End of Summer Break

The days on the calendar seem to have run out on us and its back to school time. I had let the kids choose one last summer "hoorah!" before they went back to the classroom but other things got in the way (like time and weather) and we weren't able to make a trip to the zoo or the beach.

But, we squeezed some activities into the last few days, some were fun and some were not so fun--

The Apple store

Who would have thought that the longest excursion we would have taken would be to the Apple store to replace the recalled battery in the iPhone. I had an appointment but the store was crazy crowded with people all wanting their batteries replaced, etc. I was told 45 minutes,  but 3 hours later we were still waiting.

The iPads held the kids attention for a little while and we walked the shops in the shopping center as well.

Photos

I realized that I hadn't the kids photos taken professionally since last August. I made an appointment at one of the kid-centric in and out photography studios and we went for a photo shoot.

The kids being put in place for a photo. What is this backdrop? It looks like it belongs in some dilapidated house. Whose walls look like that? I should have said something, but the kids were happy and compliant and I didn't want to jinx it with a backdrop change.

These places can be hit or miss sometimes, depending on the kids moods and the photographer's interaction with the kids. This time it was a hit. Our photographer was very good. My only complaint was I didn't like one of the backgrounds. I like plain backdrops.

You can see some of the finished products in the blog header.

We also had some photos taken of Chloe in her race suit that came out nice.

Stuffed Animals -

We had lunch and then I got conned into going into Build-a-Bear. Oliver declared he didn't have enough stuffed animals and gave me a sob story on how stuffed animals help him sleep at night and not be scared. Then he let me know that he saw a commercial on TV and that they had a Spiderman bear that he wanted.

The kids making the hearts come to life.

Emma with her bunny we named "Honey".

A tie-dyed naval officer bear. She wanted a camo soldier outfit but I told her that clashed too much with the tie-dye.

Oliver with his spidey bear he named...Jeff. Of course.

The kids are ready for school. The backpacks are filled with supplies and summer's coming to a close.