July 2014

As I mentioned in my June update, shortly before the end of school, we learned about a FREE, 5-week summer camp offered through the county school system for rising 7th and 8th graders.  Value in Prevention (VIP) camp included half a day of sports (John chose mixed sports, with indoor games such as Capture the Flag, Freeze Tag, and others) and a half day of mini-classes such as technology, arts & crafts and, John's favorite, cooking.  It also included a field trip once a week.  Two of the trips were to water parks, and since John is not a strong swimmer, he chose not to go.  He also chose to take the third week of camp off so he could have some free time.  Remember, he had just gotten back from a week of scout camp, followed by VIP camp, which was then going to be followed by a week of traveling (more on that in the August update).  He needed the break!  By missing the middle week, he also missed a trip to the Maryland Science Center.  We'll have to go there on our own another time.

He did enjoy one field trip to Medieval Times, however.  You'll remember that we had gone there during Spring Break last year and it had inspired him to write an epic poem.  He loved it so much that he is brainstorming ideas to turn bringing groups there into a business.

Lyn also attended camp, but just for a week.  Every year our church runs a sleepaway camp for all the girls 12 and older.  This year, amazingly, it was held at Pocohontas State Park--where Dan and Margie had been for Bike Virginia.  The theme was "Go For the Gold," and all of the activites were centered around increasing their spiritual stength and endurance.  Lyn had a great time!  She's a little nervous about next year, though, since one of the fourth year activities is a 10 mile hike!

Last month, Dan's sister Deb celebrated her 50th birthday with a big party.  For her present, Lyn and Margie treated her to a girls day out.  We started with pedicures, had some lunch, and then ended by seeing the movie, Maleficent.  The movie was fantastic, and we had all had a great time!

During John's week off of VIP camp, he celebrated his 1/2 birthday.  We like to celebrate in the summer, rather than on his real birthday in January, because it is always so crazy around the holiday season (and frankly, Mom is tired!).  He and some boys from church got together to play laser tag and eat pizza.  Instead of a birthday cake, he decided to have colossol donuts.  Not only are they his favorite, but since he was in charge of his budget this year, it was a great money saver.

John continued to run track, even though the Junior Olympics was over.  On July 19 he participated in his last track meet of the season.  It was held in Newport News, several hours away, and the coach had recommended we all get hotel rooms.  Well, the Remmers Family are now campers extraordinaire!  We found a great little campground nearby to stay the night.  Our spot was right near a little pond, and THE FROGS WERE SO LOUD!!!  It was part funny, part amazing, and part annoying.  LOL

Anyway, John did an OK job at the meet.  He beat his seeded time in all three races, but did not set any personal records. 

Last track meet of the year.  John is off and running!

We headed home and, as luck would have it, found ourselves in Williamsburg at dinner time.  We got to take the kids to Food for Thought, the restaurant Dan and Margie had been so impressed with on there trip earlier in the summer.

The day after we got back, Dan's cousin, Karen Pida had an art reception at the Reston Community Center.  Only Dan and Lyn went, because Margie and John had another commitment, but they had fun catching up with relatives they hadn't seen in awhile and admiring Karen's beach-themed art work.

Meanwhile, John and Margie attended a district-wide fireside, put on by the missionaries in our area.  John's piano teacher had asked us to expose him to as many different kinds of music as possible, and Margie thought this concert would be the perfect thing. Unfortunately, it wasn't as music-focused as she had expected.  Still, it was very uplifting, and we were glad we went.

The following weekend, Lyn attended a babysitting certification class held by the Red Cross.  Now that she is 14, she is really excited to start babysitting for real--and for money.  This is especially important, since her birthday meant the end of her allowance.  She's now old enough to make her own money if she wants it!

It's official!  Lyn's ready to babysit!

Did I say birthday?  14????  Yep, it's true.  Lyn turned 14 at the end of this month.  What a delightful young woman she's turning into!  She wanted to have two different parties--one for her family, and one for her friends.

Her family party was held on her actual birthday.  Awhile back, Dan's brother Tom and his family had visited, and their Dad took everyone out to dinner at one of their favorite restaurants, Cafesano, in Reston.  Lyn was intrigued by their desserts--baklava and cannoli--and resolved to have some for her birthday.  We had originally planned to have the party there, but then we realized that Aunt Debbie (Dan's sister) wouldn't be able to eat either of those desserts, since they both contain gluten. We decided instead to get the desserts to go and pick up some ice cream and strawberries to go with it.  Since Reston is quite far from where we live, Dan's Dad and his wife graciously offered to host.  We were delighted to also include cousin Daria, who was visiting from Germany!

The next day (technically August, but I'll include it here), Lyn hosted her "friend party".  This was the first party where Margie was not involved at all--a little scary!  Lyn didn't have any games or activities planned--just food.  She even made her own cake! The house was filled with a gaggle of giggling girls for a few hours and everyone had a great time.

Lyn made a grasshopper cake (chocolate and mint) all by herself!