Happy Summer!

Summer is officially underway. (Ammendment: summer is nearly halfway over! I started this blog post at the beginning of June!) Our first day at the pool came on May 26th. We had a pretty chilly spring and it wasn't super hot on that first day, but the kids were just so excited that the pool was open and we just had to check it out. In the past two weeks since then, we've headed up to the pool 5 or 6 times. Last week, the big girls started swim lessons at the rec center, which will last two weeks.

I've been amazed at how much they've learned in just a week. The first couple of classes were mostly made up of blowing bubbles, kicking, practicing a basic crawl stroke, and jumping off the side. I'm very happy with the class because it's only 5 kids with 2 teachers, but I was a little worried that it would be too basic for my two little fish. But after a couple classes of getting used to the water, the kids have started practicing more skills with kickboards, holding their breath underwater (on Friday, Addie was under for 16 seconds!!) and swimming for short distances all on their own!

5/26/15 First Day at the Pool for the Season!

5/29/15 Another trip to the pool. Elizabeth didn't get in during our first trip to the pool, and I was really hoping she would get in this time. She did get in the big pool when I was holding her, but she just sat on the side of the baby pool. She's very content just watching her sisters swim.

6/1/15 First Day of Swim Lessons followed by a pool playdate with our Robb friends

 Elizabeth began a "Let's hug Clark" game. Man, these Robb kids sure are awesome.

We started the next day with swim lessons again. Here are a couple videos of the girls learning to kick with kick boards.



Then we had some friends over for a pool playdate, and Elizabeth got in the pool on her own for the first time of the season. She's been a little hesitant around the water, so any dip she'll take is a big celebration.

The next morning, Emily began her strike against swim lessons. Addie got in, though, and she SWAM ON HER OWN!!!



I filmed how her teacher worked on the crawl stroke with her so that I can practice it with both girls at the pool:



The next day, Emily decided to get in for lessons! :) Here she is doing a back float with a kick board:



And here she is blowing bubbles. I think her teachers must have thought she needed some more practice getting comfortable in the water since she'd decided to skip the day before. Little do they know she's an absolute fish and isn't afraid of the water one bit. She just kept saying she was too shy to get in.





The next day, Emily was again to shy for lessons, but Addie and the class got to practice wearing life jackets and they got to jump off the high side of the pool into the deep end. It was quite exiting.

There will be more, but for now it's over and out!

Fish!

We have three little water lovers! Watching the kids at the pool this summer has been one of the biggest highlights for me. Emily and Addison have been getting more and more adventurous in the water. They absolutely love their goggles, and are very proud of their swimming skills. Elizabeth only lasted in the star float twice, and she wanted OUT! So she has been spending the summer in her tank top tube that she can walk around in, which she loves.
Here are a few videos from back in June...

June Fun

Addie's flying high with Dad

Trying to get Elizabeth to walk, Chris would always find a toy she was really attached to and then hold it just out of her reach. One evening in June, the toy was this magic wand.

Go get it!

A step! Hooray!

A little Frozen humor, since Frozen has been a favorite in our house for quite some time now, especially since Addie bought the movie with her birthday money back in April.

We went to a friend's house and did tie dye, and the outcomes were magnificent...

Elizabeth and I were always up to something fun while the big girls were at their Wednesday fun mornings at Little Lights. One morning, Elizabeth found this bucket on the deck, so I filled it with water and let her splash around.

The bucket splashing gave me the idea to bring our kiddie pool up to the deck, where we have some shade from the awning. That afternoon, all three girls splashed around.

Grandpa John came over for an afternoon visit and read stories to the girls. It was a big hit for the girls, and Grandpa became a regular character in their imaginative play.

DeeDee also came over for one of her frequent visits, and we walked along the cottonwood trail, where, of course, I had to have everyone pose for a a few pictures. I especially wanted to get pictures of Elizabeth by the tree as she was wearing a hand-me-down outfit that had once been worn by Addie in front of our tree. Click here for a blast from the past.

Oh June, the beginning of summer. Warm winds, not scorching hot yet, everything green, summer excitement in the air.

Our Crazy May Weather

May was all over the place with its weather. We started out in the sprinklers, then we played in the snow, and ended the month in the pool. Gotta love Colorado!

SIX days after our first run through the sprinklers, we had SNOW!

The girls and their "Olaf"s

A few days later, the melted snow had everything looking jewel-tone green, and our Olafs were turning into memories.

And two weeks after that, we were in the pool celebrating Memorial Day.

Lovely, just lovely, all of it.