Where is Summer?

The weather here is sunny California has been anything but sunny. We have had two weeks of rain, humidity, dark clouds and cold. This is definitely not prime beach weather. Luckily we have been busy enough with other things this week to take our minds off of the weather.
On Tuesday, we spent the afternoon and evening at Disneyland. It's so nice to have an annual pass and not feel rushed to get through everything in one day. We also have rules regarding souvenirs; they aren't aloud to ask for any. It definitely makes for a more pleasant experience.
On Wednesday morning we met with a Muslim religious leader. He was great! He answered questions from the kids, gave them some information about his life and even ended with a joke. He was very sweet and we were so happy that he agreed to meet with us to talk to the kids.
On Wed afternoon Bug worked her first volunteer shift at the vet's office. She had to file a lot of paperwork. The best part of the day was the cat emergency. A cat came in who had been bit by a rattlesnake. So she was able to learn about the steps the vet took to determine what had bit the cat and how to treat it. She even got to look under the microscope to view the cats blood cells and learn how they were different from a healthy animal's.
Last night Bug and I also had a lengthy discussion about being a writer. It was great, she has so many ideas and doesn't know how to keep them all in order. We discussed why proper grammar and a varied vocabulary are important. We talked about ways to keep all of her ideas a bit more orderly. But we also had a great discussion about not letting other people's preconceived ideas on a subject inhibit her. I this helped her to understand that she could write wherever he imagination takes her. She was also feeling like people would think less of her because she wants to write books for young children. So we talked more about incorporating her art in to the books. I think she walked away from this feeling much more confidant about the whole process. This conversation also brought us back to the subject of her art. She was finally at a point to understand that you don't have to draw perfectly to be great at painting etc. She always had a hang up with this. She is an excellent colorist and was finally (after a year) ready to hear it. So now she is considering picking up painting again in the fall. (I was secretly very happy, she has had no self confidence in this area for a year because of one mean teacher.)
Lastly, just to show the contrast in my older two children, Frodo checked out Stephen Hawking's A Briefer History of Time from the library. He read the book at the park while is little brother hung upside down. :)