Whoa, summer, slow down!

Every summer is crazy busy, and things happen way too fast, but this summer, things seem to be moving especially quickly. Maybe it's the developmental stage the girls are in - they are capable of doing so many new things, every day - and there have been many impressive firsts and transitions these past few weeks.

A week ago Friday was my birthday and the girls' last day at their old preschool. I took cupcakes in to celebrate and thank their teachers, who have been with them for two years. The lead teacher had made goodbye cards for each girl, with pictures on one side, back to when they first started at 15 months, and notes from teachers and student-teachers on the other side. They feature the trademark Skylar orange and Paige green motifs, and are laminated for maximum preschooler durability. It was a very sweet gesture, and we all teared up while saying goodbye.

That night Johanna babysat the girls while Jim and I went out to dinner with our good friends T & R - T's birthday is the day before mine. Johanna had not seen the girls since before they were potty trained, in big girl beds, or Sky was diagnosed with hearing loss. The girls didn't miss a beat, loved seeing her again, and it was really fun to see them showing off all their new tricks. The best part of the evening was the dance demonstration they gave J. before we left - each one performing their individual style with great enthusiasm and flourish. Sky includes lots of kicking, fluid arm movements coupled with lunges, and the occasional yoga pose, while Paige favors jumping, running in place, somersaults, and sneak attack hugs.

The next morning, we packed up the car and headed to Lake Tahoe for a week of rest and relaxation at Papa Tom and Gramma Rotzie's time share condo on the north shore. I've been to Tahoe numerous times, but being there for a whole week, at a resort, gave me a whole new appreciation for the beauty of the place. We had perfect weather and fantastic company - what more could you ask for? In addition to gramma and papa, cousins A. and J. were there, uncle T. and aunt K., and a couple of extended cousins as well at various times - one of whom took us out on the lake for a boat ride and the other took the girls out to dinner and gave them wonderful presents!

We hiked, lounged on the beach, played in the pool, rafted down the Truckee River, rode the gondola to the top of Heavenly Valley, and played in the sand at a playground on the beach, in addition to eating really good food, consuming lots of chocolate ice cream, and enjoying the aforementioned boat ride. Jim and I even managed to escape for an afternoon/evening to Reno, to take in some dinner at the delicious and stylish Bangkok Grill (pure Reno, with its access to the restroom requiring traversing the lobby of the adjoining Super 8 Motel), shopping at the Sierra Trading Post outlet store (highly recommended) and some strolling/gawking at the casino scene, all thanks to the babysitting services of a fine papa and gramma. Thanks for such an awesome trip!

The photos above are a few of my favorite shots from our excursions, three of which feature the awesome fold-out fish sunglasses gramma found for the girls. They are quite a hit with all three of them, as well as general passersby.

We returned from Tahoe rested and relaxed and with a little more color in our cheeks. But wait, the fun doesn't stop there! The very day we got back, Gramma Mary and Papa Mike drove up to Eugene, and we spent Sunday with them getting the house back in order. Jim and my dad hung the girls' new swings in the back yard (sniff - the toddler swings are gone). Then, on Monday, P & S started their new Montessori proeschool. Well, not really, because this week is the last week of camp before school starts, but they are going to the new school site and meeting some of their new teachers and friends that will be in their class. This is one of those transitions I worried about, not too much, but enough, about things like what if they freak out and hate it? What if the teachers or other kids are mean? How good are their security procedures? Will the staff help with pottying and serving lunch? Where do we put all their stuff? Will they nap??????

You probably guessed this, but none of my worries were necessary (or useful), although perfectly natural and providing of some miniscule amount of worthy purpose, if not now, then in the future? Maybe? They waltzed in with their lunches, hung up their coats, met the teacher and started exploring the room. There are two bunnies and a turtle, countless new toys and educational objects/materials, and a new, huge room to run around in, not to mention the excellent outdoor playground. So, it's all good. A great way to transition into fall.

Sigh.