End of July 2016

Summer is 2/3s over! :(

She's so particular....first off she needs multiple blankets (on top of the pjs and sleep sack! Don't know how she can sleep with that much heat), then puppy goes on the left and turtle goes on the right but usually turtle isn't covering her face.

Emmalyn is making good progress during swim lessons.

Here's Maxwell's progress for his last class with Coach Katie. She's been his coach since he was 18 months and she is leaving Aquatots.  Pretty bummed about that but we are going to have her come over and teach Maxwell privately and take both kids out of Aquatots.  Maxwell has seen her every week for more than 3 years, it would be so sad if they didn't see each other any more.

Last class - with Coach Jada as well as Katie

Look at that face - she's up to something

She got a wound on her face but keeps picking it so I am keeping a bandaid on so that it can heal.  She is the worst at constantly picking her wounds!

Maxwell and Sanjinuh have been in the same class for awhile and developed a cute friendship.  They are good buds and it's sad that they won't get to see each other anymore.

Taking a nap with Uncle Joe.  Joe and Britt are going to move back in upstairs and so they have moved a bit of their stuff over to our house.

The kids got their passports!  We can all go international now.  Maxwell was super excited.

Look at that cucumber we picked from our garden!

Brittany took Emmalyn to the dealer to get some work done on her car and she sent me this picture and said that Emmalyn had a conversation with the giraffe, "I like your piggy tails.  I like your shoes.  I like your tail"  in the sweetest voice ever.  :)  She is certainly learning how to give compliments.

The owl that we are now using to try and protect the garden from birds.  For Emmalyn, he's another friend to play with.  (She told him she likes his eyes.)

At Kindermusik, Emmalyn decided she wanted to sit with Ms. Carolyn and not Mom.  

Giddy up horsey

I let Maxwell come to Emmalyn's Kindermusik class and he got to sit outside the room and play on his ipad.  The class is in a church that is empty on Saturday so he was safe but it felt like he was so far away and I kept checking on him throughout class.  Of course, he was fine.

Emmalyn likes to play peek-a-boo with the scarf and when she puts it on like this, she wants you to say "Emmalyn where are you?  I can't see you." and then she'll put it off and magically I can see her again.  :)

Last soccer game of the season.  These two have been a great team.

Look at Maxwell getting into the cluster around the ball!  Being around Preston's influence has really helped him be more aggressive during soccer.

Taking charge of the ball

Team picture.  The two boys to the right of Maxwell live in our neighborhood (Griffin and Kinsler but they are moving away which is a bummer.  We've played with them a couple times.)

Emmalyn is doing great at putting together these simple two piece puzzles.  

We spent more time at the FAC, mainly enjoying the lazy river which both kids love.

Tired post-swimming face (and those curls!)

Emmalyn riding her tricycle while Maxwell rides his bike with training wheels

We had a playdate at Luckshya's house (another boy from preschool - this group of boys is really keeping their friendships alive)

Remember how he always had his feet crossed when he was a baby?  It is still his natural tendency today.

Don't these flowers look awesome??  I didn't have to do a thing to get them.  They just came up again from what I planted last year - score!

A fun flashback picture my cousin found of my dad in high school.

I took the kids for dinner at Tokyo Joes.  Max liked using chopsticks.

We now have Coach Katie and Coach Jada coming over to give the kids private lessons next door.  Maxwell's lesson is an hour and Emmalyn's is a half.  I was hoping to stay out of the pool but because Emmalyn is used to having me in there with her for lessons, we are going to have to work on transitioning her to being in there without me.

Maxwell is acting like a teenager - - exasperated sighing and then whining all the time, talking with attitude, arguing and talking back so we had a conversation tonight about that not being okay and there will be consequences.  I sure hope this is a little quick phase.

Emmalyn tells you when she doesn't like something (like beans - "I don't like beans"). And, she's working on learning colors and her default is always purple.

3rd week of July, 2016

Update on the garden front:  I'm getting lots of tomato fruit and the cucumbers are finally growing (after I helped pollinate them).   Nothing else has made it.

Problem:  I had tomatoes finally turning red and then I went out to check on them and see this - - something else is eating them!!! :(  I was so upset because I still have yet to eat a tomato from my plant with all the fruit!

Look at that cucumber I found!!

Cousin time in the pool

I have commenced Operation Protect the Tomatoes.  I am hoping with the chicken wire and soccer goal (don't laugh, I'm doing whatever I can to save my tomatoes) that the birds won't be able to get in there.  Notice how the cucumber vines have taken over?  They have loved the chicken wire.

Apparently this is a topless pool

My first cucumber.  Look at that size!!  I am so excited.  I've never grown cucumbers before and this cucumber looks exactly like what you would buy at the grocery store.  (Although, it's spiky - did you know that cucumbers grow with little prickly spikes on them?  I didn't.)

Sweetly sleeping

Getting my nightly walk in even in the dark.  It may be hot out there but I'm still walking 4-5 nights a week.

More carnage.  How is this happening, even with all the protection I added???

Next step on the protection - a pin wheel to scare away the birds.

Swim time at the Ray's summer sweets.  Emmalyn loves Ozzy.

Happiness= Watermelon in one hand and pizza in the other

The kids swam for awhile and then hopped out for more watermelon (and gatorade for Maxwell - he loves going next door because they always have gatorade for him and that's something he doesn't get at home).

Trying to put out the torch with the water gun.  Once it got dark Maxwell did his magic and said "Abracadabra" to turn on the lights.

Maxwell and Preston yukking it up on the soccer field.

Because these two don't see each other during the week at school all the time, it's been awesome for them to get to see each other at soccer on the weekend.  They are BFF's.

Mr Chris and Mrs Mary Ann came to watch Maxwell play soccer.  We have the best next door neighbors!

My Crepe Myrtle is infested with something.  Ugh.  Something else to figure out. :(  

Weekend fun at the library.  I took the kids by myself and we got some books and then I let them play on the computers for a few minutes.

We stopped at the eye glass store so Maxwell could get his glass adjusted so they would stop falling down on his nose all the time.  They stayed entertained with the new library books.  Maxwell is really loving reading a few chapter book series - Captain Awesome and Heidi Heckelbeck

After glasses, we stopped for slurpees to enjoy while my car got washed.  Emmalyn put her sucker in her straw.  The kids certainly were rewarded for being good sports during our afternoon of many errands - Suckers AND Slurpees.

Sucking on her slurpee?  Nope, her sucker.

Watching the cars get washed

Maxwell spraying the cars as they go through the wash

The next day we took the kids bowling.  Our local alley has a "Kids bowl free" program in the summer so it's pretty cheap for us to go, especially on Sunday morning when there are deals for Peter and I.

After bowling?  Costco of course for our usual Sunday visit.

These kids are fish and can't get enough of swimming so a neighborhood party at the community pool was the perfect thing for a Sunday afternoon.

Watching the ants

Trying to lick the pizza sauce off his face

Root beer float

Nighttime selfie with Maxwell during our bedtime cuddles