What We Did This Summer - 2011 Edition

It's that time again -- summer is winding down, school is starting, and we are left wondering "what did we DO this summer?" It's such a blur! I always like to do a recap because with the start of the school year comes the inevitable "What did you do this summer?" questions and it's always nice to have a refresher! In no particular order (clearly not even chronological...):

- We enjoyed a fun weekend with my brother-in-law and his 2 children who came out to visit for a weekend


- We renewed our membership to the zoo and made a few trips to see the animals and play in the water play area

- We enjoyed a nice evening boat ride on Grandpa's sailboat to celebrate Father's Day

- We went to countless birthday parties - most of which seemed to be at Bounce-it-out this year!

- We celebrated the 4th of July with our usual bbq, fireworks and trip to the festival at the town hall


- We watched my eldest march in the Memorial Day parade with her Girl Scout troop

- We enjoyed a fun, yet wet (rain...) end-of-the-year picnic with her Girl Scout troop

- We took full advantage of the wonderful weather that we had and thoroughly enjoyed our pool with it's new liner

- We loved having Nana and our family from New Hampshire visit!

- We celebrated my 40th birthday with a fun family / friend bbq and pool party

- While Nana was here, we took my eldest daughter to see the final Harry Potter movie -- she's read all of the books and seen all of the movies on dvd -- this was her first time (and last opportunity!) to see Harry Potter on the big screen!http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

- We had a few "play dates" with friends, at our house and theirs

- We got in touch with our inner pioneer at the Genesee Country Village Laura Ingalls Wilder Day -- a tradition in our family! (That's my friend , in costume!)

- The girls enjoyed 2 weeks of swimming lessons at the yacht club (thank you Gramby & Grandpa!)

- The week after the swim lessons, our littlest girlie came into her own in the pool and now she is jumping in and swimming like a little mermaid!

- Our little one and her friend enjoyed a week of "Princess Dance Camp" and we were all treated to a mini-recital at the end of the week

- We planted a veggie garden for the 2nd year in a row

- In celebration of her 5th birthday, my little girlie had her first "friend" birthday pool party which was lots of fun!

- The girls got to spend a fun-filled afternoon with Daddy at the zoo and the library!

- We went to a fun bbq at our friends' home where the girls where the girls enjoyed playing on the slip 'n slide and got to watch a movie on a large screen outdoors!


- While Mommy & Daddy went to a concert, the girls enjoyed their first sleepover, anchored out on Grandpa & Gramby's sailboat! They took a little boat ride, anchored on the bay near G & G's house, cooked and ate their dinner on board, played Old Maid, made JiffyPop Popcorn, and slept in the v-berth ("pointy end"). It was quite an adventure!

- We took a trip to Long Island to visit with our family and while we were there, we enjoyed 2 days at the beach, including one at the ocean

- While in Long Island we went with all of the cousins (and Uncle Joe, who does the best Tigger impression ever!) to see the new "Winnie the Pooh" movie -- on it's last day in the theater!

- We also went to a great garden store in Long Island that had a butterfly "zoo" (this is my niece after patiently waiting as still as possible until a butterfly landed in her hand!)

- And we ended the summer with a bbq / swim party with some of our favorite friends!

It's been a great summer -- they always seem to go by quickly, but Fall is my favorite time of year, so I am getting excited for all of the wonderful things that this season brings!