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Catching up...

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

I have so much catching up to do on the bloggity blog.   Something really changed in me this summer though.  If you've been reading a long time, you have probably heard me say (write) that I don't love summer.  And in the past, that has been true to a certain extent.  But this summer was great.  The kids did not do a lot of structured activities.  Will worked a lot, hung out with friends, did water polo and went to CA for the Junior Olympics.  Harry did a few LAX camps and Camp Utopia.  Kate did one art camp and vacation Bible school.  That's it.  We spent a lot of time being lazy and having fun.

I realized something really important this summer.  Dave and I do a pretty good job at parts of the parenting/family thing (we make a lot of mistakes too).  Like we are good at setting limits and creating boundaries and teaching values. We are good at getting them to study and get the homework done and go to church. We are good at spending time with our kids and talking to them.  But you know what we have not been really good at for a long time?  JUST HAVING FUN! We are not spontaneous and we are not super laid back. We don't act silly or laugh as often as we should. This summer, I have been much more laid back and much more spontaneous and it worked for me.  Who knew?  I have always been such a planner at heart.  Who knew I could fly by the seat of my pants?!

I really want to write more about our Seaside beach trip and post more pics from that but I need to do this post first....

Well, Harry finally came back from camp.  It was a long 2 weeks for me and Kate (I think Will and Dave did just fine).


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Kate was so excited to see her Habu!!!  He came home tired and with a sinus infection and cough but he had an awesome time!!!  And that kid he hung out with in every single photo that I thought was from Mississippi actually lives a few blocks away and goes to Harry's school!!  So happy about that.  He seems super nice.

Kate's gymnastics competition meets are quickly approaching and she is getting excited.  I am getting nervous...about her hair!  She needs a hairstyle that will not fall out during all 4 of her routines (floor, bar, bean and vault).  I think they lose points if their hair falls out.  Did anyone see that episode of Modern Family?!  Any tips from you experienced Dance/Gym Moms? I tell you all this just in case you notice some funky hairstyles on her:)

Last week, Kate and I spent a morning with her easy bake oven.  I am personally not a fan of the easy bake oven.  I'd rather teach Kate to cook and bake from scratch with real recipes in real appliances.  And as you've seen, we do that all the time.  She, however LOVES the easy bake.  So, easy bake it was.
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Our easy bake packets were old and the consistency of the frosting was not good.  But Miss Kate loved her cake anyway!!! Yes, she is in Christmas Pajamas in August with a giant bun:) See, it is the new spontaneous, fun Kim! HA!

Last weekend, our good friends invited us to the beach for some fun family time before school started. This is an annual tradition although this year we could only go for the day.  It was such a nice and relaxing day...

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Will and our friend having a chat.  Lovely seaweed in the background:(

Will took the kayak way out but it was too far for me to photograph him.
All the boys enjoyed kayaking a lot.

In fact, Dave recently purchased a decked out fishing kayak and all the equipment for our family to fish in the salt marshes!!!  I think we will be spending a lot of time at the beach this year.

And finally, Will started school this week.  He is a sophomore.  I wish he had a car this year but none has appeared so far.  He does drive to school (with Dave) in the mornings.
 I am not sure if I ever posted it but he got his license this summer!!!!

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First day of school pics:)

Kate and Harry start on Monday so we are trying to soak up the last few laid back days of summer:)

20 comments:

  1. Love the pictures! A hair donut with a hairnet and bobby pins works awesome for my daughter. From her years of dance, she hates hair gel, but I manage to put a little bit in before I put the bun in. Good luck to Kate! My daughter doesn't start her season until January.

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  2. Sounds like a perfect summer - Fun Kim -- love your new name! :) The kids look adorable and that cake Kate made -- yummy! ;)

    Have fun enjoying the last few days! Hey, there's a new Harry in my life -- a new grandson born last week! Love that name!

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  3. I am not good at relaxing and being spontaneous either! I want to be. I am jealous of friends who are. I honestly think that quality makes it harder to get to know me. But alas...I've yet to figure out how to just let things go...

    Oh and I read somewhere...blog?...Pinterest?...can't remember...that you can use boxed mixes to make Easy Bake things. Clearly I don't remember where I saw that but I'm sure a quick google search will bring it up for you. I always wanted one as a kid and my parents were like, we have a real kitchen (which of course we did and used all the time...I mean by age 5 I had our family pie crust recipe memorized...but still...) so I never got one. It's funny the things you remember as being important.

    KK

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  4. Will looks so OLD in these pics!! Your babes are growing so fast! Glad you're having lots of fun recently. :)

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  5. I always wanted an Easy Bake Oven as a kid, but never had one. So that's one thing Kate can't hold against you, lol. She is a doll and your boys look very handsome.

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  6. Kim, what a wonderful thing to glean from your summer!! We were talking along those lines tonight at our Bible study ...sometimes we just need to jump in and DO (and for me, stop making excuses:), more often than not the reward/lesson/result is huge! I tend to be the same way. Thankfully hubby is a crazy, fun-loving, just jump-right-in kinda guy, (in other words, NOT a planner:) so he helps me:)
    Laughing about the EB oven, Elliot used to ask for one and I just could never do it. lol Hope I haven't deprived him too much:)
    Love the pics of Kate baking, I can so see her owning an adorable sweets shop someday:)
    And that's amazing about Harry's new friend!!!

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  7. I don't have and advice on hair styles but whatever style you choose, you some Monkey's Breath on it and not a single hair will move. We used it for dance recitals because my daughters hair is fine and won't stay up easily.

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  8. At our house, for dance and gymnastics competitions, we do a tight, low ballet bun that I slick back (while it is wet) with gel and spray. My daughter's hair is long and thick and unless I do it wet, I can't get it tight enough! Good Luck!

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  9. Hi Kim,
    I have followed you for the last year, but never commented. I love your blog and your chronicles of your family (and really appreciate your words of wisdom, too). I am so happy that your summer was relaxing and enlightening for you! Here is to always growing and learning!!!
    P.S. My daughter had an easy bake oven, too, and loved it! I always wanted one as a child, so when she asked, we got to fulfill both of our hearts' desires!

    Please feel free to check out my website http://www.homeopathicmamma.com, where we espouse adding beauty to our lives in a more natural way. Mamma offers more natural skin care products and we currently feature beautiful, handmade market baskets from Morocco!

    Have a beautiful day and thank you for your blog--I really enjoy it!

    Mamma

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  10. I would love to know where Kate got her cute personalized apron? I love it! :)

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  11. Congratulations on being the new spontaneous Kim!!! I feel like I finally learned to do that a couple years ago... just in time for my Type A, structure loving 3rd child to refuse many of my attempts and just hanging out. She must have a plan... at.all.times.

    As for the hair... Sophie is the expert on hair! She actually does her own buns and knots now and they surprisingly done very well!! She loves to do sock buns and occasionally, we will do braids and then twist them into buns and they stay up remarkably well. Youtube is the best source for how to get their slick hair to stay in competition quality condition!

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  12. Oh I think EVERY LITTLE GIRL should experience the "EASY BAKE OVEN"! I recall going over to a neighbors house and "playing w/her Easy Bake Oven", she was older than us and Mom & Dad thght we were too young "then" for an Easy Bake oven. It didn't help that I actually "burned" myself one day playing w/our neighbors "oven". I just KNEW that would SEAL THE DEAL on us EVER getting an EASY BAKE OVEN!! Still WE BEGGED everytime the commercial would air on tv. Then the CHRISTMAS FINALLY CAME that we got our VERY FIRST EASYBAKE OVEN!! I can still remember tearing open the "wrapping paper and seeing the infamous TURQUOISE colored EASY BAKE OVEN! OMG and the little TIN TRAYS and small pkts of "cake mix"!! BE STILL OUR 7 and 8 yr old hearts (wait did I just tell my age)!!!

    I think we used ALL our cake mix that day. My brothers were our "guinea pigs" and they happily goobled down each "cake"! What a FUN TRIP back down MEMORY LANE!! The "EB oven" has changed alot since those days...but the memories are still the same for EVERY LITTLE GIRL!! Learning to COOK YOUR VERY OWN CAKE is a passage of GIRLHOOD!! I can't wait to get Bre's this Christmas!!
    We were ecstatic! I can stil remember the "smell of our first BAKED CAKE"!! One of the THE BEST MEMORIES of CHILDHOOD!

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  13. Glad you all have experienced a more relaxing summer than normal. My mom loves summer and we spent so much time at the beach and at my grandparents. I don't remember doing any activies! Maybe a week of camp here or there. And in high school lacrosse and field hocky leagues. Glad Harry is back with miss Kate!

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  14. I have been working HARD to have fun this summer and I have! I'm so glad you got some fun time. That's why I love Summer! Love Kate and that easy bake oven!!! Dying. What kind of camera do you use? How do you get these pics so crisp and colorful!!??

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  15. So happy to read about your fun and spontaneous summer! I am a planner by nature and I hope I can learn a thing or two from you!

    Kamree loves the easy bake oven and I hate it too! I probably should get out her expired ingredients and let her bake some day!

    Love the beach and camp pictures! Here's to a fun fall!

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  16. We arelike you-planners. I wish we ould be more spontaneous. Glad you had an amazing summer. Yourdaughter has the most orgeous hair.

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  17. Always love your honesty! I am a planner too and I find that the less I plan the happier I am. But it can be hard! I sned my daughter to her Grandma's with her easy bake as I too don't care for it and her Grandma does! For ballet recitals wear the hair has to look tight and neat for about 4 hours I use a hair net and use hair gel and hairspray. It usually looks great for 8 hours.

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  18. Howdy Kim,

    I like your style and I'm won't feel weird to tell you that you're my idol. I also like to have fun at the beach, river-rafting etc. But I don't have a good friend circle like yours.

    Regards,
    Barker Marine
    Men Shoes UK

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  19. Hi Kim!

    Love love love your blog!! Your family is just gorgeous. I, too, was adopted into an incredible family and I very much enjoy reading about others' lives and perspectives! I was also a gymnast for thirteen years, all through high school and into college, and yes you're right, the judges do take points off for messy hair. (And any showing undergarments, fyi!) The one hairstyle that always worked for me was hair parted down the middle and into two French braids. And a LOT of hairspray! A pain to wash out, but worth it for the security. Best of luck to your talented little gymnast!

    ~Christina

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  20. Hi Kim!

    Love love love your blog! Your family is just gorgeous. I, too, was adopted into an incredible family, so I very much enjoy reading about others' lives and perspectives! I was also a gymnast for thirteen years, all through high school and into college, and you're right, the judges do take points off for messy hair. (And any showing undergarments, fyi!) The one hairstyle that always worked for me was hair parted down the middle and into two French braids. And a LOT of hairspray. My poor mother. Haha. It was a pain to wash out, but worth the extra security. Best of luck to your talented little gymnast!

    ~Christina

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