Backyard Campout!

We borrowed a tent from Auntie Di and then waited and waited and waited for some warm weather....and finally it arrived. Laina and Joe had a backyard camp out during our vacation week. It was rather adorable. They built the tent in the afternoon and then that night after our cookout dinner, we roasted marshmallows in the backyard and made s'mores - YUM! They got ready for bed and snuggled down in the tent. I made my way up to our nice comfy cozy bed and was happy as could be. They didn't make it through the night. The ground was a little too bumpy and the backyard started to smell like skunk....but they sure had fun while it lasted! Joe is the best Daddy.

Bowling!

Laina earned bowling as a reward for stellar behavior a few weeks ago. So she cashed in at the start of our "staycation" week and we headed out for a fun round of bowling. Laina loves the game and she bowls really well!

Welcome Home Daddy!

Laina proudly displays the "Welcome Home" banner she made for daddy. Our plan was to meet him at the airport with our banner. Between the 3 hour flight delay and Laina randomly spiking a fever of 104, plans changed and Daddy was greeted by the banner at home.

The Chronicles of Flat Freddie!

Joe had to fly to Chicago for a Federal Sentencing Law Conference. He left early Wednesday morning and didn't return until very late Saturday night. We knew that Laina was not going to have an easy time with the concept of Joe being away for 4 days. Auntie Renee came up with a great idea to use the "Flat Stanley" concept and send something on the trip with Joe and he could report back to us with photos of their adventures. I downloaded a "Flat Stanley" doll off the web and presented the idea to Laina. She was all for it, but decided he should be named "Flat Freddie" instead. Sounded good to us!

Here are some pictures of Flat Freddie's adventures. From Laina creating him, to us brining Daddy to the airport at the crack of dawn, to Freddie touring Chicago (or at least the Hyatt!) Joe got home late last night. His flight was very delayed due to thunderstorms in Philly. We were never so happy to see him arrive home!

My Olympian

Laina just wrapped up her second session of gymnastics and we've signed up for the next session, which will begin in early September. Laina is really enjoying gymnastics and I can see such a change in her strength and ability level. I also think it has helped Laina come out of her shell a bit. She's blossoming into a conversational young lady.

The girls listening to their coach, Mr. D. at the beginning of class

Laina "swimming" through the pit. It's a huge "pool" filled with foam blocks and it is a lot of work for the kids to maneuver through. When we first started, Laina wouldn't even jump in it. Now she flies in and "swims" across the pit.

Mastering "the bridge". This was a toughie for Laina. You have to lie on the ground and put your arms above your head and lift your whole body off the ground. She has not been able to do this until about a week ago. She was so proud of herself when she did it all by herself!

Landing her jumps! It's important to land on two feet and a lot of the kids struggle with that Laina does a great job landing on two feet!

Forward rolls!

Practicing headstands

Learning the bars - this one is challenging for Laina but just like the bridge, she will get it!

More fun on the bars

Great fun on the trampoline. Daddy is very much against trampolines because they are very dangerous (I agree). But at gymnastics, it is a safe controlled environment. If it weren't for this class Laina would never know what a trampoline is!

Visiting Grammy & Grampy

Joe, Laina and I made our monthy trek down to see Grammy & Grampy last weekend. Laina always loves visiting them. We had a nice visit and snapped a few cute pictures.

Laina takes over the U.S.

Cooper freshly groomed

Grammy, Laina and I

Laina, Grammy & Grampy

Sweet

Not much to say on this post. I just love this dress, and I adore this handmade crochet hat. I think my girl looks adorable in these shots.

My Tomato Girl

I think Laina's all time favorite vegetable is tomatoes. She loves all types of tomatoes but her favorite is grape tomatoes. Last year I started growing them for her and this year we planted 6 grape tomato plants. All our hard work is paying off and the tomatoes are starting to get red. Here is our first red tomato of the season.

Laina gets the "go ahead" from Mommy to pick the 1st tomato

Time to take a bite!

Yum! Can I have another?