The salesman

Keanu: Mommy, do you want to buy some balls?
Me: How much are they?
K: 3 dollars.
M: What if I want to buy more than one? How much is it for 2 balls?
K: 2 dollars.
M: Ok, then I'll buy 2.

Favorite words of the day...

Dank you, Mommy
- Kate, while helping her wash her hands.

Sky-blue pink

was Dad's favorite color.

He would have loved the sky this past Saturday night.

We were at the beach playing in the sand not long before sunset and, oh boy, did we get a spectacular show. The sun peaked out from under the row of dark clouds that had brought some respite from the beating-down sun earlier in the day. And then we watched it drop ever so slowly into the sea "to go swimming," Kevin told Keanu. The steady lowering and eventual inevitable looming ahead.

And then we were left with the promising and familiar sky-blue pink. A sight I'll always associate with Dad. However his sky-blue pinks were always looking over rows of cornfields or newly plowed fields. The sky is still the same, no matter which corner of it we happen to be looking upon.

Thinking of you, Dad

Hair do's

A couple of weeks ago I put Kate's hair in pig tails for the first time. Aren't they cute? She didn't really like it and they stayed in for only about 7 minutes. The next time it lasted a bit longer. But soon she was pulling them out.

Usually I do a quick pony tail on the top of the head to keep the bangs out of her face, but even that quick 'do doesn't last too long.

Other times we'll use a barrette, but we've lost so many of those that I refuse to buy any more for a while. Kate doesn't have to worry about not being pretty because her Ah-ma will always buy her more pretty barrettes.

Her 'do's stay in longer if her brother also has some pretties in his hair, too. Last night they both wanted three in their hair.

Swimmin'

It's been super hot here, so we've had lots and lots of fun swimming this month.

Sometimes we'll go to the outdoor pool which is super relaxing until it becomes packed with other swimmers in the late afternoon. We think of it as a mini vacation to go there and relax!The kids' pool is about 24 inches and we've been there enough that Kate can walk wherever she wants, with a parent constantly chasing her! However, she still prefers the little foot bath nearby. It's certainly not the cleanest, but it's safer for this little water bug!

Last time we were there we got to try out the pool's boat, too.

Other times we'll go to an indoor pool. The kids' pool here is a bit deeper (about up to Keanu's armpits), but that doesn't slow down either of our kids. They've got kickboards out for the swimming lessons, so we borrow a couple of them and the kids just go. And go. And go. We've been thinking about swimming lessons for Keanu, but haven't found anything that fits so far. Right now we're just happy that the kids are both enjoying the water.

Pools here all require swim caps, which are only fashionable on little kids who have fish fins or bird beaks on theirs. For some reason I don't think that kind of hat would look as cute on me as it does my kids. I don't think any swim hat looks good on adults, but when Kate sees her "cock-a-doodle-doo" she gets so excited about going "swimming!"

Happy Independence Day!

I know I'm a week and a half late, but I just HAD to share this picture of our little red-white-'n-blues! Hope you had a blast on the fourth!

AWOL

Yes, we're still here.

No, we haven't fled the country

or won the lottery.

Nothing that exciting. We've just been busy. With life.

My 4-week summer vacation started about 10 days ago and since then I've been extremely limited in my computer time. It seems as soon as I sit down at the computer, a little girl crawls up on my lap asking for "baby, baby" Yes, she thinks the only thing a computer is good for is seeing pictures of babies. Of course it is quite useful for that and we've done lots of baby-looking - newborn babies like "Baby Cour-nee" and lots of other babies, too, including several who are bigger than she is, like "or-y". I guess they're not ALL babies to her, but that's still what she says when she wants to see her internet friends.

The other big change in our life that we're still adjusting to is preschool! He's certainly ready for more stimulation and interaction with kids his age and we decided this summer would be the time for him to get adjusted to school life. This being his 4th week, he's really getting used to how

everything works and Kate is adjusting to her days without her big brother as a constant companion. It seems as if up until this week we've always had at least one kid crying as we left school in the morning - the big one wanting to leave, the little one wanting to stay. However, this week has been much better so far. Let's hope it continues.This was Keanu on his first day of school. He really was happy and excited about it, but very nervous, too. Do you like the uniform? He insisted on the PE uniform even though they're only required to wear it one day a week. He figured it was his school clothes so he should wear it, right? He was also wearing his smock in this picture, which he really dislikes wearing now. I haven't figured out why tha one is, though.

So, although I'm on summer vacation, I'm still on the clock to get Keanu to school in the morning and then pick him up before he thinks we've forgotten about him. After school, we often swim or play tennis, so that leaves a very short evening at home. And so the rat-race begins for another of our species.