August 2024

We had a big branch taken off this tree in the backyard. The kids loved watching the men work their magic!

The kids have spent a lot of time reading this summer! I'm very proud of them.

Lynn and I, hanging poolside at Drew + Finn's pool after Finn's birthday party.

More reading...

Every year, the kids put handprints on their big "back to school" shirts! Here's an action shot from this process.

Lynx too!

This will come as no surprise to anyone: Nova has worn out her suits from the summer! I need buy more. Here she's trying on a JOLYN suit from a friend. She loved it.

Our friends were in an ice skating show so we watched + cheered them on! 

Lynx made this "Minas Tirith"! It's really, really cool! 

Nova attended her first Fitter + Faster Swim Camp this summer and learned a lot! She especially liked the snacks lol.

Then, we headed to Myrtle Beach for the first time! It was a 6 hour drive there, and an 8 hour drive back...traffic can make all the difference. But EVERYONE had a blast during the vacation! 

Lynn doesn't make this face unless I'm taking pictures. Just so you know.

Hahah! Her silly personality, shining through. 

We went on the ferris wheel! It went really high, but you can see that the kids loved it.

SOOOOO much time at the beach!! When they weren't splashing in the waves, they were making sand-creations.

We splurged and went to an escape room which was incredible. EVERYONE LOVED IT! We want to ggo to another one asap

Lynx especially loved the billiards room in the hotel

And, of course, some mini golf to round out the week.

If you're wondering whether I got a hole-in-one during mini-golf, I did. 

 

July 2024

 July was the culmination of the Summer Swim Team Season. It is all-consuming for me, so it takes a little time to transition out of it! 

The very last meet of the year was awesome. Lynx's relay team qualified to swim at the All-Stars Relay event....and they WON. It's a team with two 6 year olds, a 7 year old, and an 8 year, versus mostly 8 year olds. The video is really poorly done because there are so many people in the way, but here it is!

Otherwise, we're been playing + doing homeschool! 

Here's a fun video of Nova pretending to be at the Olympics for gymnastics.

The kids spend a lot of time listening to Harry Potter audiobooks. 

They also read Harry Potter! HP has been the main subject of everything for us this summer!

Lynx's swim buddy, Liam. 

Lynx got second place in a triathlon! 

Nova started the triathlon strong! 

Lynx and Liam found a frog friend! 

Nova is so cute, supporting her brother at the All-Star Relays!

We went to the Zoo, but Lynx got a weird cramp in his leg and couldn't walk. We were worried for a while, but it went away. So I think it was just because this was the first day he wore shoes (and not sandals) all summer! 

We took a trip to IKEA where the sign tells you to have your stuff delivered...and THEN measure your space?? Isn't that backwards? What if it doesn't fit?! The kids were exasperated.

I told them "Pretend to be daddy, being interrupted from his work."

Ahhh, homeschool. They had to do 12.5 hours of homeschool each week to earn 2+ hours of screentime on the weekends. They were really great about it! Here is Nova in her Intro to Korean class which she actually loved.

June 2024

 Summertime is swim team time! We did almost nothing except swim! I even got involved in a 'grown-up' swim team and had a BLAST while (mostly) getting second-to-last in every event. :)

If I can take a moment to share a bit about Lynx: He's ranked 28th in the NATION for his 50 yard fly. He's ranked first in the county for his 25 backstroke and 25 breaststroke, and second in the county for his 25 meter freestyle and butterfly. NOT TOO SHABBY!! He's so diligent and he gets some of the best coaching available. I'm so proud.

The competition gets a bit stiffer as you get older, so Nova isn't ranked quite as high nationally. But she's 8th in the county for 9 year olds in butterfly! Additionally, she dropped over 5 seconds in her breaststroke, from 28 to 23 seconds. That's A LOT for just six weeks of competitions! Finally, she was invited to join the Advanced Juniors swim program for the fall, which is the highest level a 9-12 year old can be in within her swimming program. She's going to continue to be coached by one of the best coaches in the region, and her times should start to drop considerably as her technique and stamina improve. I'm so proud. 

Nova is in a 10 + under group, but she's the fastest at fly, so she gets to go to divisionals next week! Lynx is in an 8 + under group, but is the second fastest for backstroke, so he also gets to go to divisionals. Lynx's relay team won at the Relay Carnival, so he gets to go to the All-Star Relays in two weeks. (His relay team is composed of two six year olds, a seven year old and an eight year old. They beat every other team, most of which were composed of 8 year olds!)

So, let's watch some swim videos, shall we? Here's a playlist of some of their most recent meet.

Here are a few pictures too!

Yep, I was a timer for Nova's lane at this meet versus River Falls. Stonegate won!! 

Lynx is ready to go!! 

Nova's here with one of her favorite coaches, Amy, and her buddy Lucia.