The Start of Summer

This is the first summer I have looked forward to in a long time.  I usually prefer the organized structure of the kids being in school, having homework, going to bed earlier.  :  ) But something about warmer weather and a looser, more relaxed lifestyle sounds so appealing.  Unfortunately, my office still expects me to work 40 hours a week, so "more relaxed" is going to be a relative term.  

We spent Memorial Day watching S and her Girl Scout troop walk in a parade.  Poor S (and poor me) had to wake up at 6:00 am for a 6:30 am pickup by her troop leader.  Her troop leader deserves the most sympathy for hanging out with nine 7 & 8 year olds from 7:00 a.m. until the parade started at 10:00 a.m. We were very lucky to find a nice, shady spot under trees to watch the parade.  The troop was handing our candy down the parade route, and I told S it would be nice for her to try to give some candy to her sisters as she walked by.  As she walked past, S smiled and waved at us and then immediately walked to other side of the street!  It was so funny and so perfectly S.  She said later that she was told to stay on the other side of the road to keep the girls from clumping up together.  E & G got plenty of candy of other people in the parade, so don't feel too bad for them.  This is the best picture of S I could get.  Do you see the girl on the left in a white shirt and brown sash who looks like a street lamp is growing out of her head? Yep, that is S.  I know, I should be a professional photog.  

Here are G and E enjoying the parade (and the shade).  G is on her phone- shocking.

S saw a couple of school friends she knew in the crowd as she walked the parade route, and I think it made her feel extra special.  She said they were yelling and waving at her and she liked it.  She's already a pop star in her own mind, so she should really be used to the attention.  : ) And side effect of waking a kid up at 6:00 a.m. and having them walk over two miles in the heat is they tend to fall asleep on the couch pretty early. 

S & E started summer camp on Tuesday and have field trips every week.  Just this week, their field trips have been playing in the park and jumping on trampolines.  Maybe if they keep this up, we won't have later bedtimes this summer after all.