August

August brought in the beginning of the end of summer.  School started halfway through the month.  Auggie was ecstatic to come back to the classroom (2nd Grade: Teacher Mr. Geen).  Ella, who had just started getting used to her preschool did not want to return after a weeklong break.  Fortunately, the second (third?) time around was a much faster adjustment. 

This month, Auggie also joined a rock climbing team, after deciding that he no longer wanted to do gymnastics.  Agnieszka now happily takes Auggie and Evan rock climbing whenever there is a chance. 

Meanwhile, Ella is working hard at becoming a very good doctors.  She fixes most knee, finger and head pain by listening to them with her stethoscope and then giving every body part a therapeutic "covid shot".  

Auggie and Ella prepping green beans for dinner

Another fun trip to Muir Beach!! 

Chicago!!

Our second exciting trip of the summer was a visit to Chicago, where our dear friends had recently moved. Auggie and Maya have been friends since they were both 2 years old and in preschool together.  Over time, our families have gotten very close, and when Maya's family decided they had to leave California, we were really sad to see them go. Fortunately, no one is too far away, and a few months after they left, we booked our first tickets to Chicago!

We landed on a Wednesday, so spent a day exploring the city, and did a fair bit of walking.  We started with the Riverwalk and walked all the way to Maggie Daley Park, where they have a large and beautiful kids park.  Auggie even got to bungee jump on a trampoline. 

The next day, we joined our friends at the Chicago Aquarium. Auggie and Ella both love sea animals (thank you Octonauts!) so everyone had a great time. 

After our aquarium trip, we went to a small Polish restaurant and had delicious pierogi and potato pancakes. 

In the evening, while the kids played, adults got to enjoy wine and games. 

The next day included neighborhood walks and a pool day at the local public pool.

Auggie and Maya in PJs after their sleepover.  
We loved visiting our friends and hope to see them again soon.