Swimming

The one thing that makes the summer heat bearable is swimming every day. We spend from about 5 pm - 8 pm at the pool, sometimes a little less, depending on morale. Isak, Elina and Anja are taking swim lessons for 35 minutes every evening for a month. Isak and Elina are just doing stroke improvement and learning how to dive. But it is Anja's first time taking lessons, so she is practicing kicking, arm movements, blowing bubbles, back floating and such. Julia is not taking lessons. She has proved to be of the same kind that her brother was - a complete FISH in the water. Give her some water wings and, voila, she goes. And to think I kept her from the pool for 6 weeks for fear of having two non swimmers with me. Julia swam by herself the SECOND day she was in the pool. Last summer she barely got to swim because she would just run into the pool if given half a chance. I think she went swimming a handful of times last year. But this year she is so much easier to have in the pool than Anja. She still tries to jump in, but if she were to actually do it, she'd be okay this year.

The picture and film clip were taken after Anja and Mark went home. Anja complained that she was - wait for it - COLD! So she went with Mark. Heaven help her when we finally get to spend a full summer in Sweden. She'll remain on land all summer, I fear.

Elina's Horse Riding Camp

This was Elina's second year to go to day camp and ride horses. Her favorite horse from last year, Ronnie, had tragically died from colic during the winter. He now grazes the eternal meadows. Instead Elina got to ride May for 5 of the 7 riding sessions. She loves May, and wasn't very happy about riding the slightly more temperamental Tug for the riding session parents attended! But she did great. These pictures show her riding Tug. But he is a beautiful Morgan, 27 years old and a former world champion show horse. In fact, there is not an ugly horse in the whole establishment. And Elina's riding improved a lot this week. I didn't get a variety of pictures this year. Julia is too wild to control while follow the group in various settings. But HERE are pictures from last year, and Ronnie, rest his soul, is pictured there, too.

There's that smile!

Progress and Child Labor

Our new rent house. It will be rented by August 1st - we have a lot of potential renters. We closed 'suddenly' on June 8, after waiting since January for a cloud on the title to clear. So the summer has been rather pre-occupied with this project - which means Mark has spent a lot of time working on it, amazing man that he is, forsaking pretty much all fun things for laboring in the hottest Oklahoma summer on record.  It is a smallish house with 3 bedrooms, about 1150 sf. Lacking other help, Mark has brought Isak to work on the house many times and been very pleased with his abilities and work ethic. Isak power-sprayed the exterior (getting it ready for a new paint job), helped sand the floors and painted tons on the interior and not complained once. (Elina is due to get her share in a few days). Mark paid Isak well enough that he was able to order the Mace Windu Jedi Starfighter lego set that he has wanted for a long time (wo unto to those who oppress the hireling in his wages, right?). Here are some pictures. Ignore the date on them - (Mark took these with his work camera and it needs adjusted.)

EXTERIOR BEFORE:

EXTERIOR AFTER:

It needs a little touch up, but 98% done.
This picture is contrasty and makes it look darker than it is.

LIVING ROOM BEFORE:

LIVING ROOM AFTER:

Window pane has been fixed now.

DINING AREA BEFORE:

DINING AREA AFTER:

HALLWAY BEFORE / AFTER:

one of the BEDROOMs BEFORE:

BEDROOM AFTER:

ANOTHER BEDROOM AND ENTRY:

 The post-construction cleaning crew.

 The post-construction mess- makers. :)
Actually, they played really well in the empty house for a long time.

 A very basic bathroom.

 And a very basic kitchen.

Mark divided the garage into a front and back. This is the back:
A utility room with space for some storage, like lawnmower and bikes.

And the front of the garage he turned into a room. Because of the cement floor we thought it would be cold in the winter with a wood surface. The day Mark went to install the carpet we tore out of our dining room we discovered that it was too small  after all (it had holes from our floor heat/air registers we had forgotten about, among other things). At least we could  use our pad. So Mark and Isak ran down to the Carpet Market, found another piece of carpet and an installer to boot! I did not stay long enough at the house to see the finished product. 

Monkeys!

Isak's 9th Birthday

Isak has not had a party for every one of his birthdays, but this year he did - and ON his actual birthday, July 5th, to boot. He had an all-boy pool party at our sweet neighbor's pool, next door. After an hour and a half of swimming we came over here for birthday cake and some presents. It was by far the best, funnest, easiest (cheapest?) party I have ever hosted. We might repeat next year.

 from left: Luke, Ethan, Daniel, Isak, Benjamin, Sam, Nathan and Isaac. 

And below, reverse:

 Ready for cake!

Happy Birthday, Isak! How did you get to be NINE already? 

Halfway to leaving the nest...

Sailing!

 Isak rigging the optimist pram.

Isak spent 6 days at the lake learning how to sail. I almost cried from happiness when I found this camp. In 2 years Elina will be able to do it as well. Mostly they sailed optimist prams, but they learned about all kinds of boats, and kayaked and canoed as well. They learned how to tie knots, which knots to use for what purpose and how to rig the boats and a plethora of other boat related fun. Isak was the youngest sailor at his camp, most of the kids being 3 or 4 years older. On the last day Isak got awarded "most improved sailor'. They took a test on the last day which Isak passed with an 'A' . 

What a pretty sight! Being at the lake are always the most memorable events of the summer. The kids fell in love with sailing in Sweden in 2008. A very few pictures can be seen HERE  from that summer.


Other boating experiences have been just as loved, here is ONE documented and here are glimpses of ANOTHER. We have talked about getting a boat for years, but I think it is another year out before we actually do.

Julia agreed to smile for the camera, but in reality she wanted to swim. 

And she knows how! 

 Putting on the rudder.

 Ready to go!

 I never saw him get into the opti, but I guess he knew how to climb on board without capsizing.

 Anja and Elina on the big sailboat.

Julia loved it, too. 

There we are (I'm waving).

Han har båt i blodet, den ungen!

 Group photo on the last day.

Isak and his teacher, Cap'n Les.


For another 350 pictures from the camp week, go HERE.

Sooner Flight Academy

Isak attended Sooner Flight Academy day camp - a one week camp that is held at the OU flight school, by Max Westheimer Airport. He had a great week filled with hands-on, flight-related fun projects. But the highlight of the week was Thursday when he got to fly in a small airplane and see Lake Thunderbird and Norman from above. These pictures are from the graduation. Upon viewing my son in the camera I could stand it no longer and ignored his pleas: I chopped off his hair that very afternoon.

Summer At Home

 Elina "grew" caterpillars into butterflies - she bought them with her own money. 
Then she released them.

5 Painted Ladies.

 The Oasis: The neighbor's pool that we use every day, pretty much.

If it rains, the kids RUN outside to play. Praying for more rain, because it has been SOOO hot and dry this summer. Elina has her shirt on backwards, but her smile is on right side up.

Closing

 On June 8th we finally closed on our second investment house. 

We had waited for a cloud on the title to clear for 6 months.
This is Mark at the Title Company. What a dreadful office to work in...

Here is the living room of the house. Now painted beige. 

Mark has spent a lot of time fixing it up to rent this past month and a half.