nadal and serena

jack and kindin are loving tennis lessons this summer.  'serena' enjoys lessons with her friends!
 

and 'nadal' is excelling among the big kids!

an entertainment precedent

family visitors jump-started our summer break to vacation status immediately! the kids were infused with loads of out- of- the- norm, over- the- top excitement that lasted long into the evening with omi and grandpa's visit!  and then again with a visit from same age cousins Sophia, jane, and 'becca'!  just check out this precedent set for the rest of summer: 

we had such a fun time! ... how will i ever keep this up for the remainder of summer?



now i like pink

it had been 10 years since i'd seen my dear friend, susan.  and it was incredibly effortless to pick right back up where we left off as we jetted around Philadelphia together.  reminiscing about our byu days, there were few things we couldn't guess or surmiss about one another's current lives.  truth be told, we could still analyze eachother's food preferences (classic 'carmel' popcorn vs. 'disco monkey' flavor)  the telling question of the weekend was... "i thought you hated pink!?"  yep, susan, i guess the only change to our friendship is... now i like pink!

[memorable moments: middleburgh- a fox and hound/ horse estates kind of preppy in the country; the liberty bell and independence hall where we learned the difference between long s's and short s's in the declaration of independence; readin terminal market for a classic cheesesteak; a deceiving love park; ate at rios twice!]

confident, self-assured, and happy

every mom wonders what their kids are like when gone from their presence.  and i especially wonder about kindin who tends to paint an underwhelming and sometimes pessimistic picture (poor girl gets that from her mom i'm afraid).  these pics were captured by other moms on the last few days of school and they make my heart smile.  i love to see her looking so confident, self-assured, and happy!