Day 243 of 365

It was open house at McKenna's elementary school this evening, and after meeting her teacher she organized her desk. McKenna inherited the organization gene from me, and do I ever appreciate that trait. I've always said OCD is a gift.

Day 242 of 365

Boy, going back to work is really interfering with my ability to take photos! I shot a few quick ones between arriving home, preparing and eating dinner and then heading to McKenna's karate class. As usual, Lillian is moving at her slow pace again. I don't know how she can run so fast in flip-flops.

Day 241 of 365

My laptop has been so slow lately, and I just didn't have the energy last night to wait for my photos to load. So, I cleaned it up some tonight and things seem to be moving along a little more quickly.

I had the pleasure of photographing my good friends and neighbors - the C Family - last night. The 3 young ladies were so patient with me! After all was said and done, they ran for the playground and I couldn't resist this shot of their sandy feet.

Days 238 to 240 of 365

After McKenna's spa party on Friday night, we hit the road for one last summer weekend at the cabin. McKenna got up on her new kneeboard after a few tries and rode like an old pro. We watched Uncle Bill perform in an air show and Travis and I ran the Rutabaga Fest 5K in Cumberland. The night I have been dreading all summer is now upon me, and tonight when I head to bed I'll actually have to set my alarm. Adios, Summer of '11; it was good while it lasted.

Day 237 of 365

Lillian loves to help with anything garden related. We picked tomatoes and peppers from our own garden today, and I bought some green beans from our favorite "corn guy" as the girls call him. Today she helped snap the end off the beans and I sauteed them with a garlic-soy sauce blend for dinner. They must have been tasty - there are no leftovers!

Day 236 of 365

We are in full party mode here as we get ready for McKenna's spa party on Friday night. I finished the favor bags and mixed up the foot scrub today. Tomorrow we'll mix up the facials and prepare the stations. Still working on the menu for dinner, but I have 48 hours to figure that out...

Day 235 of 365

Lillian wanted to write a letter to her old preschool teacher, so she dictated the text to McKenna and then signed her own name. It went something like this: "Dear Ms. H, I miss you so much. I love you. I am going to Pre-K now so you won't see me. I love you and miss you so much. I love you."

Ah, priceless.

Day 234 of 365

I took Lillian out for some photos tonight, hoping to maybe get some worthy for the Christmas card. This is the perfect representation of her personality. For every 10 of these I got one good one.

Days 231 to 233 of 365

We had a family birthday celebration for the girls' birthdays at the cabin this weekend. They chose a pirate them and once again Aunt Barb made an amazing cake, complete with lots of pirate booty! It's amazing how much cooler the evenings felt, compared to even two weeks ago. A sign of fall's approach, I guess.

Day 230 of 365

I made another batch of corn salad this week, since I ate the entire first batch already. Tried it in a wrap for lunch today and it was divine! The peppers (bell and jalapeno), tomatoes and cilantro are from my garden; corn and cucumbers come from our favorite corn stand.

Day 229 of 365

I blew out the background on this one, but I love McKenna's eyes and smile despite that. Not sure how many more backyard pool days we'll have, so we're making the most of each one.

Day 228 of 365

This was one of those moments when they girls beg me to take their photo. Libby (the lab) loves to sleep on our bed, and, at 11 years old, she does that much of the day. Kenna thought she would add to her comfort with a pillow and blanket, and soon, all 3 of them were snuggled together. Nope, that dog isn't spoiled at all.

Day 227 of 365

The neighbor boys caught a frog last night and made it a home in this bucket. It was fairly large compared to the little frogs we usually find around here, so neither of the girls really wanted to touch it. The last frog they caught ended up dead, so I hope this guy didn't have the same fate.

Day 224 to 226 of 365

Summer got the best of me again and I'm behind in posting. We skipped the cabin last weekend and caught up with the neighbors over a Friday evening bonfire and Sunday afternoon on the porch. The kids played outside for hours and watching them play 'ghost in the graveyard' just brought back so many memories of my own childhood and neighborhood. Where does the time go?

Day 223 of 365

Lillian has recently discovered the Leap Frog video game system. I didn't realize she could turn it on all by herself, but I found her playing it this morning. Guess I need to monitor that a little more closely.

Day 222 of 365

I planted the vegetable garden in June, nearly a month after I typically plant, and it's just starting to produce now. I've got some tomatoes, peppers and herbs, which I added into a fresh corn salad for dinner. Tomorrow I'll make a Caprese salad for lunch - one of my favorite summer meals.

Day 221 of 365

Back-to-school shopping is upon us. As dreadful as it is for me to see the back-to-school section at Target (signaling the near-end of my summer bliss), it excites McKenna to no end. Tonight was the big shopping night, and we managed to find all items on the 3rd grade list. Mission accomplished.

Day 220 of 365

Happy 5th birthday to nephew Gunnar! We traveled to Wisconsin tonight for his Star Wars themed party, complete with Jedi games and light sabers for all. I was reminded again how very different boys and girls are, as I watched 9 crazy boys run around with light sabers and water balloons. My sister-in-law is either crazy or the best mom ever for hosting that party! Hope you enjoyed the day, Guns!

Day 219 of 365

Found this little bugger in one ear of sweet corn. I can't blame him, there is nothing better than Minnesota sweet corn in August. I had four ears for dinner tonight, YUM!

Days 211-218 of 365

Back from a great week at the cabin. We had a number of visitors from the extended Nielsen family (my mother-in-law's family) and spent hours on the water. We had two days of rain which raised the lake level and forced us to raise the dock, but the rest of the days were beautiful. How is it, though, that vacation is so tiring?