Cuddle Buddies

Before camp one morning, Tamar claimed to be tired AND cold, so I tucked her under my "blankie" on the couch for a few minutes.  Daniel immediately claimed that he was also tired and cold, so I tucked him in next to her.
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I heard them talking quietly and when I turned around, I realized that they were making their stuffed toys have a conversation.  I love that they're such good friends.
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--Victoria
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Benji's ukulele lesson (with videos)

At this lesson, he and Chris spent a lot of time working on the song "The lion sleeps tonight."  Chris asked me to sit in on the lessons because that makes things go more smoothly.  Benji always sings when he's playing the ukulele (and Chris joins in).  They don't mind if I sing along, or sing back up, or add some percussion, and we had a fine jam session last Wednesday!

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If you click on the links below, you will see videos of the songs they were playing:
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Barbara Ann (plucking the notes)
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Barbara Ann (strumming)
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Rock Around the Clock

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--Victoria

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Harry Potter Puzzle!

I ordered a Harry Potter puzzle online.  I wanted to get the whole family involved, so I ordered a one-hundred piece puzzle.  OR SO I THOUGHT...  I must have mis-read the description because it turned out to be a one-THOUSAND piece puzzle.

Most of the work was by Victoria and Aaron but Benji also made significant contributions (as did a babysitter who was at our house twice during the puzzle process).

--Victoria
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Air & Space Museum

From some of our adventures earlier in the summer...
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--Victoria
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Summer Camp (Tamar & Daniel go to the Arboretum)

The bonsai trees make the kids look taller... 
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--Victoria
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Vacation with US cousins (part 2) (zip line and frog pond)

Aaron helps Tamar on the zip line.

Daniel (in the blue) and 8-year-old C were big fans of the frog pond.

Benji, heading toward the zip line "tower" (about 6 feet off the ground) from which the kids launched themselves onto the zip line.

Vacation with US cousins (part 1)

The father of two of Aaron's cousins owns a large home in west New Jersey and this kind gentleman and his wife agreed to host all the cousins and their children for a week so that we could have a vacation together.

In addition to the two cousins in question, each of whom brought their sons (and our family, of course), one cousin flew in from Oregon with his two sons, another drove up from North Carolina with her daughter, and one cousin drove in from New York City for a few days.  All told, there were six cousins (and three spouses) in Aaron's generation, and ten cousins in Benji, Tamar, and Daniel's generation (ages 17, 14, 9, 8, five 4-year-olds! and 2).

Benji, Tamar, and Daniel had a fantastic time getting to know their cousins better and hanging out at the pool and several local attractions.

--Victoria

Bob and Mike hang out on the back deck.

Eric introduces 2-year-old A to the joys of a pool.

Despite being a pro with a water gun, 14-year-old S is everyone's favorite cousin.

Daniel is apparently in some kind of negotiation with 4-year-old S while Monica guides A around on a GIANT unicorn floatie.

Tamar was cold and wanted her wetsuit to keep her warm.  Not to be outdone, Daniel insisted on wearing his wetsuit OVER his swim shirt.

When the kids got cold, they just spent a few minutes in the hot tub to warm up again!  (in this photo, Tamar (in her wetsuit) and Daniel and Benji)

Even Aaron spent time outdoors.  He shunned sunscreen the first day but quickly learned the error of his ways.

L (one of our amazing hosts) visits with A and Eric and Loren.

L knows how to win over the kids! 

Monica with her daughter, 4-year old M (who was VERY dubious about the water).