Week #7 of our summer

Last week, Jaymi had a half-day summer camp called Taste of Dance.  She wanted to take this camp because she loves to dance (she has been through one year of ballet, which she loves), and wants to take tap this coming September.  Taste of Dance allowed her to learn a little bit of 5 different types of dance.

They did a wonderful little performance at the end of the week, that the parents had a chance to watch.

She also had 3 Tae-kwon-do lessons in the past week and a bit.  At the fair last month, she spun a wheel and won a free month of Tae-kwon-do lessons, and we thought we'd try it just to see if she'd like it or not.

She loves it!  There are so many benefits to taking this, and we're trying to sort out whether she will be taking it or not (she's already in a bunch of other classes this coming year).
It will help her balance and co-ordination, her strength, her focus, releasing some frustration and anger in a positive way, and respect.  One of the things I like about this school in particular, is that they give out belt stripes and rewards for reading, helping out at home, acting respectfully at home and at school, and they also check with the teacher as well as the parents before the child can earn the next belt.  They encourage each child to use eye contact when speaking to someone, and act respectfully with integrity, WHEREVER they are.

So, while after Jaymi's first lesson at Tae-kwon-do, we went outside to look at the new fountain that they have built inside the new round-about.  It's timed to music and everything - very cool.

I introduced Jaymi to the game of Yahtzee last week.  That was so much fun.  Actually, fun for all of us to play together.  Good game for strategy.

We also all had fun together in the pool.  We have had the best, hot humid weather lately and have been enjoying it.  Jaymi loved having us all in the pool together.

Jaymi rediscovered her dressup wedding dress.  She has had it for years, in her dressup bin, but has never been interested in it.  She suddenly wanted to wear it, and wanted to see our wedding photo album as well.

Jaymi has always wanted to marry her Daddy, of course, and wanted to have a pretend wedding with him.  So we did a little pretend wedding.  Also, when she asked if Mark still had his tux, and I told her that, although he didn't (of course, it was rented), I still have my dress, she was sooo excited.  She was dying to see it, and then I let her try it on and she loved it!
It was fun, sharing my memories of our wedding with her.

I have also been busy making some new things that I have never tried before.
I made homemade freezies with our vacuum sealer!

I made homemade strawberry-apple fruit leather.

And I made homemade pickles!  And they taste like real pickles too!

Bad news for last week though - Jaymi got stung by a wasp.  She got stung last summer too, and that time, it just came right after her, even though she did the exact right thing by staying very still.  This time, she suddenly started to scream like crazy (our neighbours must have wondered what we were doing to her!) and we realized she was stung on her back.  We have found 4 wasp nests around our house this summer!