random.

I took 4 kids to a nearby spray park and was excited to only see a few other people there... then we saw the sign that said it was closed due to water restrictions. Bummer.

Luckily, there is a fun park right beside it... 

But since it was 102* and there was absolutely no shade, we didn't last too long. We headed home for our pool after about 30 minutes.

Building couches and watching Elf. Our activities are limited when it's 112* outside. Seriously. It has been crazy hot.

 Daisies and Dr. Pepper... two of my favorite things.

She'll tell you she's eating ice cream, but it's really just ice. She still refuses to even try ice cream. Crazy baby.

A lunch picnic watching 101 Dalmations...

Our sweet neighbor, Amy D. spent 3 weeks in Maine with her best friend. Poor Marley had seriously started to slip into a depression, I think. She was crazy happy when Amy got home and came over to visit. At one point she had both paws wrapped around Amy's legs... just holding on to her.

Miss Amy spoiled the kids with some super fun gifts (and some yummy gummy lobsters, since she knows I won't touch the real ones!)

Lawson found an old "Wiggles" coloring book the other day. Gretchen was thrilled. The Wiggies are her absolute favorite. (She claps and and does her crazy little skip/hop when we put in a DVD.)

Candyland on the front porch. (Mommy may or may not have banished all children from the house...)

12 days until I am due back at school. I can't say that I'm ready, but I know it will be good for all of us. We don't do well with a lack of structure and routine for too long. I haven't felt like a good mommy lately. Too little patience... too much losing my temper... too much grouchy mommy. I think we're all tired of grouchy mommy.

swimming lessons.

Weeks ago, the kids had swimming lessons. It was the same week our cousins were here from Houston... harvest... t-ball... then we had 4th of July... Kiddie Park... all kinds of summer fun. So these got pushed back a bit. 

The kids were excited about swimming lessons, but there were a few nerves, too... 

The past two years, the kids have done lessons with Mr. Chacour. These brothers do such an amazing job and the kids have learned so much each summer. This summer they had some new helpers and Sophie and Lawson were going to be with Mason. (Who was awesome!)

It was a little weird for me though, because this is how I remember Mason... 

A little curly haired 1st grader in my very first class!! (and now he's going to college. I'm officially old.)

Mason did such a great job with both the kids...

He even convinced this little scaredy cat to swim in the deep end...

Sophie did so well...

He had her in the deep end right away... swimming across, treading water... 

But there were still some nerves...  (This was the first day and she just couldn't make herself do it.) 

So Mason tried just having her jump in the deep end the next day. But she was still too nervous...

And this is why I love private lessons...

They started in the shallow end... he held her hand while she jumped... and then they moved about 2 feet to the right. Over and over and over, until they were in the deep end, right beside the diving board. She jumped in that time and he told her "This is exactly where you will land when you go off the board." 

He was so patient and encouraging this entire time. He pushed her to do more, but only a little bit at a time... which was exactly what she needed.

She ended up going off the diving board 8 times in a row after this. She loved it! She was so proud of herself!

Any big pool that we have been in since then, Sophie has lived in the deep end. She is so confident and I love that! I can't wait to see what she'll be doing next summer!

This little miss was at lessons, too. Happily playing with my sunglasses... taking them on and off my face (and maybe poking me in the eyes a few times trying to put them back on.)

little fish.

Someone is having lots of fun in the water this summer... 

We've had big fish in the pool, too. I just don't have as many pictures of them. =)