Busy Summer

Can't believe it is August already! Lenna and I have had a fun-filled summer so far. She took swimming lessons for a month, which advanced her swimming quite a bit. She can now swim the length of a 25-m pool with no help, dive down in the deep end to get a diving stick off the bottom, and swim/float on her back. She really loves swimming, any opportunity she gets.

We got a new pet! A dwarf hamster; Lenna named her Susie. She is a real sweetheart, and lot easier to take care of than Roscoe. Lenna's only complaint is that she is nocturnal. She obligingly wakes up and plays, though, when rousted out of her little house.

Roscoe bunny, 2004 - 2011

We said goodbye to our bunny a few weeks ago. He was over seven years old, and he went peacefully. We miss him. For those of you who don't know, he spent most of his time (by choice, he had free run of the house) laying on the bath rug, and when it was hot, under the bath tub. Here is a poem that Lenna wrote to him:

To Roscoe, the Best Pet Ever:

You were a good bunny to the family
You stared at people
And people stared at you
When you flipped over
All the people laughed
We were sad
For that last flip to the ground
But your whiskered face
We will always carry around
You were always with me
When I went potty
And when I took a bath
We don't eat our poop
But we still love you
Even though we had to scoop

Magic fairy lip gloss

Lenna: "I'm SOOOO excited!"
Me: "What are you excited about, sweetie?"
Lenna: "I'm going to become a fairy!"
Me: "Oh, really? How old are you going to be when you become one?"
Lenna: "Four and a half! It's next week!"
Me: "Really!?! And how is this going to happen?"
Lenna: "I'm going to put that sparkly lip stuff that I got at Alessandra's birthday party on my fingers and toes... it's magic!"
(10 second or so pause)
Lenna: "If that doesn't work, we'll just have to get that stuff at the mall."

Ocala National Forest

We decided to celebrate the fact that the government stayed open for business by visiting some federally managed lands... well, really Jen organized this camping trip a long time ago, but it was nice not to have to cancel our trip. What a beautiful place. The 7-mile canoe trip down Juniper Run was amazing. I wouldn't say it was strenuous, but I was definitely wiped out from trying to avoid skewering Lenna on a tree branch for four hours. The river was only maybe a foot deep and less than a canoe length wide, so it was a lot of back-and-forth paddling to maneuver around the turns, low-hanging trees, and submerged logs. We saw one gator, a snapping turtle, and some sort of eel-grass look-a-like vegetation that waved beautifully in the crystal clear current. Thanks for a great weekend, Jen and Michael!

P.s. Ada and Da were here a couple weeks ago, too, but we don't have any photos yet. We had a very relaxing and fun time. Mom, email me a couple good photos and I will tell of our adventures!

Winter to Spring

Look at these two! We had so much fun in Colorado this February. Lenna took ski school for a day, and did very well! She was much more brave about the cold and snow this year. There was a ton of snow, so Lenna was able to ski down the side street in Karen and Kuff's new neighborhood. What a fun week!

Happy New Year 2011

We had a great time up north with the whole family! Tons of snow. Lenna got to make snow angels, we went toboganning, and built mini-snowmen. The holidays sure went by fast this year!

Mermaid's Teacups and Cupcakes

Lenna turned four years old last Sunday! I can't believe it. She had a wonderful birthday full of celebration. First we had a great week with Ada and Da in the Florida Keys, then a crazy birthday party with 21 kids + parents at Boyd Hill, and then all the Halloween fun... as Cinderella this year. Down in the Keys she learned to dive to the bottom of the pool to pick up "gold nuggets," got to feed dolphins, and discovered the "pirate ship" pool that she pronounced the coolest thing she'd ever seen.