Summer has been flying by! Our kids are getting older now, so summer has been filled with a combination of carefree fun and scheduled extra curricular activities. Hurley turned 7 last week and Rob's parents were here last week visiting, so I'm going to highlight each of the kids and then I will talk a bit about Hurley.
Kaiton: This kid NEVER stops talking! He is such a joy to our family. Today at church he told me that they got a basketball hoop in nursery. Then, he told me that they don't have a hockey net and sticks and puck and that they need to get hockey stuff. He is so smart and he impresses me so much every day.
Zaya: Zaya has gotten to go to two vacation bible schools in the last couple of weeks. First, she and Hurley did one with Nev and this week, she went in the evenings to one with Elijah and Jaycee from preschool. She got to have a playdate with Lucy this week and she and Hurley also had Kaitlin Menzies over to play. She has learned to love nature from her big sister. On Monday, we went as a family to Tawas. We found a spot with hundreds of super tiny baby frogs and the girls and Kaiton (and I) were in heaven! Today, on our walk, we tried to catch a snake in the back of our neighborhood. We weren't successful today, but I hope to be soon!
Hurley: Hurley is so mature for a little 7 year old. She has been really excited about moving up in gymnastics. I've been really proud of how well she has transitioned. She has been really vocal with her coaches and she even won the gymnast of the week award. She is our free spirit. When we go to the beach, she is our daredevil. She wants Rob to throw her super high in the air and she never gets sick of just swimming in the lake. Yesterday, we went to the Nyman's cottage and both Hurley and Brooklen waterskied. They both got up on their 4th try (it had been a year since they'd tried) and they both rode for a while. Brooklen actually stayed up for quite a long time! I seriously can't get enough of watching my kids learn new things.
Brooklen: Brooklen started sandlot this week. He is super excited because he gets to pitch and start the batting line up on Tuesday. He is super excited about that. He got to have one of his best friends, Ethan, over last week and they had a blast!
We had a really great visit with Rob's parents. They got in late Saturday night. We spent the day at Church on Sunday and then we celebrated Hurley's birthday with cake on Sunday evening. On Monday, we went to the Nature Center to catch frogs and turtles. We caught two medium-sized turtles and then Zaya caught a really tiny, baby one. I was so excited for her! We had a bbq for the fourth of July and at night, we decided to stay home and watch the Andriot's fireworks instead of fighting traffic downtown. We had a great time on the front porch, but we almost had a dangerous accident when one of the fireworks tipped over and almost hit Hurley. So scary!!!
On Tuesday, we took Rob's parents to Tawas for the day. In the evening, we fished and the kids caught one fish. On Wednesday, we hung around the house and played, went to Pizza Sams and Cherry Berry for dinner, and then we went and watched Rob's softball game. He scored a home run!
On Thursday, we went to the museum and then we went over to the library. In the evening, Brooklen and Rob went to Brooklen's baseball game and I took the younger kids and drove Rob's parents to Flint. We had so much fun with them and we are grateful that they came to visit.
Dear Hurley,
I can't believe my "mini-me" is 7 YEARS OLD! Hurley, I couldn't be more proud of you. You are growing up to be such a lovely young lady; you are so kind and so bright. You love life and you are always up for an adventure. You tackle everything with courage, strength, and ambition and your creativity is so exciting.
You do so well in school. When I come visit your classroom, you are so serious and focused. This focus transfers to everything you do: sports, academics, music, you focus so hard when you are learning and growing. You love to read. You finished the Junie B series and you have recently started reading several other kinds of books. You tried to beat a boy in your class all year long at AR points and Rocket Math. You fell just a bit behind him, but you never gave up! Your favorite thing about first grade this year was getting to hatch chicks in your classroom. Once they hatched, your class got to name them and play with them. You had a wonderful 1st grade year; your teacher had only wonderful things to say about you.
Your favorite things to do are gymnastics, crafts, play with friends, and read. You like to listen to your ipod shuffle and your favorite singer is Megan Trainor. Recently, you fell in love with an older Miley Cyrus song, "Party in the USA." You are a beast when you are working at the gym. You can do almost 10 pull-ups in a row and you are always determined to pick up your next skill and to improve. You also had a great baseball season this year. Your athleticism and mental toughness carried you and it was so fun to watch you improve this season.
Your best friends are Hannah, Laney, Lily, and Aubree. You love to be creative. You have always got an idea up your sleeve. You've made yourself casts, made a robot costume, created jewelry, and today, you even made a sword out of paper that was 8ft long! Recently, you've also shown an interest in photography. You are excited to learn a new skill and you even got a polaroid camera for your birthday!
You are good big sister. You try hard to include Zaya and you even let her join your playdates when you have friends over. Kaiton just loves you. Often times we find him in your bed or sleeping in your room. You are always looking out for him; you have such a nurturing personality and I know that you will be an amazing mother someday!
Hurley, I love you so much and I am so proud to call you mine.
Love,
Mom
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