OtterPops: Kid Update and Happy Birthday Lillian

Jocelyn is old enough now to do the youth strength training at the rec center. I have to accompany her, but this summer she completed the training appointments required for her to use the youth weights, bikes and treadmills at the gym. She gets very excited to "drop off the kids at the kids zone" and come exercise with me and it has been fun to do together. This is Jocelyn wearing one of her back to school outfits

Jocelyn back to school outfit

Jocelyn taking a selfie

We have also had some exciting visitors in our neighborhood and backyard due to the drought, I believe. Animals are coming further out of the surrounding hills to find food so we've had several deer and wild turkeys (which we've always had some), two tarantulas on our street, as well as a snake and an alligator lizard in our backyard. These have created a lot of excitement and heartbreak (the lizard left it's homemade habitat during the night). We have all been trying to conserve water and our garden and lawns have definitely paid the price. I just hope (and pray) we get the storms promised us this winter!

Lillian missing tooth

Lillian was so thrilled that the week before school started, she lost one of her front teeth that has been loose ALL summer! She also prepared and delivered a 5 minute lesson/talk at church in front of the children's Sunday School. I did not catch a picture of that, but she did great! Here is a picture of Lillian during her piano practicing. She has been working hard all summer on lessons and will continue throughout this school year. We are so fortunate to have a great piano teacher!

Lillian practicing piano

Lilly also celebrated her 7th birthday this month! She requested a Hawaiian and doll-themed birthday and invited 5 friends to join her. She hasn't had a friend party in a couple years so I told her we could make it happen this year! All the girls came and brought their favorite doll or stuffed animal to enjoy fancy drinks in the clubhouse, coconut bowling, lunch, presents, and cake/ice cream.

Hawaiian Birthday party

Lillian with her breakfast in bed

Birthday lunch

Blowing out candles

Birthday girl with her requested cake

Hanging out in the Clubhouse

Coconut bowling

All the dolls waiting while girls were playing

Emma during coconut bowling

During the last part of summer we did a week of swim lessons that ended up working out really well. My friend let us join them in their community pool where they had already hired a private swim instructor for their boys and we piggy-backed on the lessons. We also tried to spend a lot of time at the rec center pool, visit the aquatics center and swim in the backyard of Jared's home teaching family to further the swimming skills. Jonas is legitimately swimming now!! Jonas recently acquired a ninja turtle shell at a garage sell and Nana generously made him ninja turtle masks in all four colors (at his request) so that he can be either Michaelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo or Raphael based on his mood. This was actually the bribe every day this week to get him to go to school happily every morning and it has worked wonders!

Older 3 swimming lessons

Emma does not appreciate when she sits on my lap and I haven't shaved that day. This is only an issue in the summer when we are both wearing skirts or shorts and her leg rubs against mine. She will loudly yell out during library story time or Family Home evening "Your legs are spiky!" I tell her she is welcome to sit elsewhere but she just gets mad at me like it is my problem!

Emma with her baby doll and her fav. mac and cheese

Emma and Jonas have also been playing house together quite a bit where she is the mom and he is the dad. They set up house upstairs in the hallway with blankets and play food, etc. One day he had played for quite a while, become bored and gone out to jump on the trampoline instead. Emma was still trying to engage him and yelled at him from the sunroom (while holding the baby on her hip) "Jonas!! App-ently the baby wants YOU!!" She repeated it a couple times then gave up and came in to take care of the baby. She more often than not is taking care of a baby doll, wrapping it up in a blanket, taking it with us to run errands, etc.