What do you do in the Summertime?

Brownsburg's 4th of July Parade has become a tradition for us ... despite the 105 degree weather and the humidity on top of that this year we went.  Thank heavens we found a spot with a little shade or I'm afraid we would have been puddles by the end, wait, what am I saying?! we were puddles by the end!  There are always lots of cool cars, tractors and candy!!!  This one I beleive J.D. mentioned he'd like to own someday ... yeah, I think I could ride in that with him! 

 The parade is like Halloween, only you don't have to dress up and the candy just gets thrown at you.  The kids love it.  The Mayberry Police car was in it this year - There is a cafe in Danville not to far from us ... here is a link to a photo.  http://www.panoramio.com/photo/69976512  It's a great place to eat!

The kids did piano camp again this year and loved it.  Miss Lilly wanted a new dress to wear ... despite it being casual dress :)  Gotta love that - I know it won't last long!

All three have been taking swimming lessons at a neighbors pool - and are doing awesome!  I promised the Zoo if Miss Lilly and Big D would do everything their teacher asked them ... so we went to the zoo this week.  Here is Big D 'reading' the map, directing us where to go.

The elephants are in the background in the next pic - there is a new baby one too.  Master S wasn't with us - he has been at cub day camp at Camp Belzer for Webelos camp and is loving it.  He is so exhausted every night ... sun, swimming, learning how to start camp fires, cooking lunches over them, archery, shooting BB guns, canoes, monkey bridge - it just doesn't get much better than that for a 10 year old boy!

Miss Lilly has been doing gymnastics once a week and is loving it.  She is so excited and energetic about it. She is really close to getting cartwheels, really good at round offs and still working on those splits and hand stands!  Can't wait to watch the gymnastics at the Olympics with her.

This summer has been all about exposing my kids to all sorts of new things to learn about - things that they don't necessarily get exposed to at school.  So, I've been getting all kinds of random books at the library in the mythology, Shakespeare, folktales, biography and non-fiction sections in the children's area.  One in particular sparked some questions from Master S about the periodic table of elements?!?  Yeah, don't ask me how, but he asked me to get a book about it next time, and them after reading it wanted some more books about chemistry.  He is hooked!

We have a coin system for doing chores ... they earn coins to turn in for small amounts of cash, items from a 'coin store' that I stock and wii or computer time.  I found this molecule set at Michael's and put it in the coin store - it's been a hit with him.  Needless to say we've had a lot of conversations about what molecules are, what atoms are and what elements are.  Big D is often heard saying 'Don't eat all the chips molecules, Dad!' or 'Did you know there are atoms in that?!?'

Miss Lilly 'bought' a dragon with her coin earnings ...

Big D swimming - he loves to put his head in the water and is diving for rings, jumping off the side of the pool and so close to swimming!  Just need him to figure out that you don't have to put your feet down on the bottom of the pool to put your head up to breathe.  His little body is so tan!

Miss Lilly can jump off the diving board and swim to the opposite side of the pool now - she just needs to keep practicing those kicks and work on the same breathing issue that Big D has.  I'm getting so close to being able to take a book to the pool and read instead of getting in all the time!  Yeah!