The End is Near

Yes, it's the end of August, which typically isn't always the end of the hot weather around here. Even though the hot weather may hang around for a bit longer, our days of free-flying through the summer are almost over. :-(

Last week, we took our annual Alberty family trip to Litchfield Beach. Tropical Storm Fay made our last few days a bit interesting. It was windy and the ocean looked (and sounded) furious. The waves were pretty big and the tides were quite a bit higher than normal. At one point the water came all the way up to the dunes, so even if we had wanted to play on the beach we would have to wait until the tide would let us. I was able to get some good pictures though. I'll try to get those loaded at some point this week. ;-)

Speaking of this week, it will be another busy one for us. Daddy and I have Parent's Night at the pre-school where A and C will go. Then there's Meet the Teacher day for the girls. Then, I go to the beach (again!) with my girlfriends for a weekend away. That is the true signal that summer is over. The girls both start pre-school the day after my return. Sigh. I'm sure you'll read about that next week.

One more thing before I end this tonight, I bought A's first pair of ballet shoes and tap shoes today. They are incredibly cute and emphasize the fact that my little girl is growing up. Double sigh.

A Weekend Away

Matt turned the big 3-0 this past Thursday. To celebrate, he and I headed down to my dad and step-mom's house at Oak Island. The girls stayed at our house with my mom. Matt and I had a wonderful weekend to ourselves at the beach. We sat on the beach and read books, watched the waves, went for walks on the beach (it's a favorite past-time of ours), and had nice dinners. The weather was beautiful. We couldn't have asked for a better weekend!

While we were away, the girls were in full blown spoil mode. :-) My mom took them to the pool, to the mall, out for ice cream, and was at their every beck and call. Matt and I were proud of how well the adjusted to our being away, but we knew that they were in good hands. Mom had a terrific time with them and I'm sure she's back home in Summerfield in withdrawals still. ;-)

Swimming!

We spent a great deal of the weekend at our neighborhood pool. The girls love the water and it's a great way to spend the day before C's nap. :-)

Yesterday, we had a bit of a break through with A. She has been getting braver and braver as the summer has progressed, but yesterday she went UNDERWATER on her own! In a matter of minutes, she was putting her face in the water and "diving" down to get her dive sticks. She was having a blast tossing them out and swimming over and down to get them. We are so proud of our little fish!

C had a fantastic time as well. She just loves it when Daddy lets her fly. He tosses her up in the air then catches her just as she's hitting the water. The water splashes up in her face, but that doesn't keep her from wanting to do it again and again. Hopefully, I'll remember the camera the next time we head up to the pool. I'm sure the description of "flying" just doesn't do justice to it!

The Things Mothers Do...

I'm sure I'll utter those words many, many times over the course of A & C's lifetimes. I'm pretty sure I've said them before, actually. ;-)

A has been talking about taking a dance class for quite some time. Aunt Sara has been teaching her a few steps here and there, and the dance bug has bitten. I found out from one of A's pre-school teachers that she teaches dance at the Y branch that I frequent. A adored this particular teacher last year, so I looked into the Y's dance program. The sign-ups were scheduled for August 1st (yesterday). My initial reaction was that I'd definitely sign A up at some point during the day just to make sure we got a space in the right class. After bumping into a few people (A's pre-school teacher was one of them) I found out that I needed to be on the ball for these sign-ups. People got there early, like REALLY early and classes fill up quickly.

So, I set my alarm for 4:15am (which I might add--there is nothing "morning" about 4:15. That's still the middle of the night!) and was out the door by 4:30. I made it to the Y by 4:40 to find that I was the 13th or 14th person in line (it was still the middle of the night, my counting wasn't exactly up to speed yet!). Sign-ups started at 5.

I was out of there by 5:25 with A's spot secured in Miss Camille's class on Monday afternoons at 4:00. Her first day of class is on Sept 8th. I'll be sure to give a full report then. ;-)