Summer Summary, Part 1

For our first summer in Colorado, our family has found lots of time for fun. The majority of our recreation has been hiking (an activity which deserves its own post, based on the number of pictures we've accumulated), but we have found other things to do, too:

1) TENNIS
Forest joined the Loveland Tennis League and has been playing singles matches once a week. I've taken the girls to see him a few times.

Ramona is very vocal about showing her support at these matches (although not always at the right time).

2) PARK PLAYDATES
We've made it to various play dates to socialize with little friends and enjoy the mountain and lake views.

By Lake Loveland

 

 

 

 

 

 Mika puts on a big grin every time I set her in the swings.

I tried taking Ramona to a splash pad park, but the first time she got sprayed with a blast of water, she came right back to me, screaming. Water pressure must have been good.

 She stuck with the swings for a while after that.

 

Even on days when we just visit the neighborhood park on our own with no extra friends, Ramona and Mika have been great playmates to each other.

 

 

3) BIKE RIDING
Ramona's good behavior recently earned her a bicycle and a pretty pink helmet, too. We've since taken several laps around the neighborhood to help her practice her pedaling.

 

She really only needs one training wheel (and Mommy nearby) because she leans so far to the left

 4) SWIMMING

Most of the girls' swimming thus far has just been in the bathtub . . . 

 . . . but we did get them in a real pool while we were visiting Dan and Christie in Boulder.

 

Mika's first moments in the water: a little apprehensive

She got right down to business splashing Daddy before too long

 

5) FROZEN TREATS
Our ice cream machine broke down not long after we moved, and is now just sitting in the garage, gathering dust and no doubt feeling betrayed. Even if it were still working, though, I question if we would be making nearly as many batches of homemade ice cream as we used to (say, with one child instead of two).

Homemade or not, ice cream is a necessity in the summer time (especially since our home has no A/C)--so we keep our freezer stocked with the store-bought varieties, and splurge at gelato shops here and there when we can.

I just save "homemade" for the easier task of making popsicles.

 

Happy Summer!

Some Red, White, and Blue

I love any excuse to dip strawberries and make oreo truffles

This Fourth of July we celebrated with our friends the Snodgrasses, who kindly hosted a cookout at their house.

Ramona was thrilled to play with her "best friend Natalie."

At home, once the girls were both in bed, Forest and I got to watch the top half of the fireworks show over Lake Loveland from our bedroom window. Perhaps next year we will keep the kids up to watch . . . but perhaps not.

Yay for the U.S.A.!

Mika on the Move

 Mika has hit many milestones these last few weeks. While Paca was here, she learned how to wave, and while Jii and Baachan were here, she finally started to call me "Mama." (But only when she is upset, just like Baby Ramona). She is up to seven teeth--four on top and three on bottom--and uses her hands to clap and point. The big milestone, however, is her forward motoring skills. Now that she's decided to crawl, she zips around the room to get her fingers on anything which interests her . . . which is basically everything.

 She used to take baths for me like this: lying down on her back with only occasional kicks and swats at the water. Now: she rolls and scoots all over the tub.

My baby is on the move and life as her mama is certainly more exciting.

Grandparents' Visit, Part Two: Jii & Baachan

 Jii and Baachan were with us for one week in May and also one week in June while they were visiting the West. I think being around Ramona and Mika for that long really wore them out, but hopefully they had fun. I know the girls did!

Downtown Loveland

Walking under the Colorado state flag

My parents were the patient guests at Ramona's multiple picnic parties

Ramona making cookies with Baachan

Ramona rolling out playdough pizza with Jii

Cottage time in the backyard

 Among the many items my parents brought over from Illinois was a little outfit which apparently belonged to me when I was a baby. It had been a gift from my grandfather in Japan, and my mother had carefully kept it all these years. Mika wore it to church one of the Sundays Jii and Baachan were here.

"Shabondama tonda . . ."

While my dad was around, I arranged a "playdate"with my friend and violinist Carita, who has a mini-library of sightread-able orchestra music. We played trio-style with me on the cello for most of it, then tried out a violin duet with piano accompaniment. My dad seemed a little uncomfortable about playing the fiddle at first, and was overly apologetic about every missed note, but I am pretty sure by the end he didn't resent me for scheduling a little music time.

 On the last day of their visit, we all made it over to Estes Park for a picnic and a walk around the lake.

 While on our walk, Forest got a scare from Ramona's proximity to a deer right next to the trail. His reaction scared Ramona more than the actual deer, and for a while she was rather upset . . .

 . . . as you can see in the picture below.

 From the trail we could see smoke billowing up North from the High Park Fire before we heard about it on the news. (At the time we didn't realize the fire would end up being one of the worst in Colorado history).

 Despite the smoke, I was glad we had a chance to let my parents enjoy some Colorado scenery while they were here, and provide some sense of recreation amidst being swamped by the demands of little voices and little hands. Visiting young grandchildren (at least ours) isn't exactly a vacation.

Thanks for making the trip, Jii and Baachan!