ago, came to town for a visit.  We have always enjoyed traveling together and as a result, have become sisters of the heart.  She, like Sherry and I, loves glass, so we went to Pittsburgh for a tour of glass exhibits including Chihuly, and then we drove up to Niagara Falls, a new experience for Texan Teresa.

Chihuly glass exhibit

Niagara Falls - The three falls from our hotel room

Mutt and Jeff - Taken by Teresa

At the butterfly conservatory

In their "kitchen" As the weather turned to fall, the kids found new activities to enter-tain themselves in- doors.  I was their customer and Bran- don and Sophia took turns being the waiter, waitress or chef.

Halloween signaled the beginning of a fall and winter festivities.   Brandon and Sophia joined neighbor friends Nicholas and Genevieve on a comfortable, gloriously sunny Sunday afternoon to go trick or treating.

A princess, ghoul #1, ghoul #2 and a kitten

Dawn and Sophia were born on November 3 and 4.  This year Sophia was 5. She invited four friends to a make-up and dress-up party.  While one mom applied their blush and eye makeup, the other did their nail polish.  Once the embellishment was completed, the moms went to prepare for cake and ice cream.  While in the kitchen, Dawn heard the girls laughing and squealing and went to see what they were doing.  Each girl was taking a turn, running across the living room and diving face first into the chair, leaving their over-the-top make up on the chair cushions.

Birthday girls with Brandon

Just what part of "Don't jump on the bed!" don't kids understand?!   How many times must a child be reminded?  Evidently one more than Sophia was.  She fell and her right front tooth met the bedside table an instant before her nose grazed the corner.  The result was a tooth knocked loose as well as a cut lip and nose boo-boo.  It was nearly two weeks before Sophia would eat solid food.  The tooth is still there, hanging about 1/8-inch below its mate.  And just short of two weeks after the accident, she was caught bouncing on the bed again.

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