Things kids say

Colin: after asking a few weeks ago how his day at school was, "great! I didn't get hot until 1:59. I usually get hot around 1:36"   (random but he had been keeping track.  He also hates wearing shorts and still insists on wearing pants.  I figure if he's keeping track of the precise minute he gets hot he can wear whatever clothes he wants)

Joel: after telling him I wasn't going to buy ice cream during grocery shopping, "well if you were a little girl and I was YOUR mom and you asked for a doll you really wanted then i am going to say no!" 

Norah: after she goes down a slide will stand up and say "I am awesome!"

Joel also doesn't DO cleaning...so a lot of his toys have been put up since this mommy doesn't DO his cleaning for him either.  Oh Joel.  

Norah: calls the shallow end of the pool the "baby deep end" which is pretty good when you think about it compared to the baby pool. The real deep end is the "big deep end"

Norah calls Joel her Joelly and its so cute.  Colin is now Colin. Joel or Norah rarely call him Bubba.

Joel: "dad, do not disturb a man when he's changing his clothes" 

First swim meet

We had our first swim meet this morning. Colin set his alarm last night and he and I were up and at the swim meet by 6:30!  I really love my Saturday mornings with colin. Brent kept Norah and Joel at home this meet since it was away. And the fact that they probably wouldn't have lasted the 6 hours we were there. 

Colin swam events 2 (relay) and 9 (free) and then waited a long time until event (41) for back  (51) for fly and (61) another relay. I was volunteering in the clerks of course this meet which kept me busy but it was fun to get to know a lot of the kids on the team. 

Colin was amazing! He placed 4th in both free and back (4th out of 20 swimmers in boys 7/8 age group) and second in butterfly!  So proud of my boy! 

And more importantly he dropped I think 14 seconds in his fly from time trials last week, 5 seconds in free and 8 seconds in back. Now granted time trials weren't an official meet but that's impressive. 

He is loving it and now wants to bring home a first place in butterfly next time! 

Joel is still in the guppy group but is also getting better. But I'm not sure he will move out of guppies this summer. The other day at practice his coach was having him work on backstroke and I saw him start rubbing his coaches pretty ears! Ha! He was nervous about floating on his back. He's getting better and loves going. Sometimes I forget he is only 4. 

I'm so glad they are both enjoying swimming. Norah has stopped asking/crying about swimming too during practice and made friends with some kids who are also waiting for their older siblings. Which is great since we have practice every day. She is very cute when we go to the pool in the afternoon and asks a few times Norah swim now? 

Pool Party

We finally had Colins birthday party today. And thankfully it all worked out - even better than I thought.  He got to pick a few friends and invite them to a pool party. Half the kids weren't going to be able to come but Brent went and picked them up or we took them home while we worked around work/sibling schedules.  But we got most everyone there and it all worked out.  It was the perfect weather for a pool party and I think everyone had a great time. 

 After swimming for 3 hours they all walked back to our house to watch The Lego Movie and then had a huge water balloon fight outside. One of the kids told me it was the second favorite birthday party he's ever been to. When I asked what the first best party was he said paintball so I think it was a success to be right up there with paintball! 

But more importantly Colin had a blast and we only took them home when all these boys had eaten all our food.  Really - it was dinner time and I needed to go to the grocery store so there was no food left in our house for dinner besides plain pasta :) 

A great start to our summer vacation. 

Norah stayed with my parents and she keeps telling me "norah had fun with ma-ma-maa and grandpa" and all about what they did.  So she's not too mad at them for not getting to go swimming too.  They also bribed her with german chocolate and a stuffed animal from germany! 

End of Second Grade

 I now have a 3rd grader and a kindergartner.  It seems like school was never going to end with all the added saturday schools and minutes added to each day. But it really went by so fast when you think of the fact that in 12 short weeks or so Joel will be going to school too. 

Colin LOVED LOVED LOVED second grade. He couldnt wait to get to school each day and loved his teacher and class.  I was talking to a mom of one of the kids in his class today and we were both so impressed by his teacher and all that they did in class and hoping that 3rd grade is just as great.  Colin was so proud of the display he made of Giant Squid.  He did all the research himself and has been spouting enough facts of giant squid that makes me not want to swim out in the middle of the ocean. EVER. 

They did an econonomics study and each had to either make something or provide a service and then one day they went around and bartered for money/goods.  Colin was going to teach basketball lessons and came home and said that he only taught 3 lessons - and one of those lessons was a pity lesson according to Colin.  poor thing but the great thing about Colin is that it didnt bother him at all. But then we saw his sign and maybe he needs to reduce his price for a first time basketball coach. 

He also came home with this award in which the mother in me is proud but the math teacher in me was beaming!  so proud of my boy! 

When he came home from school on the last day Joel and Norah and I were waiting in the backyard for him.  We heard the bus and all hid (well NOrah followed me around and then tried to go to JOel so Joel was yelling that she was giving away his position....) But Colins excitement was really fun to hear as he read the note then came back to find us. 

 

Beach

We've gone to the beach a few times already this year. I told Brent that it's the most I've come to the beach during the summer and it's only the beginning of June. 

Mary, Sarah and Robbie joined us once

We are hoping to make it once a week this summer. We've started going to duck donuts with friends Sunday mornings and then all heading to the beach. The kids love it and the afternoon naps are worth it

DC

This past weekend we spent Friday night at Ant Ants house and then drove saturday to visit Regis and Lydia and meet their sweet baby boy. It was really good to see them. We went into DC one afternoon and walked a lot with the kids but they all loved it. Joel didnt complain too much except when he saw people with ice cream and wanted one! 

It was a great weekend with great friends. And I got lots of baby snuggles when Norah wasn't awake. She doesn't like me holding other babies when she is around. But baby Tucker  is so sweet and still has that newborn smell to him.  

We stopped and had dinner with some other great friends and the kids played hard until it got dark. Then we made the drive home.  It is nice to be at the stage where all the kids do really great traveling.  It makes us excited for more weekends trips this summer.