Summer Week 8

So I am behind in blogging. Vacation tends to do that to me. The prep at home and work to go on vacation leaves little time to blog and then while on vacation there is no time (or computer) to blog with.

Finally I get home, vacation is over and I have SO MUCH to blog, but getting caught up with work and home means no time to blog again for a bit.

So I'll play catch up for a while.

 

The weekend between week 7 and 8 Ally spent visiting Grandma Debbie and Poppy. They had a blast. Lots to tell about that.

 

Summer Week 8 was another week at Spanish Camp with a few other phone times.

 

One evening Ally and I walked to her old school to play on the playground there.

 

We went to the park because basically Ally was too tired to do anything at home. Seriously - everything we tried ended in a melt down so I used the old stand by of a walk in the stroller and she was game. We stopped and got her a bagel and some water on the way and after she ate she was excited to play on the structures.

 

 

We each got haircuts. I love this picture above, because Feri told us she made Ally stand up because Ally was so tired she was nodding off in the chair and at one point Feri was holding Ally's head in place by grasping her hair! Needless to say Ally was tired. (this was the day after the playground time above)

 

 We let Ally choose how long or short. She was pretty excited for shorter hair again after the summer heat. And she was pleased with the new barrette Feri put in her hair. (But of course she has not worn it since.)

 

Becky and I realized that Spanish Camp was part of the reason for Ally's exhaustion. One of the things we learned and then forgot over the summer about Ally in the bi-lingual / immersion situation is how exhausted it makes her. Ally works so hard to pay attention, to listen, to figure out what is going on in Spanish that it tires her out much more so than a one language situation does.

And when Ally is tired she wants to eat less than usual. So then she has less physical and mental energy. Becky and I are already working on some strategies to support Ally in school this year.

 

 

Spanish Camp this week focused on countries of Latin America; Peru Venezuela, Mexico and Chile. Each day they did a craft that pertained to the country. At the end they got pretend passports with stamps from each country.

Above - the dove and a tree

 

 

the Alpaca (Chile)

This is a model of a farm.

 



 

Then on the last day they had the parents come in and listen to them sing a song about what they learned. It was pretty cute.

 

Then on Friday we had Thora and her family over for a farewell dinner. They are moving to New Zealand at the end of the month. We will miss them dearly and wish them the best of luck in their new adventure.

 

A flashback picture to Labor Day 2009. From left to right; Thora, Noah, Ally and Miro. Ally is the only one left. Miro moved away to Philadelphia in Jan 2010, Noah moved back to England in the Fall of 2010 and now Thora is moving to New Zealand in September 2012.