Wrapping up the summer

Oh how time flies!  We are already into the 2nd week of August.  I am back at work, so I've gotten a bit behind in posting how we've been wrapping up our summer.

First of all, Ashish finished his Microbiology course last week and we are rejoicing.  It's nice to have him back!  He took us on a mini-vacation over the weekend.  We headed down to Sacramento (yes, again - but there are so many great things for kids to do there) on Saturday morning and were back by 4pm on Sunday when Ashish had to work.  On Saturday we visited a kid's amusement park called Funderland.  Priya got to ride her very first roller coaster as well as several other fun rides.  Here's a glimpse of the fun that we had together.

Josiah was too small to enjoy the rides first-hand (at nearly 9 months old), but he loved seeing so many new things.  He loves being outside and taking in the sights.  By the way, he finally got his first tooth (bottom middle tooth on the left) at 8 months and 1 week.  By the end of that week a second one had sprouted through (bottom right).  He loves to stand up and can hold himself up very well.  He's not crawling but lunging forward and is practicing being on his knees more so we're wondering if that milestone might just be around the corner.

 

I took Priya on her very first rollercoaster.  She loved every second of it, screamed with delight and had her hands up in the air for the 2nd half of the ride.  Brave girl!

She and Daddy got to fly an airplane.  Uncle Harv would have been proud. :)

 

Another fun experience was the log ride - much more laid back and slow but fun nonetheless.

We spent some time in the park afterwards and had fun playing with Daddy and climbing trees.

 

 

Priya finished up her swimming lessons at the end of July and has come a really long way since then.  She started out strong the first couple of days but had a dramatic turn after that and was pretty timid (she cried, didn't want to be in the water) and was much more interested in doing her own thing rather than following the structure of the class.  But towards the end of her class I began taking her swimming at the pool at my in-laws' apartment complex to practice what she had been learning in her class and before we knew it her confidence grew, her fear decreased, and she was excited about swimming once again.  Below is a glimpse of her last day of swim class.

This was definitely her best day.  She had just overcome her fear of going under water and was very excited to share her new skill.  She kept saying, "Going underwater is my FAVORITE!"

 

Note her little happy shoulder dance after going under water.  She was so proud of herself.

 

They had a little graduation ceremony at the end of her last class.

 

And finally one last pic of our little cutie.  He's a big fan of the water too and has been joining Priya and I in the pool.  It's amazing how many of the movements are instinctive.  He kicks his legs and flaps his arms like he's trying to swim.  Such a smart boy.  :)