Each of the girls got to pick a fun activity to do by themselves. They are ALWAYS together, so we like to give them a little time apart once in a while. :)
Morgan picked Get Air, the trampoline park. We haven't been there since before the pandemic, so she was so very excited to get back. We got there early and she pretty much had the place to herself for a little bit. She almost mastered her front flip... so close! Then, on the way out, we picked up some cotton candy for the road. Yum!
Now, Avery picked a spa day at Dazzling Divas, a kid spa in downtown DG. She got a mani/pedi, a "facial", "make-up" and some hair glitter. She also got a kid "champagne" and to walk the catwalk at the end of the appointment! She absolutely loved this!
Well, we spent most of Father's Day doing dance recital stuff. Matt got to sit for about 3 hours and watch loads of other kids dance on stage just to see his daughter dance a couple of times. :) We got home and he did manage to watch a little of the golf tournament. We ordered in take out for dinner (which in all fairness is probably better than me trying to cook for him - he's way better at cooking and would probably prefer to make his own dinner if we didn't order something!)
We got him some funs gifts, but this was Avery's favorite... anytime Matt makes a joke, Avery gives a fake laugh and says "hashtag - DAD JOKE". She gets such a kick out of this!
Even though we didn't get to make the whole day special for him, we hope he knows how much he's loved!
Oh, and to top off the Father's Day evening, we had a tornado come through and the sirens went off. So, we got to wake the kids up at 11:15 to camp out in the basement for a bit. Needless to say, they were a mess. Avery gets so worried about storms, so this was not her idea of fun at all. And the basement is not the best place to try to get a good night's sleep. It's noisy with the sump pump and AC going on and off. Luckily, we weren't down there too long.
Sunday was Avery's big recital day! She performed in two shows - at 10am and 1pm. We had to be there by 9am, so Avery and I went early. I did her hair and make-up. I think it looked pretty good (I'm not even sure what all an 8 year old is supposed to wear for a stage show(?)) Matt joined me for the 10am show. And then the grandparents and Morgan joined us for the 1pm show.
We had to stop off for this photo opportunity! DPDC 2021! Avery was so excited for the day. She told me she LOVES being on stage.
And then, Avery said... "oh, look - balloons!" Ha! So, of course, we took another picture.
While we were at the first show, Morgan was getting fanci-fied by Mama at home. She even wore a sundress and a necklace. She looked beautiful! :)
I must admit, at first when watching all the girls up on stage with black face masks, it kind of creeped me out. But, I got used to it after a bit. When there were only older girls or solos, they didn't wear masks. But, anytime there was a group of people that included kids under 12, they had on masks.
Avery's class theme was Strength and they danced to Demi Levato's Skyscraper. We lucked out that we sat on the right side of the auditorium because that was the side of the stage she was on for all of her times on stage. She participated in the opening and closing numbers along with the Skyscraper dance.
We weren't allowed to take videos, but I snuck in a few seconds from the first recital. Hopefully, we'll be able to get a video link soon. She's second from the right in the first row.
After the first recital, we went outside to have lunch and relax for a few minutes. She was really excited to get flowers! She said "do I get flowers after the next show too?" :)
I managed to get a little longer video of the closing number this time. She's on the right behind the girl in the black hip hop pants.
After the second show, Avery got pictures with her "fans" outside. :)
For a special treat to top off the day, we went to Every Day's A Sundae for some ice cream!
We got back her dance recital professional pictures they took a few weeks ago.
After the soccer game, Morgan went with my parents to Nolan's baseball game. She got to hang out with Calvin!
While they were gone, Avery and I went to the Farmer's Market. We got a gigantic pretzel and some fresh squeezed lemonade (and I got an iced coffee :))
On one of the business' windows, they had painted these fairy wings. So, of course, I had to get a picture of Avery in front of them! :)
That night, we celebrated my mom's birthday a few days early and father's day for my dad.
Today was the last game of our spring soccer season. Morgan scored two goals, one of which I actually got on video! I seem to only take videos when nothing exciting happens - ha! She first kicked the ball right into the face of a girl on the other team, then after it ricocheted off that girl, Morgan followed it up and kicked it in for a goal. This wasn't one of the more exciting plays, but it's what I got!
Morgan, Kennedi, Megan, Brynn, Emily, Nora, Ellie, Gwen with Coach Alex
Avery's big dance recital is coming up and they had the dress rehearsal tonight. It ran from 6-9pm, which was a little late. A lot of the kiddos were coming out of the auditorium saying how tired they were! Avery was just surprised that it was dark when I picked her up.
This is the opening number outfit. The theme is "Happiness is...". I'm getting better at the hairdo and this time I knew where the flower was supposed to go! :)
They had another testing period at karate last week. Morgan was very determined to get her yellow belt this time. During testing week, they walk around the room with clipboards watching the kids do the forms and karate moves, taking notes. I think the first testing time, this made Morgan really nervous. She paid attention to them way too much and it threw her off a little. Now this time, she knew what to expect. She tried her hardest and used her best "black belt attitude" to show them what she could do! And she got her yellow belt! She was beyond excited and we are so proud of her! She even earned a medal for showing black belt attitude by turning in paperwork (reading logs, chore list from home, etc). Her favorite teacher, Ms. Lola was the one that gave her the new belt. She talks about earning her black belt and opening a new TBK studio with Ms. Lola one day. :)
We are headed back to Avery Coonley summer camp this year after taking a little Covid hiatus last year. This is such a nicely run camp and definitely worth the extra money. Actual teachers from the school help with the different activities they do along with the camp counselors. They take swimming lessons each day while there as well. They get to cool off inside the school in air conditioned classrooms (big plus in the summer heat!) The classes they take during camp are fun and interesting and challenging without being to "school"-like. Have fun girls!
The girls have been using their allowance money to buy fidget toys and we've found the best ones at the Learning Express store in Countryside. Of course, they also have other fun things for kids. Avery found a set of rings and stick on earrings for every day of the week. She loves it! Here is Sunday!
We had a few friends and their families over for a BBQ. Seems like forever since we've seen people in person! After an initial rainstorm, the kids all played in the backyard - swimming, slip-n-sliding, throwing water balloons and making bubbles.
The kids figured out if you put soap on your hands, you could hold the bubbles longer without popping them. This was so much fun!
Matt made Philly cheese steaks on the griddle... yum!
They played outside until after dark, running around with glow bracelets on. Avery creeped us out with her flashlight tricks.
We made it! It definitely was a crazy year and hopefully something they will not have to go through again! They adapted better than expected through all the changes in school format from remote to hybrid, back to remote, back to hybrid and then finally back to full days in person! Add a couple of teacher changes along the way and that was second grade! I'm sure this year will be etched in their memories forever! Here's to a fun summer!
These are the shirts they got to tie-dye at school for turning in their reading logs.
School's out... for summer!
We decided to celebrate by going out to eat... in an ACTUAL restaurant! We have not eaten out since probably February of 2020. The girls picked Yard House. We got the giant pretzel and a super yummy dessert to share!
Also, can't forget the other "teacher" the girls had this year, Anneke. She was a life saver, keeping all the school work organized and the girls on track whether they were doing remote, hybrid or in person. The girls just love her and I know will miss having her at our house every day. Luckily, she will still help us out some over the summer when we have half day camps and need someone to watch the girls. :)
