Happy 4th of July

9th Annual Holden Beach Trek

The beginning of the 10+ hour drive. . .

Nearing the end. . .

Thank goodness for good travelers and for kids who arrive at a hotel after sleeping in a car, jump around for ten minutes in excitement and then go down without a hitch.

The reward . . .

Are You Making A Mess Up There?

No, we are just cleaning. . . That's one bottle of shampoo down the drain - literally!

We Are All Packed Mommy

Adeline and Lila decided to pack themselves for the beach this year.  Their suitcases were zipped and waiting at the top of the stairs.  Apparently you don't need any clothes when spending two weeks at the beach.

She Swims!

After five long weeks, Miss Lila Grace can swim.

Lila has been taking swim lessons throughout the school year without much progress.  This summer, we enrolled her in the same program that taught Savannah to swim - granted, Savannah learned to swim last year so we recognized that we were pushing the envelope with Lila.  All three of my girls were born fearful swimmers and resisted swim lessons.  Luckily, Lila knew I meant business this year and, while she didn't want to, she put her face in the water and learned how to use her big arms.

At first, Lila thought that she would sink and clung to her swim teacher if he tried to move away from her.  After going back and forth with him for four weeks, he gained her trust and got her over the hump.  The last week, she swam with a new teacher.  The change was positive.  Lila didn't show signs of fear and in five days got her big arms out of the water (they are too straight and make her movements a bit jerky) and learned to swim independently.  Here is a clip of Lila swimming 2/3 of a lap without assistance. 

I am so proud of her.  She believes she is a swimmer, is proud of her accomplishment and has hinted at wanting to take the test in the outdoor pool in order to go off the diving board.

My Train Lovers

Alex took Adeline and Lila to a Day Out with Thomas.  Adeline is mildly obsessed with Thomas.  For example, she wears boy Thomas underwear.  She sleeps with a Thomas blanket, has a Thomas pillow, owns countless Thomas trains and loves it when I draw a Thomas train for her to color.

Lila has taken a liking to James but, in his absence, was very excited to see Thomas with Adeline.  Last year it was just a Daddy and Adeline outing.

I love that my little girls still love their trains.

Goodbye West Chester Friends

Savannah has completed her second year at West Chester Friends School.  She enjoyed her time there and I enjoyed the small size and family-like feel.  Savannah has grown academically, but more importantly, has become a strong and confident girl.  Don't worry, she is still very quiet and reserved.  In fact, she holds the record for not getting in trouble once in her two years there.  I think her classmates were waiting for the day Miss Savannah would be removed from circle to sit at a table for talking.  It just never happened. 

Somehow, this school environment helped Savannah find her footing while at the same time allowing her to stay true to her quiet self.  While we give WCFS the credit for breaking Savannah's shell and helping her emerge, we were not satisfied on all fronts.  Namely, the rigor.  Savannah is very bright girl that functions above grade level in almost all areas. She still has some work to do with ball skills but when it comes to reading and math, the girl is solid.  It became apparent that the school wasn't going to meet Savannah on her level and push her forward, and instead, was going to devote more time for the struggle students and their need to catch up.  I believe in both and wish there was a balance in the teaching.

This, in conjunction with Savannah wishing to spread her wings, has driven us to try public school.  Our local public school is said to be wonderful, a school that meets all students on their level.  We shall see.  We may be running back to WCFS the following year when Lila begins Kindergarten there.  But next year, we have decided to try public.  We hope Savannah is pushed a little harder, and finds making new friends successful.  Being that there is only one class per grade at WCFS,  students don't have great opportunities to meet new friends.  Who you start Kindergarten with is who you will start First Grade with.  By the end of this year, it felt a bit too small in the friend department. 

We look forward to the three minute commute that will replace a 25 minute commute.  We also are excited to begin laying roots in our local community.  There is also the Adeline factor.  Miss Adeline will go to this public school for their services.  Savannah will somewhat pave the way which will make Adeline's Kindergarten year a smooth transition for our family. 

I have spent hours, possibly days if you add them all up, agonizing over this decision.  We finally put it in front of Savannah and let her decide.  It is official now and I can stop worrying about it. . . at least until September!

Goodbye West Chester Friends.  We have loved you and will miss you!  Don't worry, we will be back in year with Miss Lila.