Best Swim Lessons EVER!!

Our summer swim lessons have come to an end, and I'm sad to see them go.  They were,
by far, the best thing I signed Owen up for all summer.  Not only did he have so much fun,
but he learned so much and came so far from when he first started.

For a fun quick comparison, here is a video when he first started this summer.

He wouldn't wear his goggles, would barely put his face in the water to blow bubbles,
wouldn't even think of dunking his head underneath the water, and could only make big
kicks by kicking to the side so he could see the splashes.

Fast forward to the final week of swim lessons.
 
He jumps off the diving board and swims to Mimi on his own.  Then swims all the way
from Mimi to the ladder on the side of the pool, even stopping part way to lift 
his head and take a breath.  I am so proud of him!!

And speaking of proud, I'm so happy Joe came around and grew to love swim lessons too.

He was so nervous to be away from me in the beginning, but by the end of the week he was going under water and smiling like a champ.  
 
I know it's a ways away, but I'm already looking forward to them both being in lessons
again next summer.  Thanks for all the fun Mimi and Courtney!!

Our Newest Little Swimmer

I decided to bite the bullet and put Joe in swim lessons for the last week of the summer

session.  I wanted to put him in a few weeks ago, but we gave it a trial run and there were

lots of tears.  I didn't want it to be traumatic for him and leave him afraid, so I held off.  But

then after having him in the water with me various times, I realized it's not the water he's

afraid of, it's the separation from me that was causing him to get so upset. 

Now that is something I was willing to let him work through. 

Monday he started his first class.  He cried every single time the instructor took him in the

water for his turn.  In fact every time she even came close to the stairs, he went from happily

playing in the water between my legs, to turning around and clawing at me with like she was

a monster.  We pushed through it, and I am happy to say that only two days later, we had

barely any tears and dare I even say some smiles in his lesson.

 She even dunked him on his last turn out and he took it like a champ.

  

 Way to go Joe!  I knew you would love it once you were able to relax a little.

Hand me down Jackpot

One of the benefits of being a younger couple on our block is we get a lot of toys

handed down to us.  Today we hit the jackpot!

River walk

 Today we went downtown to visit Grandpa and Gigi.  We swam in their pool, had lunch,

and finished the morning off with a little walk along the river.  I think Owen's favorite part

was yelling "hi" to every single kayaker that paddled past.  This kid is one of the most friendly and outgoing kids I know!  And Joe is following closely in his footsteps.  

Legoland

We were looking for something to do this weekend so Ryan suggested we try out Legoland.

It was our first time there.  To be honest, I expected there to be a little more to do for the

price you pay.  It was a lot of walking through and looking at things, but not a whole lot of hands on activities.  Regardless, the boys still had a fun time looking at everything.  

And when I say boys, I mean Ryan too.  ;)

Popsicle Party

Owen and Joe found a way to beat the summer heat.

Popsicle parties are now requested on a daily basis.  ;)

Alex's Entourage

After we got back from the fair, my mom and I decided to go watch Alex play in the 

Channel 7 golf tournament while the boys napped.  We had so much fun.  Alex had quite the entourage.  He had 3 golf carts following him and even a few friends who walked along for a few holes.  We must have brought him good luck because he did great.  Way to go Al!