The Summer of '16: Hot, dry, and full of fun

Hi all,
 It's Labor Day: Sept. 5, 2016. School starts in two days - fifth grade for Matty and first grade for Sophie. I feel so blessed and lucky to have such beautiful, smart children.
 As I write this, your Grammy is here. She has been staying with us since Saturday. We really enjoy having her. She stayed for quite a spell in July - nearly two weeks with a couple of days break in the middle - while Aunt Julie and Val were on vacation in Europe.
 So, as summer (sigh) draws to a (sigh) close, here are the highlights:
 - We went to Seabreeze - twice! The first one didn't turn out great. Matty had a ball on the BearTrax ride (junior rollercoaster), but then he and I made the ill-fated decision to ride the Tilt with Sophie. It basically goes left and right, left and right, and churns your stomach for several minutes. Sophie

loved it and said she wanted to "thank whoever invented this!" Matty and I hated it, but I brushed it off. Matty, however, felt sick to his stomach and soon was resting at Grammy's, just down the road. So he didn't get to enjoy the Water Park. He wanted to go back, however, and this past Saturday we did just that. And while Sophie enjoyed her first times on the tube slide during our first visit, this time it was Matty's turn! He really enjoyed it as well. We just love Seabreeze. It's so summery...
 - Sophie went to see her first pop idol: Sabrina Carpenter of the Disney TV show Girl Meets World. Mom and Auntie E took her to Darien Lake in June, and they stayed the night. She had a blast!
 - Matty and I went to Fenway Park with Uncle Doug and Cousin Mark on Saturday, July 23. The Sox lost to the Twins, but we had a great time! The Twins third base coach, Gene Glynn, was the Red Wings manager and got us tickets. He also gave Matty an MLB baseball. And we stayed at my favorite Boston hotel, The Midtown. Good times! (We even talked to and from the hotel to the ballpark on a very warm evening).
 - Baseball was a big part of our lives this spring/summer. Sophie played softball (along with soccer) and often had two games on the same Saturday. Matty played Little League baseball for TK's Pizzeria and made the All-Star 10-Under B team. He got to compete with a great bunch of kids with the tournament mostly in Greece. They made it to the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Gates.
 - Matty and I went to a Red Wings game with his buddy Jake and Jake's dad, Jeff. Matty also went to a game with his cousin Colby and Colby's friend, Max. And then the four of us - Mom, Dad, Matty, Sophie - went to a game last Thursday. The Wings won 1-0, and we sat right behind home plate! Sophie got over her fear of Spikes and Mittsy by hugging both of them. A great night.
 - Ice cream was a big part of our lives, too! We went to the Pittsford Dairy, the Chill and Grill in Palmyra, Tom Wahl's, and Papa Jack's in Victor. We went yesterday to a place called Seneca Farms (with Grammy) in Penn Yan. We loved the fried chicken there but didn't get the ice cream because we were so full. I really wanted a banana milkshake! We are going tonight to the Chill and Grill!
 - We swam A LOT in our pool. I mean, a lot. This was one of the greatest summers in our lives. Very warm, very little rain, just a great old-fashioned summer! We love our pool. Matty got inspired by the swimmers at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and has been practicing the backstroke, breaststroke and other moves. He looks like a natural! Sophie must have jumped into the pool 1,000 times this summer.
 - We took our annual week-long summer vacation to Fair Haven in early August. It was so much fun. Matty learned how to kayak by himself! We will be back next year, too.
 - Matty and I watched a lot of Red Sox games on our MLB app. The Sox are actually good this year, so it made for some fun (and occasionally frustrating) viewing.
 - We hosted our annual Memorial Day picnic for both families, and we went to the Fourth of July parade and then Uncle Doug and Aunt Terry's for a picnic. We took Grammy to that one. We sure did miss Missy, though. We also took Grammy to the Penfield fireworks the Saturday before the Fourth. We sat in the van at the Target parking lot. It was a great show!
 - We went to Julie Stuart's annual "school is over" party in late June, and we hosted a "Neighborhood Hooky Day' for the neighbors the following week. Lots of swimming, food, and laughs.
 - We went to a drive-in movie! We drove to Avon to see Pete's Dragon, a Disney film, along with Aunt Julie, Val, Sara and her kids Colby, Jackson and Maddox. I liked the atmosphere of the drive-in, but not so much the movie.
 - Matty had sleepovers at Jake and Caden's house, and he had Brady sleep over here. And Sophie had a kindergarten reunion with her buddies Natalie, Lily, Maddie, Ally, Cassidy and Madeline.
 - Aunt Bars retired from ThermoFisher after 43 years! This happened last week. What will she do with her time? Also, Matty got glasses and Sophie lost her two front teeth!
 It was a fun summer but a different one. This was the first summer Mom and Dad weren't here at home for most of it. In the past, I always have the Red Wings games at night. Last summer, I started working at the University of Rochester but Mom lost her job at the dentist office. She is now working for a dermatologist right down the road. Haley Indorato and (sometimes) Erin Lally were your sitters. It had its moments, but we got through it OK.
 - Tuesdays were fun for you guys, too, because Grammy and Aunt Lisa came over to spend the day with you and Mom.
 I hate when summer ends, but I know fall will be fun, too. And before we know it, we will be planning our "bucket list" for another fun summer!
 Love you so much,
 Dad