Swim Lesson Two.

Today we were prepared with goggles.

I knew Harris would wear his (he borrowed his teacher's yesterday), but was shocked when Babe kept hers on for the entire lesson.  She even let her instructor, Mr. Caleb, help her fit them correctly to her face!

And yes, she totally wore her zebra dress, cowgirl boots, and super girl cape over her bathing suit this morning.

Swim lessons today were even better than yesterday! 

Hadley was so well behaved and followed Mr. Caleb's directions perfectly.  She put her face in the water, blew bubbles, kicked her legs hard, "walked" herself around the wall of the pool with her hands, and "swam" on her belly and her back.

Harris was a fish!  I couldn't get any pictures of him because he spent the entire lesson swimming underwater.  He jumped in and swam underwater to his teacher (who, but the way, is named Ms. Jeanette and not Ms. Jetson), swam underwater from the middle of the pool all the way back to the edge, and even swam underwater to collect five diving rings all by himself!

I am so, so proud of my water babies, and I'm pretty sure I'm just as excited as they are to head back tomorrow!  We'll be sad to swim lessons come to an end!

Crazy Pool.

After swim lessons yesterday, we met Catherine, Allison, and the kids here:

We had a blast.  The kids played non-stop for three hours!  Babe had a great time playing in the little fountains and the shallow parts of the pool, and Harris was all over the play structure and lazy river.  He even went down that big slide in the background!

Harry and Babe have not stopped talking about the "crazy pool" and desperately want to go back.  It was a bit of a drive from our house, but totally worth it...we may end up making another trip before the summer is over.

Which I hope never, ever happens.  Summer ending, that is.

Swim Lesson One.

Because Harris doesn't understand the concept of drowning, Ben and I decided it would be a good idea to invest in some swim lessons.  We've been talking them up big time, and the kids have been super stoked.  They absolutely love the pool.

Our first lesson was yesterday. 

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I couldn't have asked for a better experience!  It was a little touch-and-go when Hadley realized her teacher was a boy, but by the end of the forty minutes, she was all about "Mr. Caleb."  Harris told me his teacher's name was "Ms. Jetson."  I'm not sure that's right.

I am able to stay and watch the lessons from the other side of building.  Harris is in a class with three other kids, and there are only two kids in Babe's group.  It's perfect!  Hadley got a little whiny right at the very end of the lesson, but for the most part she listened extremely well and had a great time.

Harris didn't hesitate once.

I can't wait to see their progress at the end of the week! 

Independence Day.

Because we did it up big on Sunday, our actual Independence Day was pretty low-key.

Ben grilled up some fantastic (stuffed) burgers, I made my specialty (macaroni and cheese), and we topped it all off with brownies, ice cream, and some very special fireworks (some small, car-shaped firecrackers Ben picked up at Publix).

We were thankful to have Granti, Auntie, DB, and Tyler join us for dinner, too!

But very, very sad to say goodbye to TyTy until December.  We miss him already.

Ben and I ended the evening with the kiddos by performing all the patriotic songs we could remember as pre-bedtime entertainment.

God bless America.

The Third of July.

Ain't no party like a Barrow County party...

We celebrated Independence Day on Sunday with some good friends and family, too.  We started the party with a cookout at the Boozers, followed by a trip to downtown Auburn for the festival and fireworks.

Granti, Auntie, DB, and Tyler met us at the festival, and the kids had a great time walking around and, of course, riding the train and the horses.

We headed back to our AWESOME parking spots (seriously...we had a great view!) with about half an hour to spare before the fireworks.  We killed a little time with sparklers, which Harris and Hadley loved...

...until Babe dropped her sparkler a little too soon and ended up with a slight burn on her leg.  Thankfully she ended up fairly unscathed, but my drama queen sure is enjoying letting everyone she meets know how about the "burn on her leg from her sparkler."

Our little city always puts on a great show, and this year was no different.

The kids LOVED every second of the fireworks...no tears, no holding of ears...just lots and lots of "wows" and "cools" and "the rainbow ones are my favorite!"

They were my favorite, too.

Happy Fourth.

Water Weekend.

Five.

It still astounds me to think that I've shared my life with this little guy for five years. 

He has turned into a charming, witty, occasionally whiny, kind, polite little boy, and I love him in a way I didn't even realize existed until I first heard him cry.

Babe and I accompanied him to his five-year check-up yesterday.  He weighed 41.5 lbs (55th percentile) and was 43.5 inches tall (60th percentile).  His behavior and interaction with all the adults around him made me so proud to be his mama.  He said "please" and "thank you," answered questions with "yes ma'am and "no ma'am," and was so at ease holding his own in a conversation. 

Seriously.  I love him.

He talks with his hands and his facial expressions.  He is silly, and will do just about anything for a laugh.  He is so tender-hearted and struggles sometimes to control his emotions.  He can recognize tons of words and is able to read quite a few books on his own, and math concepts like addition and subtraction come easily to him.

He is into Legos and Cars 2 toys and swimming and the Georgia Bulldogs and the soundtrack to "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat."  His favorite show to watch on television is still "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse," mostly because movies and older-kid shows are a little too scary for his taste.

He loves to "snuggle" and have "sleepovers" with Ben in his bed.  He plays well with Hadley and watches out for her quite a bit, yet is starting to assert his need for independence as well.  He quite frequently asks her to stay out of his room, which often results in tears.  His high-back booster seat sits in the very last row of our van.  His favorite food these days is "crazy" (Ramen) noodles, with oranges coming in a close second.

He loves to "fight" Ben whenever he gets a chance.  He stands in line by himself at Chick-fil-A and uses his best manners to ask for an ice cream cone.  He is still a great sleeper, and is overly conscious about germs and hand washing.  He loves hard and responds well to hugs and words of encouragement.

He's growing like a weed, but he's still my little boy.