I can't believe it's almost September already. It was like Summer happened in a matter of days! At first we were swimming along. Literally. Henry and Sam spent most of each day in the water. Henry can pretty much swim now. He has to gain more coordination in his arms and legs but, it's strictly a developmental thing. He can pretty much paddle across the pool without any help. He can stand and sit dive like the rest of him. "All Pro" is what one of the instructors called him! It's amazing how quickly these kids grow before your eyes.
Sam started doing "water adaptive" this summer. 
This is basically one on one play with the instructor. The instructor introduces the child to playing in the water and helps them get over the fear of water. At first Sam was scared and wouldn't let go of the person as if his life depended on it. And when he did start liking it, he didn't realize that it was bad to drink the water and he ended up throwing up in the pool a couple of times, which made class end abruptly. But, he was learning! By the second session, Andy, his instructor was whipping him around and dunking him in and out of the pool without any trouble. At any given time you could look in the pool and he would be smiling this big smile. When he came out of the pool, his lips would literally be blue from the cold but, he would be smiling nontheless.
Of course Summer wouldn't be Summer if we didn't do our usual. Of course, for Sam's birthday we went to Roaring Camp and saw Thomas. This time, we went early in the day and it was perfect. We rode the train in the morning, ate an overpriced barbeque lunch, and then did all Thomas related activities till the afternoon. After that, Cindy and Mary opened up their house to us and we had burgers, cake and broke open the Thomas pinata. Oh, and Henry the Magician performed for the first time! He got this Magic Kit from Bobo and Casey for his birthday and he loved it. He practiced all the week before for his audience and his act was pretty flawless (except when Mom, the useless assistant, accidently gave away the trick to a trick!)
We also did our usual of going to the Strawberry Festival. This year it was held in Ramsey Parkrather than downtown Watsonville. We parked next to Target and walked down to the festival. We found the tastiest Strawberry Funnel cake in the world!! Seriously. I could talk about this funnel cake for days. It was crispy and covered with powdered sugar and topped with icecream, strawberries, whip cream and chocolate sauce. We devoured it! The kids colored strawberries and Henry rode the rides and even participated in a show with Ronald McDonald. 
We got the chance to use our neighbors, Liam and Callum's slip and side. We also spent plenty of time in the Park. We even got to go to Bonfonte Gardens and the San Francisco Zoo. Sam is so not a baby anymore. He has become increasingly active and engaged in everything. The Zoo was the best because he loved looking at all the animals.
A parental highlight was being able to see our friend Amy Jo a few weeks ago. She was visiting Santa Cruz for the weekend and we all got together to have brunch at this place in Felton and then hang out at Mark and Marla's new home there. Mila and Chas and Amy's friend Camille were there too. We didn't think to get a reservation for 10 people so we had to wait for a bit but, the food was yummy. Sam was real upset for me for not getting him a doggy bag for his pancakes! 
Speaking of doggy bag, we also got to meet M&M's doggy "Maynard". He was such a sweet and huge puppy! He's part Boxer and from the size it looks like part Great Dane as well! Mark and Marla literally saved him when they found him at the animal shelter. Henry had a grand time taking pictures of the pooch. I'm seriously thinking about entering some of his pictures into the fair next year!
Speaking of which the fair is definately a sign that Summer is closing and fall is coming. We managed to go to the Monterey County Fair this year. Unfortunately, it wasn't "all that." The venue was small and cramped. Parking was on a golf course and the inept idiot who directed us to parking (after I paid 8 bucks to park) made me park my car right on top of a yellow jacket nest!! Henry was stung right on the face! Luckily I was able to swat the bee away and pull the stinger out of Henry's face before a lot of the poison got in. I then took the icy water bottle I had for the trip and told him to put it on his face. He didn't have a huge bite but, poor kid, was so upset. I was so angry! The guy who told me to park there promptly told me to move to another space but, I was so angry I almost couldn't speak. The rest of the fair was sort of boring after that. They try to cram so much into such a small space and the kiddie rides were tucked away on the whole other side from the adult rides. The food was good though and the important thing is the kids had mostly a good time but, I like our fair better by far. I've entered a few things this year and I'm glad to say this is the first year Henry has entered something too! He did a collage/mixed media about (what else) games!! It turned out really good and he was so proud of it.
Well, that's it. By the time I post this, school will have already started. I can't wait.
