For the final week of daycare at Montessori, before the official school year starts up next week, the school has some fun days planned. Today was crazy day....and the boys actually participated this time. In the past, they haven't quite understood why you would want to dress crazy. Today, they took it to the max!
They went to school crazy looking and returned as crazy Jaquar and Spiderman.
Our nightly check-up of Claire after sounds were still being produced from her bedroom resulted in a "photo moment". She was in her bed like this with each leg propped against the sides. I guess she was practicing her flexibility!
Tonight, while the boys were getting their baths, Claire decided to take a siesta. I love the foot hold! She has found that foot and must be afraid she might lose it!
Every Thursday during summer school the boys head to the YMCA for swim lessons. They take the school bus with their classmates to the YMCA for the swim lesson and some splash time. The boys have done very well, seemed to really look forward to and enjoy Thursdays, and I have enjoyed seeing the pictures from their teachers.
In mid-July, we decided to sign them up for Saturday swim lessons to continue the lessons (even though there was some overlap). Our goal is to allow them to advance through all the levels offered and if they have an interest, possibly join the swim team for competitions. Chris and Papa Tommy both did this as kids and loved it, so I would love to see our boys do that. Today, the boys were tested for endurance and accomplishments on specific areas and we received the report that they are ready for the next level. They have a couple more weeks of "Eel" lessons and then in mid-September they will be "Rays".
You will notice in the pictures that they have been taking their goggles, since that is what all the other kids do. Funny story about the black goggles. Those goggles were Chris's and Brady asked if he could borrow them. Chris figured the worse that could happen was a broken strap, but unlikely since it was pretty strong. Brady came home - "Sorry daddy, your goggles are broken and I didn't do it". The Speedo goggles were completely destroyed...the part around the eye area completely disintegrated I guess from the chlorine in the pool.
For what I believe was the hottest day of the summer, we decided to enjoy outdoor activities for the day (what were we thinking). We kicked off our afternoon by meeting up with some friends at Ellis Park to see the Camel and Ostrich races, a first for our family. It was a hot afternoon...the kids were trying hard to enjoy themselves since they wanted to see the races. Ice cream and pretzels helped a little and the boys did enjoy the hilarity of the races. After the races, we took a LONG car ride to allow for a good nap from the kids before heading to our next activity. We dropped Claire off at Mimi and Papa's and took the boys to their first demolition derby. Even though it continued to be hot and sweltering, even after the sunset, the boys really enjoyed the loud, smashing cars. We stayed out late to see the majority of the races and Brady even took a departure to the rides during a few of the races. They had a fun day...but let's hope for cooler temperatures next year.
In mid-July, we had to cover three days of care for Claire since her daycare provider was on vacation. Daddy decided to take 2 of the days to spend with his little girl. The first day, they went for a visit with Papa Terry where Claire was very alert and talkative. The next day, they hung out together at home and ran a few errands. Daddy really enjoyed his time with Claire, but did make the comment that she was a full-time commitment (hopefully now he knows why I didn't get much done during maternity leave).
The pictures below were sent to me with a note "Claire says hi". I loved it so much...made my day!! I wish I could get updates from Claire sent to me daily...
The weekend after the 4th, Mimi and Papa invited all the grandkids (and parents) to join them at Burdette Park for the Carpenter's Picnic. We enjoyed a picnic lunch and then headed to the pool for an afternoon of swimming. Connor was old enough to go down the waterslides this year. He said it was fun, but not worth the wait so we only went that once (insert sad face). After swimming, we went back to the lodge for dinner and the kids played in the bounce inflatables. It was an enjoyable day for the whole family!
This weekend, we decided it was time for Claire to try out her exersaucer so that she could join us in the kitchen for meals in her preferred sitting up position (bouncy seat wasn't making her happy anymore). While the boys are eating their breakfast in the morning, she is right there visiting with them. She loves it and has even figured out how to hit some of the music-making toys on her own.
Today at daycare, they were happy to report that they tried out the exersaucer and were impressed at how well she did. Ha - we beat you to it!
Disclaimer: Little delinquent on my updates from this summer.
For July 4th, we went to the Gottman's for a day of swimming and visiting. It was a great day for it! The boys were all "geared up" with their swim vests, rings, and goggles. They spent over 5 hours sliding down the water slide, practicing their swimming, racing on mommy and daddy's backs, and blasting the water guns. They had a blast! Claire visited with Mimi the majority of the time and had a peaceful nap during the fun also!
Thank you to the Gottman's for always inviting us out for a fun day of swimming and burgers!
After much debate and discussion with the boys on whether they actually would watch a movie all the way through at the movie theater, we finally decided to take them to see the heavily-talked-about Toy Story 3. The last movie they had seen was Ice Age 3 with the grandparents and they left half way through.
We decided to make it a special night...early pick up from school and date night with mommy. Daddy would be spending one-on-one time with Claire at home. I picked them up early from school on Friday, which they were ecstatic about, and we headed straight to the movies. Forget dinner...we picked up some pizza, nachos, and snacks at the concession. We then proceeded to our theatre for the movie. We were the first ones there, so the boys sat back enjoying their snacks and getting super excited about the movie. They knew, or so they thought, everything about the movie based on their friends.
During the movie, Connor asked to go home a few times but Brady was enjoying the movie so I convinced him to stay. At one point, Brady got very upset and asked to go home. I could tell it was getting close to the end, so I convinced them to stay and see the happy ending. I am glad I did and they were thankful also. All they talk about now is how it ended and the middle part, the scarier part, is funny to them now (since they know it ends well). Brady enjoyed the movie so much that he finally finished watching Toy Story 2 at home and has been toting around Buzz Lightyear non-stop and repeating "Infinity and Beyond".
While we were at the movies, Claire decided to stay awake and visit with daddy. She was "talking" non-stop telling him all about her day without the constant interruptions from her brothers. It was a good evening and one we hope to repeat.
