School got out and we fell headlong into the lukewarm days of our cloudy coastal summer. We spent our time at the beach, the park, the library, rattling around the house, camping, and playing. Nobody bathed, and nobody blogged, but by golly, we did our workbooks and job charts. Every summer, I vow my children will not wile away their time building forts with the couch cushions and wasting all my printer paper drawing 5,000 fairies, so this year I let it be understood that no fun would be had until the chores the workbooks were done. It made a dent in our plans every day, but I stuck to it and may never attempt it again.
Still, we had good times. We took two camping trips - one to San
Clemente and one to Crystal Cove. We went to the Southcoast Botanical
Gardens. We played in our own sprinklers. We swam in my parents' pool
one last time before they sold their house. Claire learned to swim with
her face in the water. Audrey read 112 books - some of them while
hanging from the tree in our front yard. Both girls perfected their
crazy camera poses. We went to a baseball game and the girls took
gymnastics.
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| Dodger Stadium |
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| Home |
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| Hemet |
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| Fourth of July |
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| South Bay Botanical Gardens |
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| San Clemente. While we were there President Obama flew over us in Marine One on his way to Pendelton. |
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| Gymnastics | |
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| Crystal Cove |
I love summer. I miss summer. It was a cold one this year - never really warm and sunny enough to feel like anything but Spring. But I like having the kids around; I love not having to pack lunches and check homework; and I love all the fun memories we make when we have the time to sit around and see what happens.
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