FFF- FREEDOM!!!

Okay, I'm going totally rogue with the FFF theme!! It was supposed to be "Junio/June" but since I have a huge backlog of pictures I'm combining FFF with today's pictures. School finished for the year at 11 AM this morning!!!!!! Only caught Julia's happy escape...

 

since Mari was over at the middle school which let out at the exact same time!! [Wouldn't dream of 'embarrassing' a new 8th grader!!!]

Three weeks ago I was wondering if I was ever going to get to say this......

POOL IS OPEN!!!!!

  

Chicago has finally decided to think about letting summer come for a visit this year. After an afternoon birthday party jumping herself into dehydration at a trampoline bash, Mari was begging for an inaugural trip to our public pool. Julia was in total agreement.

I cannot even begin to tell you how nice it was to watch Mari frolic in the pool!! 7th grade has been a VERY difficult year to say the least. Her peers, her hormones, and her math teacher all converged into an emotional super storm which we can only pray has moved on... leaving 8th grade to occur on smoother waters!!!!

Texting....what else could drag her out of the water?!?! But it was good news!

 

Two more besties had texted to say they had decided to come to the pool as well. 'The Survivors', as she now refers to her clique, reconvened for the third time in one day!!

...and the frolicking resumed!!! As the night came to a close her besties challenged the very apprehensive Mari to open her summer with a bang...

..or a jump to be exact?!?! Mari finally got up the nerve to mount the stairs to the high dive and take the plunge (:  Sometimes peer pressure can be a good thing!!!!!!

Now this is where I'm supposed to say "Here's my favorite picture of the day/week" for FFF. But I am finding it very difficult to decide this week!!!

There's just something about this picture that screams JULIA to me!! Left alone to open the pool without her BFF/Cousin Deirdre [who boarded a plane today for a two week vacation...gasp how dare she abandon Julia for that long?!?!?] my easy going littlest made her own fun. Add the fact that I'm amazed that I actually caught the moment on my camera and I'm conflicted !!!

....because there's also this one!!!!!! 

Sigh, my life can be so nearly perfect on days like this one has been.

To see more FFF posts head on over to Nora's blog  [where you might actually find people who cooperated with the announced theme!]