I gave Jack my phone to take the above video of Dorothy diving into the pool, and he returned it with a million selfies which is exactly like his dad.

(There were bout 24 variations of this pose)

I gave Ben my phone to take a picture of my mom and me after dinner on Friday night, and I found these:

I addition, at least, to this:

My parents were in town for the AMERICAN GIRL SALE!!!!!

Even though Dorothy has 7 American Girl dolls (4 girls of the year and 3 historical dolls), 2 Bitty Twins, a Bitty Baby, and 3 more girls waiting in boxes in the basement (Molly, Emily, and Samantha), we went ahead and bought Caroline and Addy anyway because they are so cute.  And tons and tons of clothes.  And a couple of books because we are not Philistines.

I only took one picture, and it was of this guy incongruously ready The New Yorker in the line up tent with a million ladies our ages and their Thirty-One bags:

The lady in front of us was from North Carolina, and I was so confused.  I mean  the dolls are like $25 cheaper than the store, and the clothes are about $10-15 off-- by the time you come all the way here from North Carolina, there's no way any of it is a good deal.  But maybe, like us, she loves the thrill of competitive shopping.  The only real steal is the books ($1-3!!) and  the Truly Me dolls that are $58.

I didn't know anything about Mary Ellen before I saw a sign on the way in telling me she was sold out, but now, I really want to snag her next year.  I know I could order her from the website right now, but that's not the point.  I am into the thrill of the hunt.  Yes, yes.  I did just read that whole paragraph again and realize something's wrong with me.  It's OK.  I am working through it.  By ignoring it, obvs, and continuing to buy AG dolls like a literal crazy person.

In other news.

Dorothy's rec center ballet class started up again and it still delightfully adorable.

 Our dryer broke at 2:30 on Friday afternoon.  There's a guy coming on Monday, but until then, this:

 We had lunch on the Terrace on Saturday before my parents went home, and it was really fun.  Also, there is a super food side salad that was totally perfect with a grilled chicken patty thrown in.

 Pool Dorothy might edge out Ballet Dorothy as my favorite Dorothy.

 Pool Cooper is pretty fun, too.

 And!  We finally made Cooper's mini-golf dream come true.  But the place was packed, so we did the indoor course, which we had all to ourselves.

 And the kids finished with ice cream while Ben and I drooled and entered our skinnytaste enchilada dinner on My Fitness Pal in anticipation.

I have lost 2 pounds!  But I am still my fattest ever! This week, we look forward to dryer repair and fighting about signing the kids up for their fall activities (Harry: fall baseball, football, and hockey; Jack: Cub Scouts, gymnastics, and his reading tutor; Cooper: hockey (he is not a huge fan of classes and is going to 4K 5 mornings a week, which I am sure will be a huge adjustment); Dorothy: ballet/hip-hop, gymnastics, and ice skating).  So, look forward to hearing about that.