Swim lessons & Saturday mornings

#1 finished swim lessons...she has mastered the doggie paddle and is working on arm pulls for her freestyle. She can now float on her back, tread water, and do the elementary back stroke. She really learned a lot this year. She will even jump into the 4ft end of the pool without insisting Ryan or I be there next to her to catch her.


#2 did a pretty good job hanging out poolside while big sis got to swim. Luckily, the swim instructor had a dog that liked to play fetch. #2 played with the dog quite a bit.

Ryan took some pictures of the girls hanging out on a Saturday morning. We love the picture of #1. The picture of #2 shows off yet another one of her many faces!

4th of July

Our neighborhood has a 4th of July bike parade for the kids. They get to decorate their bikes, or scooters, or wagons and ride around Founder's Park. #1 really got in to decorating her bike and even wore the wig for a couple of laps around the park. #2 fell asleep, so we let her sleep while we decorated, but when we tried to wake her up, she would not get up. Her eyes would roll back in her head and she'd roll over and go back to sleep. We decided that I would stay home with her and Ryan would take #1 to the parade. I hate it that #2 missed out, but she ended up taking a 3 1/2 hour nap, so we're glad we decided to let her sleep!




The little boy about to run #1 off the road is Sam, a friend of hers from preschool. He wasn't being very nice that day....and was probably really trying to run her off of the road!


She loves to walk across the pond on the big "stepping stones." If you look really close, you can see that she is holding the phone. She called me to tell me about the parade and see if she could go home with her friend Jax and play there for a while. This picture reminds me of a picture of me when I was about the same age. I was laying under the table, with the phone to my ear, just talking away! It looks like she is going to be a chatterbox like her momma....always on the phone!

That evening, we went down to one of the parks in the neighborhood with Jax's family and watched some fireworks. Apparently a couple of brothers that live in the neighborhood spent several thousand dollars on some fireworks. They set up a couple of platforms and a trailer in an empty lot and put on quite a show! We watched the fireworks for a long time...and then had to leave (before the fireworks were over) because #2 had to go potty (image that!). When we were heading home, we passed one of the bigger parks and realized that it was packed! There were A LOT of people watching that firework display. The next day we saw a trailer with a bunch of fireworks turning into the neighborhood. We're wondering if the same people bought some fireworks on sale and are holding them for next year....we sure hope so! :)

#1 rides a bike!!!

After only 3 evenings of practice, #1 can now ride her bike without training wheels! It all started one Sunday evening when we went to Mom's house for dinner. Cousin Alli brought her bike with her and was practicing riding without training wheels. #1 gave it a try....and wore Ryan out! A few nights later, she tried it at our house on her bike. I wasn't home, but Ryan said she was doing pretty good. The next night, #1 wanted to show me how she could do it, so I grabbed the camera and this is what I saw! We were so proud of her! She still needs a litte bit of practice getting started. She hasn't quite grasped how to put one pedal "up" to help get going. She is doing great though! We ride our bikes to the pool and back. #2 has a seat on the back of my bike that she rides in, so we can all go on rides together. It's great!

#2 entertained herself while big sis was showing off. I turned around to check on her, and saw her coming down the alley with the big tube for the pool. When Ryan saw this video, he realized why the tube won't hold air anymore!

#2 found another pool toy to play with....

I don't think #2 knew how close she was to getting plowed over by her sister! She certainly seems oblivious!

The first big bike wreck....luckily no blood! Lil' sis thinks she had better go check it all out. She had the best time dragging that tube around with her.

See the owie??? It's right there! It hurts so bad! I need a band aid! I'm never riding my bike again!

She has had an accident since then that resulted in a skinned knee and a little bit of blood. She got back on and rode the rest of the way home, so maybe she'll be tough after all!