Pears of our very own!

This summer we discovered one of our trees is a pear tree! We got a whopping 5 pears, but they are good sized! Exciting!

The next Michael Phelps

Or maybe he's not. We swim frequently when it's warm since we have a great pool at our disposal. I have put this floaty thing on James a couple times and he despised it. This time he asked for it and discovered his freedom! He was so darn cute floating around like a big kid!

Clackamas County Fair tradition

The kids enjoy being in the Kiddie Caper Parade so they can decorate and ride their bikes while throwing out candy. I make them get rid of the majority of their candy we have stashed in the cupboard, which is a win-win. I don't buy candy and  our cupboard gets emptied. Ironically they usually get more at the end of the parade from the floats that want to get rid of all their candy. Can't win 'em all, right?

The favorite are the animals, of course. Sydney was on a mission to pet the Llamas. This year we did lots of the vendor booths, learning about all sorts of subjects. The girls went on a hunt to find all the wheels they could spin. The best prize was an Oregon State water bottle for Sierra, I think. Ice cream was delightful at the end of the hot day - tradition!

Not-so-baby James!

This kid hasn't officially made it to the blog yet and he's going to be 2 next month!

He needs to stop growing! Where did the baby years go?

He discovered pockets!

The Little Mermaid - Allegro Ballet Recital

Seoul and Sydney both took dance at Allegro Dance Studio this year. They really enjoyed it, although admittedly they don't always love going to class. The ballet recital was a performance of The Little Mermaid, which was perfect because they love the story. Seoul was a seahorse and Sydney was a crab.

Seoul was offered the opportunity to switch classes to one that was a bit more fast paced. She didn't know anyone in this class but it has turned out to be a good choice. I'm pleased watching the differences in the dances between the two classes.

Sydney is so high energy that the crab dance was perfect for her. Plus she got to dance with her cousin Ella, who was the chef.

Seoul refuses to smile while dancing. She is very focused. During the 2nd performance I was indicating a smiley face, and she fully shook her head at me. Totally made me laugh but she did have a slight smile on her face since she knew she communicated.

Sydney told me she couldn't go on stage because her legs were tired already. Just from walking into the building.

Both girls had the nervous pee, which makes me laugh every time.

Seoul's favorite part of dance is being on stage. Surprising? Yes! She fights going to class the most but loves dancing in front of the people.

Sydney was so excited and focused on her part she actually pushed the girls in front of her while performing. Not intentionally, but just to make sure she was in her place. Two out of three performances she did that. Sigh.

Both girls LOVE getting flowers.


{Here are all the pictures... had a hard time choosing. They are marked by a slide in between each performance, though.}

Running time 3:06

Preschool Field Trip: Pump It Up

Lucky Sydney girl had two field trips in one week! Lily's Pad Learning hosted their trip to Pump It Up the day after we went to the fire station. Surprisingly Sydney was scared, even though she has been on bouncy slides numerous times. Honestly I think she was feeling a bit hesitant because big sister Seoul wasn't there to be with her. Although she runs at 110 mph, there is a bit of timidity hiding in there. She went enthusiastically up the big slide, but then sat up there and cried. Poor girl. I climbed up and went down with her. Then she was off and running... at least on that particular slide. I had to go up one more slide to help her out. She played mostly on her own. Sierra was extremely timid and couldn't really do anything on her own. James just had fun wandering around, although he tried so hard to be a big kid and climb everything. Good times!

I love this girl, and I'm so glad to have the opportunity to spend time with her!

Preschool Field Trip: Fire Station

One morning we went to the Fire Station to get a tour and talk to the firemen. They were so great at talking at the kids' level and keeping things moving right along. The kids got to look around the fire station and see where the firemen/firewomen eat, sleep, watch tv, and work out. I'm not sure if they were intimidated, but they were all surprisingly reserved. Then they got to go into an ambulance and fire truck. One fireman talked about emergency procedures and then showed them piece by piece the gear they have to wear. He kept them entertained. It was a lot of fun! Then we hit DQ for a yummy treat... but I was the only mom that got her own ice cream cone ;/

Just yesterday (2/3) we saw a fire truck in a waiting area near our house. Sydney said excitedly, "I see our friends! They are the men we saw at the fire station!" So fun to have that memory.

Thanks for coordinating this, Jessica!