Holding Hands

I hope they do this for a lifetime.

One Fish, Two Fish

After about three weeks of pretty regular pool time, Miles and Vivienne (and even Evelyn to some extent) are becoming quite the little fishes.  A couple weeks ago, Vivienne decided she didn't need her puddle jumper, and she has not used it since.

Visiting our local pool with our preschool friends (John, Quin and Emme and their younger siblings, Ruthie and Will) has become a favorite pastime of Mommy and kids alike.

Miles is usually found jumping off the side of the pool with John and Quin.

Vivienne now also jumps off the side of the pool and swims to us.  She will usually choose Miss Julia or Miss Marie over Mommy, which I think is adorable.  It's so cool to have other women in my children's lives that they love so dearly and feel so comfortable with.

Evelyn is now comfortable enough to let me carry her into the deeper water.  Her favorite pool activities are pointing out all my facial features, especially my nose, and trying to lower my bathing suit straps.  My little Chocolate Chip is becoming more comfortable in the pool each day, and will constantly ask to go back in the swimming pool (or "swimmy poo", as she calls it) when we're on the sidelines.

Of course, all this pool time makes for some pretty sweet naps.  (And some pretty green hair on Viv… going to pick up some anti-chlorine shampoo tomorrow.)

I often find myself laughing at how they throw themselves off the side of the pool with abandon.  There is complete commitment (by both Miles and Vivienne) to fling their bodies into the water as far as they can.  In our subdivision pool (where there is no lifeguard), they were running about 12 feet before they jumped into the pool.  At the local pool yesterday, the lifeguard kept having to remind Vivienne to go in feet first, because she does this belly flopping jump thing that sometimes ends up almost head first.  Gosh, I love these crazy little people.

So much fun and so many blessings in these great friends!

There's No Mommy!

*** The following was Jason's Facebook status a couple weeks ago. ***


(Overheard tonight after Leslie Fox left to have dinner with a friend, leaving me with dinner and bath duties. And you have to imagine this being said with the same fear as someone slowing realizing they are trapped in a sinking car ... with the last bit trailing into tears)

Vivi: "It's just daddy Evelyn. There's no mommy!"
#ifeelloved #iknowwhereistand


(Kids, someday we will explain to you what Facebook was.  And what hashtags were.  It was weird.)

Little Miss Independent

To say that Evelyn is independent is an understatement.  I know all children go through the "I can do it on my own" stage, but Evelyn is taking this to an entirely new level.  Almost every time I try to hold her hand or help her with something (for example, preventing her from drowning herself), she will  say "No! No! No!"  She is definitely her own woman.

A couple weeks ago, our church showed Frozen on the big screen in the auditorium.  We took a big blanket and some camping chairs to set up our little "picnic" to watch the movie.  Evelyn insisted on carrying her big plastic lawn chair into the church from the van.  That chair is as tall as she is and she dragged it from the parking lot all the way into the auditorium.  Here is what happened when Jason tried to carry it for her:

Last week at the pool, she was walking down the stairs (to the big pool, not the baby pool) and was going to walk beyond where she could stand.  Of course, she also refuses to wear a puddle jumper.  When I tried to stop her, she cried and protested.  I figured the life guards probably wouldn't appreciate me letting my baby drop into the water, so I nudged her back up the steps, much to her dismay.  I spent the rest of our time at the pool trying to prevent her sneaking around me and jumping in the deep end.  Isn't this an interesting contrast to the little girl who would flip out if the tiniest of waves came anywhere near her toes (only a couple weeks ago)?

Evelyn is definitely at a stage where she wants to walk on her own.  If I try to carry her in a parking lot or even have her take my hand, she usually puts up a fight.  Luckily, she is also very easy going, so she mostly just pouts (versus throwing a full blown tantrum).  Nevertheless, she makes it clear that she would rather not have your help.

She is also growing and learning each day, saying 4-5 word sentences now and communicating very well.  She can climb up onto the couch without having to use a stool or get a boost.  She is drinking out of regular cups without straws.  Every day is full of new words and songs (she loves to sing "Let It Go" over and over and over).  I can't believe she will be two years old in just over a month… the age that Miles and Vivienne were when she was born.

"Baby Evelyn" isn't a baby anymore.  And she wants to be sure that we know it.

Mezza Luna Lavender Farm

This morning, my friend Pam suggested that we visit Mezza Luna Lavender Farm.  It's only about 10 miles from our house, and it was gorgeous.  The kids enjoyed playing with the corn hole game and having their faces painted by the owner's daughters.  We also cut a bunch of lavender to bring home.  Miles and Vivienne really enjoyed using the shears and our van still smells like heaven.

Cora rode along in the sling with her mom while Will helped pick out the lavender.

So pretty.  And that's the same sling I wore with Miles and Vivienne and Evelyn.  Be still my heart.

Miles and Vivienne love having their faces painted, which is a rare treat.

Viv helped Pam cut a few more pieces for her bunches.  And a tiny green bug went for a ride in Viv's hair.

After the farm, we headed to Chick-fil-A for lunch and to play in the air conditioning for a while.  And after that, we headed to a playground.  I had some hot, sweaty, happy kids.  Thanks for the fun morning, Miss Pam!

(In the above photo, Miles is actually waving "hi" instead of blocking the camera with his hand. A nice change.)

My Little Chef

Vivienne Swims!

We go to the pool (either in our subdivision, at Grandma's house or at the Y) probably about 5 days a week… sometimes more often than that.  The kids absolutely love it.  Just this past Thursday, we had quite a development.  Vivienne started swimming without her puddle jumper!

Earlier this week, she started opening her eyes underwater and trying to hold her breath (versus just quickly dunking her head under the water).  She did this for about an hour, and her eyes were red until the next morning.  So I decided to get the big kids their first pairs of goggles, and I think this made a big difference.  They really like being able to see under the water.

This past Thursday, we were at the pool with our friends, Kristi, Daniel and Natalie.  Natalie is about the same age and swimming level as Vivienne.  The girls decided to try swimming a few feet without flotation devices, and they both just took off!  They were swimming back and forth from the stairs to either me or Kristi and then back again.  It was only about 5 or 6 feet, but they were doing this for such a long period of time that we had to force them to take breaks and catch their breath.

Vivienne is slowly building her confidence in the water.  Today she would walk hand-over-hand down the side of the pool and when she got close enough to the stairs, she would let go and kick her feet to the stairs.

I'm hoping that Miles starts venturing out of his puddle jumper soon.  Right now, he's adamantly opposed to removing it.  Evelyn, on the other hand, is adamantly opposed to trying one on.   *sigh*

I'm dreaming of a day when I don't have to be on quite such high alert at the pool.  Between the almost-2-year-old toddler who refuses help of any kind and refuses flotation of any kind (which is a deadly combination) and an almost-4-year-old who is just learning to swim without flotation, I feel like I need a 2-hour nap every time we get home from the pool.

But it's totally worth it.  And I have a killer tan.