Summer time fun

Both Colby and Miller are LOVING the pool. Miller suggests several times a day that we go to the "swimmi-poo".

Walking up to the pool, they have found some common ground...this picture was totally unprompted.


Swim lessons have paid off- this is a boy who loves the water.


Colby now belly flops into the pool and swims to me about 10 feet! (I have a video I want to post, but the video upload is not working) He hasn't figured out how to come up for a breath, but he does a great job holding it. I am so proud!!! He is continuing with his twice a week lessons this summer, and Miller is starting lessons. That means I will be driving out there 3 different times, but it's so worth it to me so I don't mind at all.

I'm going to rename Miller "Danger Girl". Last week, after an afternoon of swimming, I got both Colby and Miller dressed and ready to go home. Miller was wearing shoes, a dry diaper, and her pool cover-up. As I was packing my things up (it was adult swim), I heard Colby yell "Mom, Look!!". I turned around, and there was Miller in the middle of the pool walking around with her coverup floating around her, just as happy as she could be. I jumped in and grabbed her and realized that I won't ever be able to turn my back, even if it's for 30 seconds.

Fast forward to yesterday. Miller wears a life jacket and arm floaties when we are swimming, and as we were walking across the pool deck, she went straight into the water. I had my back to her for maybe a second, and she either jumped or fell into the pool- I suspect she fell. I was only a few feet ahead of her and did not see it happen, but I did see her go completely under the water and then float face down. Thankfully, there was a woman in the pool right next to her who grabbed her, and then I ran over and picked her up. She was fine...hysterical, but fine. However, less than 2 minutes later, she wanted to get back in.

A couple hours later, she was in her crib for nap time, and we heard her hysterically crying. Lee ran up there and found her on the floor surrounded by all of her stuffed animals. We think that she threw them out and then leaned over to try and pick them up and accidentally fell out. Either way, it seems as if she's pretty fearless.

Miller is still accessorizing, and her newest item of choice is her hair band. She is usually wearing one and calls it her "rainbow" because of the small rainbows on it. (we have 2 other striped ones...I do try to subtly encourage her to wear the one that matches the best) She will not allow anyone to help her and insists on putting it on herself. Just 'cause you don't have hair doesn't mean you can't rock a hair band!


Nan came to visit last weekend to help while Lee was away, and she and Miller enjoyed some swing and hammock time together. Miller has definitely inherited the swinging gene.


Lastly, Nan brought the jeep...and left it. Many fun times and fights are sure to ensue.

First movie

This weekend, Lee was out in California for a wedding, so I took Colby to see his first movie- Toy Story 3 (in 3D no less!). Colby is almost 4 and he's obsessed with Buzz Lightyear....could there be any better timing?

Had I known the line would be out the door an hour ahead of time, even for people who already had tickets, I probably would not have gone on opening weekend. However, I did because I had no idea. We bought our tickets in the morning and arrived 30 minutes ahead of time, and I thought that was early. WRONG. We were at the very end of the line. I decided to beg my way into the bathroom so Colby could pee before we got in line, and once we got out of the bathroom, the line was letting out so we made our way into the theater. We barely got seats, but somehow, we lucked out and I found 2 seats together at the top row front and center- it was perfect! There were a lot of families with kids who wanted too many seats together and had to leave even though they had tickets.

Once we were seated, I gave Colby his first bag of movie theater popcorn, and that kept him occupied for 30 minute wait until the previews started.


Once the previews started, he put on his 3D glasses (with a little coaxing).


He proceeded to talk very loudly about how everything was coming out at him. There was one preview about space with astronauts, and when it got quiet he yelled "The astronaut is going to touch me!" which caused many giggles in our row. (There were surprisingly few young kids there....maybe they were in the non-3D movie? Or maybe their parents weren't crazy enough to attempt opening weekend?)

Colby sat still through the entire movie, which is defintiely a record. It was a very very long time to sit when you factor in the 30 minute early arrival time and the 30 minutes of previews plus a long movie, but he did amazingly well. On the way out, the first thing he said was "That was AWESOME!"

Definitely a perfect first movie experience. (However, would have been more perfect if dad had been there, too!)

Manners

We are going through a wonderful phase right now where Colby is working on his manners. He's really trying to use "may" and "please" and "thank you", and he works them into conversation as much as possible. He loves the praise we give him, which is great because there was a time he really didn't give a flip.

I just heard from the family room "Mom, may you please put on another show for me?"

How could I not!

Colby's art

This is Colby's drawing of me. (This is what all of his people look like right now)
I have "a nose for smelling, ears for listening, eyebrows, and long arms for reaching". I think it kinda looks like me...although I gotta do something about that hair.

Memorial weekend recap

With Colby out of school and not in camp yet, it's hard to come up for air, much less update the blog.

Last weekend was Memorial day weekend, so we headed to the town carnival with Colby and Miller. Colby loved all the rides, and I even squeezed myself onto most of them.



This was Miller's first ride, and she was a bit skeptical...


But by the end of the day, she was riding by herself!


The ferris wheel actually scared me a bit because it went very high, but mainly because I knew the toothless and tattooed ex-con taking our tickets probably put it together.


The pool also opened that weekend, so both kids enjoyed a very chilly dip.


(Truth be told, we have spent more time at the local country club than our pool because one of my friends is a member. I know her number and she is letting me go as often as we want. It's nicer, it's cleaner, the water is warmer, they have a free towel service and good food...I'm just riding her coat tails.)

Later that weekend, we headed to our neighbor's house for a cookout and some swim time in their pool. Miller wasn't interested in getting in, and she wasn't interested in putting on her cover-up, so she insisted on spending the remainder of the evening wearing only her diaper. At one point, all the adults were eating outside and the kids (including Miller) were all playing hide and seek inside. As we were all sitting there eating and talking, Miller came out of the house and walked over to us...completely naked. I guess she was having so much fun her diaper fell off, and she came outside to let us know that she needed a new one. The image of her walking naked into a large group of adults is still cracking me up.

Colby never stops with the funny comments. He is fixated on the number 5, as he thinks it is the ultimate high number. If I say "Colby, we have to leave the park in 10 minutes" he will say "No! 5 minutes!".
Last night, Lee and I went out to dinner to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. When we got home, Colby said "I'm so glad you are home! I thought you'd only be gone for one minute but you were gone for 5!"

Colby's teacher told me a funny story from the last week of school. The whole class was sitting for circle time as she was reading a book. There was a brief moment when everyone was quiet, and in that moment, Colby said to the girl across from him: "Mackenzie, you look beautiful today" and Mackenzie said (just as adult-like) "Thank you, Colby". Then they both looked back up at the teacher as if nothing had happened. I've heard Colby say that before to a little girl so I know that's exactly how it happened.

Colby is doing awesome with his swimming. He still tries to run away before class, but once he is in there, he loves it. He's starting to swim on his own now and loves for the instructor to let go of him.

At home, he loves to practice his new skills in our bathtub, going under the water and kicking.



There's nothing to see here...


Miller is still loving her puzzles. She is now doing 25 piece puzzles and loves doing alphabet puzzles. She even knows several letters and loves to point out "M's" where ever we go by saying "EMMMMMMMM....up down up down". Unfortunately, Colby likes to torment her by taking her puzzle pieces and running away with them. We know the fun burglar has struck when Miller screams at the top of her lungs. It's a constant ongoing battle, and he is sent to his room every time he does it, but that's not stopping him.

Nana and Granddaddy are coming for a visit this week and we are very excited! Colby starts a little 3 day camp at the country club with his friend Mason until his "real" camp begins in 2 weeks....I am so ready for summer camp!