Summer Fun

Phoenix started back at Angela's and Axel started up summer camps over the past two weeks and both are thriving. Axel really enjoyed Campbell Care camp as he was with a few of his classmates. Phoenix loves Angela's because she is back in with her girls as the leader of the pack. I didn't realize that she was such a leader, but Angela really wanted to let me know this week how much she likes to run the show and how much the other girls look up to her and follow her around. Fun! I would have never guessed seeing her do everything her big brother does.

 A week ago Thursday the temperatures cooled down for a few days. Here is miss little Phoenix wearing my jacket. 

 On Friday we headed to Jack Fischer Park for the first time in awhile. Phoenix still loves the swings, but likes to play on the play structure more and more. She truly is a little monkey.

 Axel had a blast playing with the little kids. I am very proud at how well he adapts and is able to play with kids older and younger than himself.

Last Saturday morning we went to our friend Alex's 5th birthday party. It was at one of those indoor play centers. Axel had so much fun with Alex and his friends.

Phoenix had a blast as well. they had a great section for kids 3 and under as well as a kitchen and grocery carts, which is always a real win for Phoenix.

My two munchkins waiting for birthday cake!

Here is Alex and Axel playing with the goodie bag toys before we headed home for nap time.

I have been really bad at taking picture the past few weeks, although I was inspired to capture a photo of our little old man wrapped up in a blanket. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful loving dog. It makes me sad knowing that his days are numbered. We received a call from the owners of Touie last weekend. Touie unfortunately passed away. He was filled with fluid and by the time Ia took him to the vet they said his cancer was spread all over and that there was not much they could do. It was a tough decision for Ia because she loved Touie so much, but she put him down so that he wouldn't have to suffer. Keith and I were very sad because we didn't get to see Touie this year like we usually do. Ia and her husband are getting older and it is hard for them to host their annual 4th of July BBQ. She was very kind to call Keith and inform us.

Over the past two weeks or so Axel has been working on this 500 piece puzzle that he received from Grandma Susan last year. He was finally ready to take the time to complete this puzzle. I was extremely proud of him. He did over 50% of this puzzle by himself. I am hoping he will want to tackle another big puzzle again soon.

In other news, this week has been quite eventful for the kids. Phoenix had a low grade fever last Sunday and when I  picked her up at Angela's Monday evening she had a rash over most of her body. It happened to be 5th disease that she and another child at daycare picked up. On Tuesday when I came to pick her up she was holding an ice pack. Angela informed me that she got stung by a bee on her finger. She was very upset about the bee sting and if you talk to Phoenix today she is still talking about how the bee bit her and that she killed it. The story keeps changing and getting funnier and funnier.

In Axel news, he went to a great camp this past week, called Blending Math and Art. He met a new friend that he really likes. Her name is Chloe. Chloe doesn't go to Marshall Lane, but will be taking another camp with Axel in a couple of weeks. Axel really wants to have a play date with her, but he said he is happy to be spend another week with her at camp for now. This is the first time that he has talked about making a friend at camp, so Keith and I were very excited for him.  

We rode to Marshall Lane one night this week. Axel continues to enjoy riding his bike. Phoenix lost interest after getting her cast off, but finally rode her bike well on this particular evening. Unfortunately, her 10+ minutes of bike riding ended with her first crash. Somehow she got a bruise on her forehead. We can't figure out if her helmet gave her the bruise of if the helmet came up and her forehead hit the pavement. Luckily, she was fine and we played a bit on the play structure before heading home.

We continue to car shop and we think we have it narrowed down to the Hyundai Tuscon, Sante Fe or Kia Sorento. Now only time will tell what we will end up with and who will give us the best deal :).

Today we are going to check out a pool/club that we plan on joining next year. It is open April through October. It looks like Axel is going to join their swim team as well. We are really excited about the great find and can't wait to see how the family enjoys it today. Until next time...