Sept. 10, 2024

Happy September! It seems like the summer flew by. I think it’s because this year we had a good mix of camps and downtime.

We started the summer with swim lessons. The girls were a little annoyed at having to take them because now it’s really about learning the strokes properly. They love the pool and the water but are more interested in swimming under water and goofing around than technique. I need them to get stronger. Especially since we live on the water. They also got new electric scooters and cruised the neighborhood all summer long.

Taya

Emi

They went to summer school in July and I thought I might get some resistance from them but they actually said they kinda liked it. I think because they are the class of students that started school during Covid as online instruction, many of their classmates struggled this year and a lot of them chose to do summer school as well. They would go straight from school to afternoon gymnastics camp. It worked out well because it was crazy hot during that time. We went to the public pool and the water was so warm that it wasn’t enjoyable. In August they did Busch Gardens camp and both conquered new rollercoasters, but Taya has done more than Emi. Both of them are cautious but Taya is more adventurous. Emi takes her time, thinking things through. She is very determined so when she makes her mind up, it very rarely changes. It’s interesting because Taya will be up to try more stuff but will stand at the top of a ride forever gathering courage. Emi will refuse to even look at it but then when she decides she’s ready she has no hesitation. Once she decides she wants something, there is no stopping her.

Taya in front, Emi behind

The best discovery of the summer for the girls was the Cat Cafe. It’s a business that fosters cats and for a fee you can go in and play with them and feed them treats. They usually have between 20 to 30 cats and kittens at a time. The girls love that place and could spend hours there. They still have their cats at home but I think they believe there’s no such thing as too many cats. This is the next best thing for them.

Emi, Taya

We wrapped up summer by having one final adventure in West Virginia. We rented a cabin for a couple of days and went white water rafting one day and did the inflatable water park another day. I’d never done something like that before and we weren’t sure what the girls would think of it but it ended up being so much fun. We did a couple of grade 3 rapids as well as some lesser ones. It was an all day event so by the time it was over I could barely lift my arms. I took Taya and she loved it. Emi went with Tim and said she liked it but didn’t really want to do it again. We’re hoping she’ll change her mind in a couple of years when they’re old enough for us to go on the more challenging trip. The cabin we rented had a hot tub and she did really enjoy that. She’s not exactly one for roughing it, but she does enjoy glamping.

Taya, Emi

School started the last week of August. We missed orientation because of our trip but we did manage to go shopping for their first day of school outfits. This year I took them individually and it was much better. They are definitely shoppers and love trying things on. They both picked their own outfits and I thought they looked cute. So far things seem to be going well. They like their teachers and have recess together. I really hope this is the year they gain some confidence and break out of their shells a little. They are also doing cheer again and get to do some gymnastics during the half time routine.