Blueberries For Sal: Summer

What a summer! June and July were filled with Sal's swim team practices every day and preparations for our first ever fiddle camp. Sal loves swim team and Milo joined in in the side pool. A few weeks in he declared he no longer needed a floaty, and that was it. He wants to swim on the team next spring. I didn't think we'd be a swimming family, but the kids are really into it.

My friend and I did a week long fiddle camp and had 25 students this year. The kids learned fiddle songs and Frozen songs in a violin orchestra of sorts. I'm so glad we did it, and plan to do it again next summer.

At the end of July we joined the Homers at Hebgen lake. It's a beautiful place. I love to see the kids spending so much time outside exploring and swimming.

The cold doesn't seem to bother Sal or Milo. I'm working on it.

Sal and Milo both really got into Legos, and I'm surprised what they are able to make.

After our week at Hebgen we flew straight to Maine and spent a couple days at the beach house. It was magical. One day we all walked out to the sandbar and the kids played for hours making designs in the sand, splashing in the water, chasing sea gulls and finding tiny silver fish popping out of the sand. We also fit in trips to the lobster pound, crab catching, starfish finding and body surfing at Fortunes Rocks. How did we get so lucky?

Ice cream truck and cousins were also highlights.

After just a few days we moved over to the lake. The water was incredibly warm this year and the kids spent hours every day swimming. Sal and Milo both got over their fear of the boat and went water skiing making all of Scott's dreams come true. Milo especially loved what he calls "ake boarding" which is paddling all around the lake on surf boards.

Pepe read a chapter from Lost on a Mountain in Maine every night to the cousins.

Sal did her book 1 graduation recital with Pepe at the piano. I may have turned into Tiger Mother a few times before, but it went well. (Sal may or may not have been up until 10 the night before getting drilled on the correct endings of Minuet 2.) (There may or may not have been tears.)

But she was really happy after. There were refreshments of course. (Ice cream sundaes.)

We went for several hikes in the woods. No need to bring water- just hydrate through the lungs.

We started school in Maine. Here's Sal all dressed up for the first day.

I won't lie. It was a rough start. We all cried and I threatened to put her back in school. But I think we'll survive. I'm doing kindergarten with Milo about 30 minutes a day and you'll be pleased to know that he can now count to 6.

Sal hard at work. Things worked best when we took breaks in the lake. What will we do without a lake?

We finished early one day at went to Fortunes Rocks for a couple hours. Sal and Milo both wanted to learn how to body surf, so in we went. It was great fun after I got over the shock of the cold.

We also took a day trip to visit Grammy and Pepe in Massachusetts. It was so good to see them, and Sal really loved them up. Gram turns 90 in October! Amazing!