Summer kids

These two little nuts have had quite a summer.
By the time school starts they will have taken three trips: Cocoa Beach, Florida in June.  Washington D.C. in July.  Door County in August. 

They have made elaborate forts in their rooms and invented a game where Coen is "the Guy"--a bad guy who looks like Coen (but isn't Coen according to the children) usually wearing one of Tad's suit coats and a wool fedora.  (It was quite fun to see how sweaty the Guy got on those 90 degree days.)



This kid spent his entire summer reading. 

He started the Harry Potter series (finally) around July 1.  He is now on book six.  He has read each book followed up by a night time viewing of the movie with one or both of his two parents (and one with his friend Abe.)

He has read his book as pictured to the right, at the park while all the other children run around and play. 

He has read his book during the first six innings of a Washington Nationals game at Nationals Ballpark.

He has read his book in bed, in the car, on an airplane, in my bed, on the couch and in a giant Lego structure he created at the Building Museum in Washington D.C.

This girl has spent the summer learning to read, which is quite exciting.  She reads to us at bedtime now before we read to her.  Late evenings at our house you can hear her little voice sailing down the stairs in request to have the hall light turned of: "Is reading time over?"

She has lengthened and slimmed and looks suddenly like a big kid, rather than a little one.

She has, for the first time ever, been willing to get on and ride her training wheel bike and put on a brave face even when she has fallen off.

She has also begun having play dates sans parents, simply getting dropped off at her friend's house and getting picked up later.


We have had a fun summer in the Kriofske Mainella household.  This weekend, we'll have our last hurrah with Tad's parents in Door County and next week Tad goes back to being Mr. Tad at Highland.