[Look what I found: a lost blog post! I think I must have written it right before our beach trip, but never posted it. Enjoy!]

On a recent Monday, a lady from our church invited us and three other families for a pool party complete with a hot dog lunch because her "grandsons all live out of town, and I need some little ones to come enjoy all this!" We had a fantastic time! It was a great opportunity for the girls and I to get to know some of the other moms and kids from church, and the girls loved having several hours to just play with their friends.

Following up with Bug's interest in movie special effects, we discovered Khan Academy's "Pixar in a Box" program. It includes a series of short videos explaining how animated special effects are made, punctuated by simple animation programs that let you experiment with the effects they've been discussing. Bug hasn't worked through all of it yet, but she had a blast creating her own falling water and fireworks.

Bug finally got to start her violin lessons! She really likes her new teacher and has been thrilled with how quickly it's come back to her. Right now he's just having her practice scales and the songs she played with her last teacher, so he can get for where she's at and what to do next.

We love the Olympics! Watching the endless stream of talented athletes and cheering for the US are always entertaining, and of course they're full of learning opportunities: We've discussed different countries; their geographic locations, flags, and languages; the basic rules of a wide variety of sports and the skills it takes to play them (judo, tennis, handball, water polo, soccer, gymnastics, swimming, diving, fencing, rugby, beach volleyball, track & field sports); good sportsmanship; and the history and importance of the Olympics themselves.