Sparklers
We kept things pretty simple for the 4th of July this year, but the kids had a great time with the sparklers. The highlight of the weekend was a last-minute visit from Grandpa.
First Soccer Game of the Season
Camden played his first soccer game of the season this morning and did really well. He had several shots on goal that just barely missed. He ended up sending a couple opponents out of the game who got in the path of ball he smashed down the field. Yes, they were both girls. Perhaps this is the last year of co-ed soccer?
First Day of School 2010
The kids’ school recently switched from year-round to a traditional calendar, giving them their first real summer break in a few years. That came to an end this week as Sierra entered fifth grade and Camden began first grade. Here they are waiting for the bus on their first day.
New Floor
We made an unexpected home “improvement” this week that raised the chaos level a bit more than desired. Our hardwood floors were showing some slight wear, so we thought we might bring some life back to them with a quick polish. The guys we hired to do the job were cheap, and we soon learned why upon determining that we would need to fix their job with a full sand and refinish by another outfit.
This activity translated to four days of keeping the kids out of the house and more or less living at parks, the library, and patronizing many of the area’s restaurants. We’re glad to be getting back to something of normal life, though next steps now include painting the baseboards that became damaged during the sanding process. Fun stuff.
Varini Reunion
This shot is badly out of focus, but I had to post it since it is so rare to have the entire US-based Varini clan together at the same time. We had a blast during their visit and hope to see everyone again soon.
Rare Family Photo
We don’t have a lot of photos with the entire family because one of us is usually behind the camera. One evening while we are at the beach at OBX, a woman claiming to be a professional photographer offered to take a few shots of us. She explained that because she didn’t have her glasses, our expectations shouldn’t be too high. Though not perfect, we were happy to get this impromptu capture.
Eden’s First Birthday
Eden turned one year old today. Erika made her some apple cake, which she seemed to like once she was finished playing with it. Below is some cell phone video of the event.
Ember’s Fourth Birthday
Between Ember’s birthday, Easter, and General Conference, the first weekend of April is always very busy for us. This year Ember decided to celebrate by hosting a Fancy Nancy birthday party. Several of her friends came by for dress up, butterfly crafts, and cupcake decorating… all between two sessions of General Conference. Grandma was here to join in the festivities, and took the lead on directing some of the crafts.