Summer Days, Drifting Away to Uh Oh Those Summer Nights...

Uh well-a well-a well-a huh; tell me more, tell me more...

Ok! The summer has flown by so far. I can’t believe we’ve been out of school for over a month. Our garden is gorgeous, and there are many veggies almost ready to pick (including a Siamese squash) and some we’ve already devoured. The other plants are budding and growing so fast— the growth is amazing every day, probably thanks to the organic fish fertilizer we’ve put on the garden. I’m almost afraid of the food that is coming! I can’t imagine that we’ll be able to eat that many cucumbers, corn, squash, tomatoes, peppers, etc., but what can’t be canned will be given away. That’s good new for you! :D

Gia and Corinne attended Camp Forget-Me-Not, sponsored by Alive Hospice. Gia never really wanted to go by herself, so Melissa and I talked about sending both girls this year together since Corinne is in for the summer. They LOVED it! I think it was great for both of them to work out and talk about feelings they still have from losing Patrick. It was very therapeutic for them, and what’s even better is that they had a blast. The girls even suggested that they change their names so they can go back again next year! Lol They made masks to represent the feelings we show on the outside vs. the ones we keep inside, they shared a blanket and wrote their feelings on it to show them that the campers are all connected, and they cut it apart on the last day to take their own pieces home. There was a butterfly release ceremony that Gia said was really beautiful, and they showed a slide show of the camp activities throughout the week. Apart from all the tough work they did working through grief and the feelings that come with it, they had tons of fun on Water Day, with the petting zoo that came to camp, and on the playground just hanging out. Thank you, Alive Hospice, for providing such a wonderful program for children!

We’ve been going each week to Movies Under the Stars. Most nights during the week a big screen is set up at a different location around town, and they show older movies. Parks and Recreation provides this service, and they even have sodas and popcorn for sale, or you can bring your own picnic. We usually raid the fridge after tumbling, grab a blanket, and met Katie and her parents at Siegel Park. Gia and Katie promptly go to the picnic tables away from everyone else to talk and do girlie things. Glad we get to hang out ;) lol

Speaking of tumbling, Gia has decided to add that to her repertoire of activities. The kind coaches at Elite have allowed her into Katie’s Nitro class even though Gia hasn’t had a lick of gymnastics in about 8 years! She is working on a back handspring and is willing to do what it takes to learn at an advanced pace, but I cringe every time she falls and have to push images of broken bones out of my head! The great thing about gymnastics is that it will help her in her dancing, increasing her control, muscle coordination, and strength. If we can just have these things and no injuries I’ll be a happy person :)