Our Little One Reaches a Milestone

After many attempts over the last few months, our five year old finally did it: Today, she rode her bicycle without training wheels. Papa wasn't far, and she was able to bike all the way to the park (a few blocks away) and back:

At the swimming pool last week, she had another first: She competed in her first swim meet. We had a bye in the schedule, and so the swimmers were all from our pool. They were divided in 2. Our 5-year old swam 25m of front-crawl in around 40 seconds. She stopped a few times, but managed to come in 4th of 6! Here is the happy swimmer:

During warm-up

Can't remember the context!

Showing off her ribbon!

Rediscovering the Backyard

We recently took down our old deck and replaced it with stairs leading to a platform that is flush with the lawn. While the project isn't entirely finished (glass railings have been ordered), we recently purchased patio furniture, and the girls seemed to have re-discovered the back yard. Here are a few photos:

A New Pool, a Bird's Nest, and Softball.

This week, we went to my cousin's house for an afternoon swim. She had just installed a pool in her backyard, and the girls had a blast. They used inflatables usually banned at the local community pool, and had a scrumptious pool-side picnic. They had been asking to return every day since then...

A few hours ago, I got a text from my sister asking if I was interested in playing softball as her team was short a few players. So it was that I biked over with the girls, and attempted to play softball whilst they played in the nearby park with their father. It turned out to be more fun than expected; my bat actually hit the ball a few times and I even made it to home base once. Meanwhile, our 5-year old decided to "build" a nest in the park. I think she looks more of a cabbage patch girl:

The Girls Are Going Camping

In early August, the girls will be going on their very first "camping trip". They will be joining their aunt and uncle at a "family camping night" hosted by the city. In preparation, the girls picked out their own sleeping bags. They are so excited that they have been unrolling their sleeping bags, pretending to sleep in them, a rolling them back up almost daily...Who knows, if this overnight experience goes well, perhaps we will truly take them camping one night...I have very fond memories of going camping with my family growing up; setting up the tents, building a fire with our father, roasting marshmallows, using flashlights, and telling not-so-scary ghost stories...If only I could convince my husband to give up the comforts of our house for a night or two...

Summer Vacation

Since school ended some ten days ago, we have had 6 soccer matches, 6 soccer practices, 8 swim-team practices, two swim meets and at least three play dates. We also joined the library's summer reading club, and have been swimming almost daily...Apparently so busy that Mama forgot to post a blog last week-end!

Before a practice

A playdate

At a park 

With a friend while #1 practiced soccer on the adjacent field

#3's new best friend

Perfect day for a trip to the ice-cream parlour