Getting into our Summer Groove

School's out and I finally had time to get into our summer groove.  The kids were signed up for swimming lessons at the Maple Street Pool, so each of our mornings was spent there.  It was fun to have the flexibility to see where our afternoon's took us.

pump tracking

skate park

lunching with friends

 Week #2 Hike- With the Krull's to Bolton Firetower:

Seeing Sturgill Simpson at the Shelburne Museum:

More strawberry picking:

Visiting our favorite wildlife rehabilitation center:

Getting away for a night to see Ray Lamontagne with my favorite date:

Beating the heat at High Meadow:

Our annual visit to the vet with the animals.  It all started with making the appointment.  Upon doing so, we realized that the cat carrier we had had for years had been destroyed when John left a brooding chicken in it and it got wet. So, Cally decided to design and engineer her own carrier for the cat.  This involved several iterations-- the final design involving a large Simon Pearce bag, a kitty eye mask and a flap.  Let's just say it didn't work.  I found myself pulling out of the driveway hearing Cal scream, "she just peed on me!".  Then the cat proceeded to walk into the front seat and then stand on the window control.  I was driving down Lee River Road with one hand on the cat, one on the steering wheel, and no ability to change gears.  It was hectic, to say the least.  Oh, and did I tell you that Zephy was also in the car?  Upon arriving at the vet, we asked for a carrier and then wrangled the cat into that and got them both into the examination room. Here is a photo of Cal's wet cat pee butt:

Camping in Ascutney

School's Out!

Little Bella's is a highlight of our spring/summer.  This year, we weren't sure if Cally got in because the program filled up so quickly.  Fortunately, John works with Sabra, one of the founders of the amazing program, so she managed to get Cal off of the waitlist.  While Cal rides with a fun posse of gals, Hazen, John and I do our own adventuring at Catamount:

Cal loves being with the Bellas and learning from Lea, an Olympic medalist:

I missed the last few days of school to participate in a stream study exploration with these two clowns:

Nicole is the youngest of four sisters, whose Dad teaches Math with me and Cooper is the son of two science teachers.

I spent the week at St. Mike's college, a throwback to my dorm days:

We learned how to identify the macroinvertebrates in the lab:

Meanwhile, I snuck away for an afternoon to tie up loose ends at school and witness Cally bridge from Brownies to Girl Scouts:

Ali's Wedding

The end of May and early June were a blur.  John was away in Peru for a little over two weeks and the kids were involved in a lot of practices and games.  There was one weekend in early June where our schedule looked like this:

Friday:

6:30-7:30 Soccer Practice for Hazen

Saturday:

8:30-9:30 Lacrosse practice for Hazey

9:30- 11:00 Girls on the Run 5k race with Cal

11:30- 1:00 Soccer game for Hazey

2:00-3:30 Soccer game for Cally

Sunday:

Soccer game for each kid

Little Bella's for Cally from 4:6

Lacrosse practice for both kids from 6:30-7:30

Fortunately, John's parents were here to help with some of the pick ups and deliveries.  This was not what we meant to happen-- a clash of circumstances!

John arrived home on a Wednesday and we headed down to CT for my cousin Kip's daughter's wedding.  I have no pictures, but it was a super fun event.  My friend Greer's daughter, Marley babysat the kids and we had a great evening.