July already?

The time between our Orlando trip and July 4th was a very fast blur. When we got back from Orlando, the boys had 1 week of school left in the school year. They did great! Anthony brought home all A's and B's. The boys then had one week of downtime before starting summer camps for the 2009 summer.

On May 30, Taylor had her dance recital. She did GREAT! I laughed and cried at the same time. All the girls were so cute. They all danced most of the dance. Taylor was either a few steps behind, a few steps ahead, did her own dance or didn't dance at all. But hey, she didn't run off the stage or cry and stayed backstage throughout the whole recital. It was a wonderful experience for her as well as for me. The stress and worry of dance class, dress rehersal and recital day was all worth it in the end because Taylor was so great up on stage.

Taylor at Dress Rehersal the afternoon before Recital Day.

All Prima Ballerinas need gifts and "loot".

Aunt Helen, Jordan and Addy came to see Taylor dance.

Aunt T.J. and "Uncle" Albert came into town to see each other as well as to see Taylor dance.

The Prima Ballerina and her brothers.

Granny, Granddad and Grandma with the Prima Ballerina.

Nana and her Prima Ballerina.

Family picture with our Prima Ballerina.

Showing off her costume.

Showing us ballet arms.

Anthony did 3 weeks at all day camp at the Northwest YMCA. We would drop him off by 7:30am each morning and he would ride the bus 3 days a week up to the Triangle Y and participate in day camp activities. He learned how to play kickball, dodge ball, rock climb, archary, and horseback ride. They also had arts and crafts time as well. On the 4th day of camp during the week they would go on field trips. He went to the movies to see Journey To The Center Of The Earth. He and Tony went to Colossal Cave. And the last week they went to Peter Piper Pizza where they made their own pizzas and played video games. On the 5th day of day camp each week they would stay near the NW YMCA and walk over to Pima Community College to learn about and participate in Science Projects. Everyday, I would pack him a lunch and 2 days a week when he didn't have Karate, he would stay a bit later and swim with the other campers. If he didn't stay to swim, Anthony's day ended at 3:00pm.

Jackson also did 3 weeks of camp at the Northwest YMCA. We would drop him off at 11:00am and he would do Kindercamp until 3:00pm. Two days a week the kids would swim in the pool. They would have snack and lunch as well. They also did a lot of arts and crafts and one day a week they had movie and "treat" day. Jackson also did an indoor soccer camp and had a blast. The coach of the camp is a coach with Tucson Soccer Academy (TSA). TSA is an elite private soccer club. So it was nice to have a coach from there to see the skills and drills they work on with the kids. Jackson did great and had a great time!

In the middle of June Tony and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary. On our actual anniversary, Friday, June 12, we got family portraits taken by one of the moms in my moms group. Maia did an awesome job! Our photo turned out great and I can't decide which ones I want to order. Check out our photos on Maia's website. On Saturday, Tony took me to McMahon's for prime rib dinner. Then we went Barnes & Noble to kill some time before heading over to Chuy's for a moms night out with my mom friends from our group. One of my friends and her family got their military orders to leave the state and this was her last MNO out with our group. Then we came home and crashed.

Now the boys are doing camp at Westward Look Resort. They are there for half day and are learning all sort of different sports. They play tennis everyday. They play soccer, capture the flag, golf, kickball, dodge ball. They get picked up during lunch time and relax before going to Karate later in the afternoon. Last summer Anthony did this camp all day long which included swimming but he would come home so tired at the end of a long hot day. This year since both boys are doing the camp, I decided to shorten their day and have them attend for half day. They have one more week of camp together and then they split up again. Jackson moves on and will do AYSO soccer camp with the UK coaches. Anthony will continue on for the last week at Westward Look.

In early August, we are hoping to take the kids up to Pinetop for their first fishing trip. I invited all of my mom's side of the family who I know fish so we'll see if they can join us and show us the ropes.

The boys will be back home without activities other than Karate for 3 weeks and then they are back to school on August 10. We are almost completely ready for the new school year. Their uniforms have been purchased and they are folded and put away. Most of their school supplies have been purchased and are set aside for Open House on August 9.