More 4th of July celebrations - splash pads, pool parties, and bubbles!

It's a long weekend full of fun celebrations for 4th of July.  We kicked off the day before with a morning trip to the splash park with our friends.  (It's so hot during the day that it's best to go in the morning.)

Maxwell and Sadie

Time to take a break and have a snack

Maxwell found a little caterpillar and actually picked it up!  (Out of character for him)

Watching the caterpillar

After the kids were done at the splash park we went to play on the playground.

Carter was there too (and Andrea and Jeff) but just not these in these pictures.

All these flags flying in the wind made me feel so patriotic!

After naps, we went to a 4th of July pool party next door.  I made an orzo salad for the first time, plus did prosciutto wrapped figs (loved them at Tida's and had to have them again).

We bought a new digital camera that's waterproof so it was fun to try it out!

Maxwell and Jared

Emmalyn loves Mr. Chris

Owen, Hayden, and Maxwell

He loves swimming SOOO much.

His skills are great and I don't have to watch him like a hawk anymore.

As a special treat, as the sun went down, Chris added in some bubbles.  It was a LOT of bubbles.

Mr. Chris has Maxwell believing that when he says the magic word "abracadabra" it turns on the pool lights.  So when it gets dark, Max will say the secret word and Mr. Chris will discretely push the button to turn on the lights.  Maxwell thinks he's doing magic. :)

Mary Ann, Melissa, and Avery

Being overtaken by bubbles

Covered in bubbles

Swimming underwater with glow sticks

Maxwell and Avery

Maxwell graduates to a new level at swimming lessons

The second week of August was another fun week.  (Sometimes, when you are in the middle of summer, you forget to appreciate it.  Then, you get to the middle of winter and look back at even the most boring weeks of summer longingly.)

Tida and Jason went with us to Costco

Then we hit up the library for some new books

And we topped it off with a stop at the Snow Cone Lady for some snow cones!

Max showing me the computer watch he made at Brittany's

BIG Maxwell

(And since she has to do everything her brother does)

BIG Emmalyn

Max and the coach he's had since he was 18 months (with only few exceptions), Coach Katie.  She's been awesome coach and has continued to challenge Maxwell even when they haven't let him move to the next level because of his age.  She will continue to push him to do more.

Maxwell is graduating Level 5 and moving to Level 6!  Pretty exciting.  They let him go a few weeks before he turned 4. (Level 5 is for ages 5 - 7 and the kids start swimming in a lap lane in the middle of the pool without stairs or a ledge to hang out on.)

More time at the library (it's a great "activity" when it's too stinking hot to be outside).

Ahhh... the drool that NEVER ends.  Look at that drool "spot" on her shirt!

Boom! August is here!

cousins playing at the library

playing dress up

Look at those sweet hands

Uh oh - Emmalyn's starting to want to play with the iPad

Maxwell was invited to another birthday party for a friend in his class - Malia.

Emmalyn loved running around on this game with her brother

He was really into it.  He played with this game more than anything else this time.

The last time we were here, I stuck Emmalyn in the balls for only about 30 seconds.  This time she LOVED playing in there.

plowing through the balls

Love this picture - look how happy they are!

Climbing up to the slide

Video - It's a rarity - but Maxwell went down a big slide and then, gasp, jumps into the balls!  He's having fun!!

Always wiggling around.  Sitting like this...

...nope, let's sit like this now...

...nah...let's sit this way instead.

Malia's mom kindly had an adorably goodie basket for both Maxwell and Emmalyn.  So kind!

We enjoyed a perfect summer night at our neighbor's pool with friends

Avery and Maxwell

She was so happy to be "swimming" without having to be in a float

Emmalyn, who lately is super hesitant to go to most people, loved sitting with Jake and kept jabbering to him.

His happy place - in the pool

The next day, Jake came over to our house to talk about applying for a job at CROSSMARK.  My kids were excited to see him

Video - Emmalyn again had so much to say to Jake.  I love that I captured her "talking" this much!

Max's favorite show lately is a game show that has been on this summer called "BOOM!"  where the contestants answers trivia questions and if they are wrong then a big bomb goes off and explodes gross food all over them.

He can't bear to watch the tension filled moments as you wait to see if the bomb is going to explode.

peaking through his hands  :)