Super Moon and Some Fishing

We drove to Maryland Saturday evening since Kent wanted to do some fishing, and I wanted a good view of the super moon.  Just our luck, Mom's condo was having a rooftop party that evening. We enjoyed the view and some food, then returned to the condo to sit on the balcony and watch the moon rise. It was beautiful!

The next morning was cool and rainy. The weather did not stop us from fishing or swimming in the rooftop pool, though. In the afternoon, we headed over to Aunt Dawn's for dinner and some family time. I can't believe I didn't take any pictures at Dawn's! Next time, I will have to capture her bee farm, the giant garden, and their adorable new pointer.

Dive #2

Dive #2

Click above to see dive #2 at yesterday's meet. You wouldn't know how many tears were shed at the end of this board learning this very dive.

When practices started a few weeks ago, I gave Maddie the option to quit the team after watching her struggle through several days of tears, shaking, and looooong stretches of time with her coach at the end of this board. Maddie was determined to continue though, and worked through her fears! I am proud of her!

Dive #1

Dive #1

Click the link above to see Maddie's first dive at her first dive meet.

Swimming Butterfly

Maddie swimming butterfly

Maddie was so excited to improve her time on butterfly! Click the link above to see her first place finish at Monday's FAST meet!

Summer Swimming!!

Summer is upon us! Wednesday was our last day, and I think we've been at the pool since then! Friday night our swim team had a potluck; Madeline and our neighbor, both sharks, made these lovely cupcakes. Watch out Cake Boss!

Saturday morning was competition time. Our first meet was a Ninja theme. Madeline was way too shy to participate. ;)

I am so proud of this girl! She swam free (a whole second off last week's time), back (THREE seconds off her time in just one week), and the last leg of a relay! She didn't place in any of the races, but I am so impressed with her! Next up, Monday's "B" meet, Tuesday's dive meet, and five days of two hour practices.

The Garden

Remember our little garden? Well, it has grown and is baring fruit!! We have harvested lettuce, zucchini, and squash. We are also waiting on many green tomatoes to grow and ripen. I highly recommend a garden if you're looking for a family project. We are having so much fun with ours!

Time Trials and a Trip!

 Last weekend was soooooo busy! We started off Saturday morning with time trials. It was not an official meet, but a chance to time yourself at the beginning of the season. The coach uses the times to decide which swimmers to put in the first "A" meet.  As a nine year old, Madeline has to swim 50's rather than last year's 25's for all strokes except butterfly. Below, she is wrapping up her 50 freestyle with a strong lead in her heat!

Go Maddie!  First in her heat with some time to spare!

Celebratory shaved ice! Maddie will swim freestyle and backstroke (eek!) in the "A" meet.  She has never done backstroke in even a "B" meet before.

After the time trials, we hit the road with Grandma Connie and headed up to New Jersey for a surprise birthday party for Uncle Josh! What a surprise it was!

 After the surprise party, we spent the night with our cousins at their adorable new house!  Before heading back to Nova, we spent some time along the shores of Lake Mohawk burning up some energy before the long car ride home.  It was a busy but very fun weekend!

Raystown Lake

Camping trip #2 of the season was to Raystown Lake, PA. Getting there was a hike after a full day of work, but it was worth it. The mountains were beautiful!  We joined another set of cousins this time, and had fun playing at the beach and in the water.

The morning was cool and cloudy, but when the sun came out, it was gorgeous!

 Did Madeline want to try out the water trampoline? What do you think?

Sooo, I suffer from daily back pain. It's not really sleeping on the hard ground that bothers it, but the standing at a less than a 180 degree angle when getting in or out of the tent that is painful. So, while we have that lovely tent to the left, I really think I'd like that pop-up to our right. Unfortunately, our pocketbook says to just take some advil.

The Cardboard Boat Regatta

We love the annual boat race!  Last year, Madeline vowed to enter, and luckily, our school's SACC program entered the contest and built a boat.  It even won "Pride of the Regatta," the best pre-race award given.  Most of the decorated pieces were removed for the actual race.

The boat participated in three different categories. Madeline is in the back in the above picture (you can't see her) and in the middle in the bottom picture.

What a memorable day!

Memorial Day Camping

Just like last year, we spent Memorial Day camping at Burke Lake with our cousins.  We played at the campground's park, rode bikes, enjoyed icecream from the parlor, and took a walk around the lake.