Summer adventure, in full force

Today, Leila and I took a bike ride to Plaza Park. It was the perfect way to spend a morning, satisfying both our needs for adventure. I got in a 12-mile ride, we shared some nice conversation along the ride, and then she got to feed some ducks and enjoy the playground. We're loving our new WeeHoo!!

Yesterday, we headed up to Three Rivers for the much-hyped (way overhyped) Hot Dog Festival. It was a lot less "festival" than the promotional flyers indicated, and a lot more like a simple hot dog lunch (choice of veggie dog or regular, with corn and a root beer float). But it was a fundraiser for the firemen and the historical museum. And moreover, it was an excuse to drive up to Three Rivers. We also stopped by Reimer's Candies to pick up some gourmet sweets and enjoy a view of the river, which continues to race down to the lake in a churning hurry of white water tumbling over smooth boulders. Below, Leila got brave and let a fireman give her a tour of the firetruck....

We started out yesterday morning by sleeping in (YES!), enjoying some banana pancakes, and then heading off to the third Saturday of sports camp for the summer. Our first two attempts weren't very successful, as Leila stood in the corner and pouted for the duration of the 45-minute class. The goal of the class is to get preschoolers engaging in a variety of sports activities: kicking and throwing balls, running, stretching, etc. Not sure why Leila was so staunchly opposed to the first two classes, but I was thrilled to see her engage and enjoy the activities this week.
Leila's been debuting some rides on her new scooter too (thank you, Daddy!). There's a picture on the box of a girl scooting in a princess dress, so Leila decided she'd go for a tutu scoot.

This past week introduced another big challenge for Leila. She started swim lessons on Monday the 11th with the City of Visalia. Lessons lasted for a week. Leila was terrified, which I expected. And as expected, I provided the counterpoint to her terror with my ardent enthusiasm. (Afterall, this is how I spent three of my teenage summers... teaching other kids how to swim through this same program... and little has changed.). Leila shed a lot of tears, drank gallons of pool water and was a record on repeat to the teacher, "Can I go home now?" But overall, she did really well, and I was so proud of her. Each day she got braver, as the instructor pushed her a little bit more. We're well on our way to getting to enjoy the pool together!
And on July 6, Leila started school!! As I anticipated this day, I was excited for Leila and so proud of how beautifully she's been growing up. Some anxiety started to creep in when I started really thinking about what I would put in her lunch. And then, the night before she started school, I had a full-blown emotional meltdown... my little girl is growing up!
The last weekend before school started was an indulgence in all kinds of fun: not only was it 4th of July weekend, but we also had a great visit with Auntie Bobbie. We did all kinds of fun things with Auntie Bobbie, including a trip to Roller Towne, crazy water hopscotch, water guns and 4th of July crafts... but no fireworks, she's still too afraid. (Thanks for a great visit Auntie Bobbie!)