First Week of Summer Vacation

Last week was Caleb's first week off from school. He was pretty sad about school being over for the summer, so I was determined to give him a fun week to help him get excited about the summer. We took the T into Boston on Tuesday and spent some time along the Greenway at a playground and then at the fountains. 

On Wednesday we had really hot weather, so we planned a trip to the library and the pool. The kids enjoyed a post-library snack on the library lawn before we headed to the pool. 

In the afternoon, we hung out in the yard and "swam" in our own pool. Lina was totally into it!

On Thursday we made our first summer trip to the beach. It was a perfect day!

Randy took the kids fishing again today and I got to tag along. Caleb and Lina were so thrilled every time they got a bite. They did pretty well today with at least 10 little fish!

Happy Father's Day

The kids were so excited for Father's Day last weekend and worked very hard to do something special for Randy. We made a special book about the things they love about Daddy and had special cards for the occasion. Caleb had made Randy a "beer cozy" at school (so funny) and I helped Lina make a few special bookmarks. The kids helped me make breakfast for Daddy and he was also treated to a special back rub! The final gift was a fishing license so that he could take the kids fishing. Everyone had a great time! Happy Father's Day to a wonderful Daddy!

Preschool Graduation

Friday was Caleb's last day of preschool. There has been a lot of emotion about the day, both excitement about the graduation ceremony and sadness about leaving the school, but the day was wonderful. All the kids in the school line up outside and put on a nice program of songs. It is a little chaotic for the parents, but the kids have a great time putting on the show. 

A few clips of the singing....

After the school program, we went into Caleb's classroom where they sang another song and handed out awards to each child. Caleb shocked me by doing a "solo" during the song...it's during the second video. Caleb received the "Future Astronaut" Award, which seems pretty appropriate. 

 After the awards were handed out, all the kids were treated with pizza and cake and ice cream. Caleb made his rounds and told all of his teachers and friends good-bye. He's come a long way in the two years that he was a student at the Rockland. I know he'll cherish the memories that he made at school and I'll be forever grateful for all the lessons that he learned. Congratulations graduate!

A look back....Caleb on his first day of school. How he's grown!

Strawberry Picking

Yesterday we made the trip up to Ingaldsby Farm in Boxford to do our annual strawberry picking. Both Caleb and Lina had mentioned picking strawberries for friends, so we ended up with two large flats of berries. We've given some away, frozen some for the future, made ice cream, jam, and shortcake, and simply eaten lots of them! There is nothing like freshly picked berries!

 Caleb had his T-ball league Field Day yesterday, so he was decked out in Cub's gear.

 After we were done picking berries, we snacked on cider donuts, played at the playground, and spent lots of time feeding the animals.

Our Retirement Plan

As I mentioned in previous posts, Levi continues to love hitting baseballs. Randy's noticed that he prefers to hit left and I think it will be interesting to see if that translates into him being left-handed. We joke that he's gonna fund our retirement after a few years in the big leagues! But I seriously think he's a pretty good hitter for his age!

Almost Summer Fun

This is my 600th post....that's a lot of blogging about the kids for sure. Here are a few pictures from the past week or so. 

Lina has been very busy at sidewalk chalk lately. Caleb wanted me to take these pictures because he thought her work was so beautiful. 

 Caleb and his friend Kyle building Legos outside.

 The kids and I went to the aquarium last week and had a blast. We took the T into the city, which was an adventure in itself, spent time touring the aquarium, and had lunch out by the harbor.

 The other exciting part of our week was a visit by a mother and baby skunk. I didn't get a picture of the baby, but it was so cute! And of course, we kept our distance for fear of getting sprayed.