Bubbles While Swimming

I think these are the pictures you guys are going to get sick of seeing this summer.  "More underwater swimming pictures???? Ugh!!"   I have to say I just love being able to take a camera in the pool, or even just around the water, it's kinda like breaking a rule or something....like the first time get your new watch wet.  The package says you can do it, but will it really survive when I dunk it????

We were at the pool earlier today, you know, when it was only like 80ish out, at like 10, since it is suppose to crack 100 today.

I really love all the bubbles that show up in the pictures.

The Zoo and Working Out

Now on Wednesdays, during the summer, the kids and I get to go workout at the zoo.  Perfect, since we pretty much live at the zoo anyway, right???

Guess who had a grumpy kid for awhile this morning????

After our workout class we visited the Australia and South America exhibits.  One of my favorite in the summer because of all the birds flying around.  The kids were on the hunt for not just the regular ole black panther that lives in there, they were looking for the pink panther....and an ant eater.  Sadly the giant ant eater wasn't out today, or was hiding where we couldn't see it, and I never caught a glimpse on the pink panther...although we did see a spotted jaguar.  And lots of pretty birds.  Kinda makes me want to get one.  But then I remember how LOUD my parent's birds were and the mess they made all over the floor, so I guess I'll just go to the zoo a lot.  :)

Jaydo cheered up at the end of our visit, when he got to talking to a zoo lady about extinction.  She was trying to share about how these really neat donkeys were endangered and that the zoo was trying to save them, and Jayden then shared how there were no people around to save the dinosaurs, so they are now extinct.  Anytime you talk about dinosaurs, Jayden is bound to cheer up.  He says to me all the time, 'I bet you didn't know that I know so much about dinosaurs'.

And Willow, well, Willow pretty much works out wherever we go now.  I guess she really didn't have much of a choice, since I was working out the entire time I was pregnant (ran 5 sets of stairs the day I had her), and then almost every day of her life, she's been plunked down in a stroller in the morning and has watched me workout.  So, now whenever she finds a bench or some stairs, she does dips...

...and push ups...

...and will do squats and lunges and step ups.  The best part is when she orders me to do something and starts yelling, "Go Mom!  Now!  1! 2! 3! 4!  No Stopping!  5!..."

Under Water

(be sure to notice the freaky Kansas weather...today it's super hot and we're swimming....in the pics from yesterday's strawberry picking, Jayden is wearing warmup pants and a hooded sweatshirt!  the weather here is so weird.....)

For Royal's birthday, the kids and I got him a waterproof camera for his upcoming fishing trip in Alaska.  I thought a camera that he could get wet, could withstand him dropping it in the boat, and could handle cold temperatures just might be exactly what he needs to document all the huge fish I just know he is going to catch and bring home.  And well because I kinda like gadgets, I thought it would be great to take to the pool with us this summer, since I never get any pictures of the kids swimming because I'm in the pool with them and my camera can't get wet.

Our neighborhood pool is finally open and it was hot today!  So...we went swimming!    I know there are going to be lots of better pictures to come because the pool water is still a little too chilly for me to stick my head under.  :)

Strawberry Pickin'

This year we managed to get down to Sargeant's Farm and pick strawberries.  We have always seemed to be too busy before and the strawberry season is so short down here that if you blink you miss it!

 

I wasn't sure how well the kiddos were going to do or how long they'd let us pick.  But once Jayden discovered we were pretty much the only ones in the strawberry patch this morning, he was running all around our section finding the best spots to pick them.  He even agreed to come back on Monday (if they stay open) as long as we listened to him as to where the best strawberries are. 

Willow did pretty well too.  She had trouble trying to get over the rows of strawberries without stepping on them to try and chase Jayden down.  But she did really well eating the strawberries, and she always picked the biggest ones out of our boxes!  Thanks to eating all the strawberries, we were able to stave off lunch for awhile longer and get a 3rd box picked.  :)

Here's what we walked away with.  Not nearly enough strawberries to get us through the winter! But we'll take what we can get!  I'll probably freeze most of these, but we have to at least save enough to make some strawberry rhubarb crumbles for dessert.  We actually managed to get our rhubarb to grow in our garden this year!  Although it was nothing we did - I swear we've ripped it out every year because of poor performance or an animal ate it, but somehow it has managed to come back each year.

Jayden's 1st Girl

Today, we had Jayden's end of the year party with his class at Watson Park, which meant for Jayden another day to hang out with Pilar (pronounced pee-LAR), the girl from his class who has been in love with him all year.  I can't say that Jayden exactly feels the same way, he's been up worry at night because Pilar wants to marry him, or she tells him she loves him, or that she keeps calling him her boyfriend, or because he says he doesn't want to sleep at Pilar's house - he wants to stay with me (sweet!).

Jayden loves playing with Pilar and talks about her all the time, but that she is ONLY his friend.  So, I guess this isn't so much Jayden's first girlfriend as it is the first girl Jayden's lead on.  She's in love with him....he just wants to be friends..... :)  If he keeps this up, there could be a lot of broken hearts in the future!   I was talking with Pilar's dad today and he said we have to set up playdates for the two of them because Pilar is going to drive him crazy.  I guess over Christmas break Pilar wrote Jayden love letters everyday, her dad's a little worried about them being separated for so much longer now....since they won't be going to the same school next year...:(

Picking flowers and chasing the geese.

Eating pizza for lunch with Pilar's best girlfriend sitting across from her.  Jayden's even had to deal with a bunch of crazy drama from the friend of his girl - Pilar's best friend was always trying to break them up!  It starts so young....

We all got to go for a train ride around the park too!

And finally, here's Jayden with his teacher, Mrs Burcham.

Let summer begin!!!

Last Day of School

I can't believe it, but Jayden's last day of Pre-K was today.  I'm actually kinda glad, I'm quite tired of the whole school thing and I'm looking forward to having both my kids with me again!  Jayden has just grown so much this year, I'm so proud of him!  On to Kindergarten I guess!

What Willow Wears :: 14

I know I just posted one of these, but today Willow finally picked a different colored outfit than her usual pink.  Today, her color was green!

...mostly because she discovered this skirt would really twirl when she did...