Between Here and There

Pictures from the first day of 2nd grade at Hillcrest PDS!

We started for home on Saturday August 10 and after a night in OK we made it home Sunday afternoon. It felt really good to be home! Kyle started teaching that Wednesday so he had to get right back into things. We spent the week unpacking and settling back in.  It was hard to make meals when we return to a completely empty fridge.  We got in some visits to the pool and visit with friends. Monday the 19th Lillian had an audition for a play at the Waco Civic Theatre.  A touring company cam into town to present "The Secret Garden" and she and 40 or so other kids came out to participate.  Tuesday - Friday she had rehearsals for 4 hours a day.  Saturday was the show and she was there from 11-6:30 with 2 shows. She had a ton of fun and I'm glad she got the opportunity. Lillian and the other 7 year olds were Fireflies

After attending the local hot air balloon festival in Lancaster last year, the kids (and Katie too) looked forward to returning to it this summer.  Unfortunately, only three of the balloons launched because it was a little too breezy, but we had a great time nonetheless.   We sat very close to the action, and Kyle and Kermit even helped inflate one of the balloons.    During the slower moments the kids ran around and even 'danced.'

Every summer Lillian and Grammy spend a good deal of time dressing Lillian in clothes from different eras.  Here are a few pictures from this year's sessions. Although he was hostile to the idea, Jack allowed himself to be dressed in some of Kyle's childhood clothes.

One morning we made the short drive from Lancaster to several spots in the Hocking Hills area.  Our first stop was at the Cantwell Cliffs.  We needed a wider angle lens to really capture it, but we did what we could  Headed down to the cliffs area. Next we went to Rock House, which is a cave with numerous openings.  We had to hike down to the valley floor and then ascend up to the cave. After lunch at a bbq place, we went to Lake Logan.  Kyle and the kids enjoyed a short swim.