Summer lovin'

Been neglecting to write anything down at night, but I do make a mental note in my head to remember. This summer has been a lot of fun (and very busy) and it's crazy to think that it's mid-July already. I don't want it to end.

We've been in a very nice, comfortable routine for a month or so now. Girlies' folders are really coming along well and they love looking through their pages as a reminder of everything that they've done this summer. Faith's writing in particular is making huge strides. Maddie writes everything herself and I just double check for her. And even Abrie knows the routine and looks forward to her morning drawings. Writing and receiving mail from their pen pals has also been a fun part of weekday mornings.

We're outside by 10am at the latest every morning, and most mornings all they want to do is go on a bike ride around the neighborhood. And, then they have their workbook pages or special "projects" to do with Dan while I'm at work and Abrie naps in the afternoon. Dan made me laugh the other day. He asked me before I left, "what's their homework today?" He's really getting into it.

Books are pivotal for these girls. They get so immersed in their books, and it's the perfect way to peak their interest on subjects that I think they might like. We're on Africa this week, and some of the previous weeks have been England, France, and China:

Chinese fish.

China night with Dan and his sushi.

Abrie gluing her Eiffel Tower.

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"Field trips" have been fun to plan this summer too, and our girls very much look forward to these planned days! We went with cousins to the Audubon bird sanctuary out in Phoenixville on Friday. It was a beautiful property, and they got to see some owls.

We went out to the King of Prussia mall for a little bit too and visited the 'Didney' store (Show Show's words!) and had lunch. And, we went back to spend more time with cousins too:

These kiddos really are the best of friends!

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Dan's last day off was yesterday, and we decided to take the little ladies out to Oregon Dairy. I loved that place when I was little, and we've taken Maddie and Faith several times, but Abrie had never visited before. They LOVED it. They have improved the playground so much, and it was such a fun place. We stayed for 2 hours, and Faith keeps asking when we're going to go back again. They had an adorable wooden silo slide, a big deck for ice cream, a tire horse, a little wooden treehouse that Abrie loved, etc. They really enjoyed the store too. They didn't believe me about all the samples that they'd get to try for free, and were so happy to be taste testing different flavors of Lancaster County. Dan and I were impressed with their sales too and got a lot of great fruit and our favorite apple sausage.

Nene's house after Oregon Dairy, and the day was a hit with our girlfriends.