Week 29: Swimmin'

That's what Charlotte says all the time now: "Swimmin'?" She asks for her swimmin' suit and swimmin' diaper, and she's ready to head to the pool at any moment. Last week we went not once but twice. Tuesday there was a cub scout party at the lazy river pool, and on Friday we went to our local pool. Zach was happy for us to get some shots of him underwater, Gabe loved floating and also walking between the pool and lazy river (which he called the maze). Charlotte enjoyed the slide and is getting used to sort of floating/swimming with her puddle jumper. We are feeling a little more relaxed at the pool this year with Zach on his way to swimming, Gabe less afraid of the water, and Charlotte able to touch in the shallowest areas.

Other stuff going on: I love this mug Frank got for me at Starbucks in Las Vegas.

Gabe lost two teeth in a week or so. One of the top ones was already gone, so now he's got three out. We are always relieved when they fall/get pulled out because then he's complaining less about eating!

And possibly saving the biggest news for last, we've been putting Charlotte in underpants during the day for the last week or so. A lot of signs say she's ready to start potty training, but we're not so sure. She cooperates some of the time but isn't able to tell before she goes. We're just cleaning up a few puddles and doing a lot of laundry. She doesn't like pull-ups, but she's okay with us putting diapers back on at night.

Week 28: At home and away

Summer continues to speed along and have very little routine, which, frankly, is driving me nuts. In addition to a fun couple of days with friends we had eye doctor appointments, yoga, speech therapy, etc. During Jen and the kids' visit we went to the pool, and the rest of the time was spent playing, doing art, taking turns on the video games, and watching movies. We hated to see them go, but I was ready for a rest, because somehow I ended up sick by the end of the week.

We said goodbye to a bunch of stuff, including the crib!

The boys were looking for "secret buttons" at the eye doctor's office.

At one point some friends from our neighborhood were over, so there were nine kids!

Unfortunately, Frank missed all the fun. He was away for work, doing such tedious things as eating out every night, attending a Maroon 5 concert, and hearing Kevin Spacey speak (with a little IT conference thrown in). I know he was having fun, but we were happy to have him back on Saturday.

Weeks 26 & 27: I can literally swim

Oh, so much going on and nothing going on at the same time. Tons of time at home and no time to go through pictures. Here's what we've been up to:

Swimming. Zach had two weeks of daily lessons during which he "literally learned how to swim." He's so impressed and excited and kept saying that over and over, along with how he just couldn't believe it. After about one day he moved down a level in the lessons because he was too scared to start going in the deep end, but it ended up being a good thing. One of the lifeguards suggested he try using goggles, and it made all the difference. He can now go under water without holding his nose and is getting his arms and legs coordinated to propel him. We're so proud. He was very eager to go back each day and practice more, even a couple days when the water was cold and the lifeguards didn't even want to get in!

After a few days of having to sit there for an hour for Zach's lesson we all went back to the pool in the evening, after a Dairy Queen stop of course. Charlotte loves her new Minnie suit and chasing Gabe around the sprinkler area. Zach, in a you-can't-make-this-up moment, slid in the mud between Dairy Queen and the pool.

Around the house the kids have spent lots of time playing, watching YouTube on the TV and tablets, reading, and doing art.

Burgers on the grill get a thumbs-up from Zach.

The boys decided they wanted me to move some furniture in their room. We swapped the couch and one of the beds. We're always changing it up.

Second annual fireworks on the driveway...it was a big hit again. 

I took about a hundred photos that looked like this, lol.