Pool pictures

Our girls, like most kids their age, have IPod touches, or other devices that allow them to take selfies. That said, they seem to be in love with taking pictures of themselves; not that there's anything wrong with that :) However, this summer, they discovered the joy of underwater cameras. And no matter how much I reminded them that they are not designed to take good selfies, they didn't listen! We got a lot of pictures like this as a result:

 

Oh but not to worry, we had plenty like this as well! Good think we keep a clean pool.

Eventually, sometime around August, they got the hang of it and I got a few more pictures that looked like these last two instead.

Here's hoping they pick up next year where we left off. We're missing summer already around here....

Pool fun

With the stretches of hot weather we have been having, our crew has been enjoying a lot of time in the backyard. 

Sidney reenacted a picture from several years ago as she sported a life jacket, water wings, goggles and a floatie before jumping in! Pretty sure there was no way she was going under. 

Regan is perfecting her rowing skills, but has been known to fill up the boat with water to stay cool as well. 

But this little guy, he takes the cake this year! Not only has he started jumping off the board into our arms, he now jumps off independently and can swim from end to end all on his own (with a swim vest). He truly has amazed every person who visits. 

Watching a 2 year old jump independently off the diving board is incredible. Watching someone else's reaction is priceless...."um, he just jumped off the board!". 

yep, he sure did! 

Click HERE to watch the video I took on my cell phone (sorry for poor quality). 

Mermaid life

Meet our newest mermaid in the family :) 

Sidney has graduated from standing in the shallow with her mermaid tail, to swimming around in the deep end. This is not an easy feat, trying to swim with your legs essentially glued together is tough business! 

But she was determined and so proud of herself for accomplishing it this summer. She still doesn't have her own plastic fin insert in the bottom but will occasionally borrow Regan's fin. Until she gets her own, she is doing just fine swimming around like a mermaid and pretending to be in her own fairy land. 

The 4th, done right

We kinda love the 4th of July around this place. Let's be honest, it's July, and that alone makes me happy! But add to it, family, heat, sun and a celebration of our independence and I'm one happy girl. This year was pretty similar to our years past. Our city celebrates on the 3rd with a whiz bang of a fireworks display and we have a good time with some friends beforehand. That translates into a late night and some tired kiddos the next morning. Ryan skips out and headed golfing with my mom so he doesn't deal with our sleepy heads..... 

This sleepyhead woke up with a note and some cash from the Tooth Fairy having lost her FIFTH tooth the afternoon prior. She popped it right out herself, just like she had wished for. 

So now we've hit Labor Day and the 4th of July with lost teeth from this girl. I think she has a secret wish to lose a tooth on every holiday :)

Our little ones sure clean up well. The out takes of this shot are pretty funny, Lincoln continually spun in circles and then screamed whenever either girl tried to get him to stop and take a picture. I had to act like a clown to get him to stop and smile at the camera. Oh the things that I do for a picture of all three. 

After a round of golf by Ryan and my mom and some food prep from me and the girls, our doorbell started ringing and soon the back yard was filled with outdoor fun. The kids and I found the new water balloons (the ones that fill 40 balloons at a time and a 120 in less than a minute....a new kind of awesome!) and it was time for a water fight! Ryan kept running around yelling "why am I the intended target??" as everyone was going after him :)



Lincoln and Grandma Jan found a cool place in the shade to relax. She taught him how to clink his cup and say "cheers". He's kinda proud of himself with that big boy cup. Ryan on the other hand, is not loving the sticky mess he kept spilling all over the deck because he insisted on something, anything, other than water to drink! 



Ryan's pretty good at doing all sorts of tricks in the pool. Here he's trying to land on the magic carpet and stay standing on it...not as easy as it looks! Took him a few tries but eventually he mastered it and we all cheered for his success!

And teaching Arnie to throw an alley oop....well that was a sight too! The first time he tossed the ball at Ryan's feet and we all got a good chuckle at how impossible that ball was to catch. I'm telling you, it's like having an extra kid with him around sometimes! He sure likes to goof around :) 

Once evening settled in, we took the party out front for a fire works display. Ryan got his hand on some pretty awesome fireworks while we were in Wisconsin last month, and so our 'show' was a little more exciting this year!
Lincoln just kept on drinking and drinking all evening, but at least I knew he wasn't going to get dehydrated in that warm July humidity! 

Check out his curls

For some reason, Grandpa Arnie thought Lincoln was hilarious. I just love this picture of Arnie's expression as he talks to Lincoln, priceless! 

There was simply no way that Regan was going to let us forget that she was going swimming after fireworks. So much so that she wouldn't even change out of her swim suit/cover up! Swimming in the dark might just be her most favorite part of the 4th. 

As for this cutie with her glasses, oh is she our little fire cracker! She was so happy for everything about the day: the food, the swimming, more food, some fireworks and give her some more food. I mean it, she has a wild metabolism as she weighs roughly 45 lbs and eats c.o.n.s.t.a.n.t.l.y! 

With Lincoln in one arm and my camera in the other, we ooed and ahhed as we watched Ryan's display :) 

All the kiddos lit up themselves with glow sticks around every limb and more in their hands! 

At the end of the night, after saying our goodbyes, the 3 oldest of us in the family hopped back in the pool for a quick night swim! It is so peaceful (and super warm!) to swim at night. I know why Regan thinks it's so fun! 

Late at night, as we cleaned up around the pool, Ryan looked at me and said "we do the 4th right: swimming, grilling out, awesome fireworks and pool in the dark. What could be better?". I must say that I have to agree with him :) 

Happy 4th!

Holding on to summer

We're holding on to every second of summer over here. It's no secret that summer is my favorite season, with winter in dead last. And by that I mean, way way way down there. We love the sun against our faces, the water around us and the smell of fresh air.
And the girls' sun-kissed faces. Oh it's like no other. 

So as the temps rose to almost 80, we turned up the heater on the pool and told the girls that it was likely our last weekend to swim. Saturday we hosted some great friends for one last hoorah. 

And Sunday, it was just the 5 of us. Enjoying the laughter of each other and taking in this gorgeous summer like day. Sadly, the evening was approaching and it was time to climb out. Regan started tearing up, then crying, then downright sobbing. You see, she's a bit like her mama. She doesn't want winter to arrive. 

"It's not fair!" 

"Summer is too short", 

"why can't we move to Florida?!", 

were statements she said through sobs. Crocodile ears streaming down her face. 

We tried coaxing her back into the pool for another 5 minutes but she insisted it would just make her cry again when she had to get out. And so, we let her cry it out. And eventually, she will be excited for sledding and shoveling snow. But until then, I'm with her....why can't we just move to Florida!?

Sun-kissed cheeks and baby splashes in the water. 

Florida sure sounds nice :) 

6th friend party for Sid

Our adorable middle child wants to do everything her big sister can do. 

And that includes birthdays. 

In anticipation of her birthday in early September, Sidney was begging for a "friend" party. Regan started getting "friend" parties at age 6, so Sidney thought she deserved one too. And had plans to do it at Pump It Up....until her awesome parents decided that paying for a party for 15 kids at the start of kindergarten when she won't know ANY kids in her class, just wasn't a good idea. And so, we opted for a pool party with her current High-5 class friends. 

Once I got her to buy into the idea of a pool party, and forget about going to Pump It Up, she jumped right on board. We couldn't have asked for better weather...90 and humid. PERFECT pool weather!

We got a fun idea to let the kids decorate their own cupcakes instead of doing a cake. And it was like a craft idea with a snack and cake all rolled into one!

Unfortunately, 2 of her good friends weren't able to make it as they fell ill on the weekend of the party :( Darn summer illnesses! But these guys had so much fun and everyone played so nicely together. It really was a great afternoon. 

Sid picked out a Frozen pinata and each kiddo took a whack at it before big brother Tyler knocked it down and we ended up just dumping it out.

The little kids were so polite and nice as they shared their loot of candy, making sure everyone got the same amount. 

And what's a birthday party without your 3 bestest friends: 

Madilyn, Sidney and Natalie

They're like the 3 musketeers these girls.
Sidney handed out 2 little BFF necklaces and they all wore them proudly after the party had ended and the other guests had left. 

So glad we are able to keep seeing each other as the girls each head to different schools this fall, they'll join up weekly for dance class. 

And they are so. stinkin'. excited. 

Happy Birthday party weekend sweet Sidney!

The Little Mermaid

This past winter, the girls and I came across these Mermaid tails online. And they just HAD to have them! They arrived at Christmas and had to wait all winter long before trying them out. In all reality, it was good to wait, because Regan perfected her 'dolphin kick' in the meantime. 

She has spent the summer in this tail; she loves it! And it's so fun to watch her swim around, looking just like a mermaid! I'll have to catch a video of her, too bad I don't have an underwater case for my camera :) 

Happy 6th Birthday (party) Sidney

In an effort to double a birthday party with a pool party, we started celebrating Sidney's birthday a few weeks early each year. So last weekend, we bought Lalaloopsy everything and had a whooping fun party for this soon-to-be 6 year old! 

She adored this sweet cake and I have to say, I was quite impressed myself. We took an idea from Pinterest and talked to a baker who whipped up this fun creation, complete with some Lalaloopsy dolls, carefully placed by Sidney herself :) 

 It was a cloudy day but the kiddos didn't seem to mind swimming without sunshine. Ashley got off the hook of having to go into the water too. With Regan around, there was no way that Harlow was going to drown. Regan doesn't let her out of her sight for even one second! 

Sid had a great time swimming, coming out for a snack, swimming, coming out to open presents, swimming, coming out for dinner, and swimming some more before begging to cut into that adorable cake. 

We neglected to get a traditional birthday party family photo, so this one of me and the birthday girl will have to do. I promise to try getting one on her actual birthday. For now, we'll savor every second we have with our 5 year old, because she's growing up just too darn fast! 

Regan's first pool party

A sign that our oldest daughter is growing up....she asked to have her "own" pool party this summer. Historically, we have invited family friends (where our kids are friends but so are we, the parents) to swim, or let the girls have 1-2 friends over to swim/play for the afternoon. 

But last weekend, we invited a bunch of Regan's dear friends to swim and 6 of them showed up for an afternoon of wild, crazy, pool fun! 

All of them had good swimming abilities, but Ryan/myself and Kari (who was visiting for the weekend), were still constantly counting heads to ensure we had 8 kids at all times. I think every minute we counted. No lie. 

There was a lot of screaming and squealing going on with that many girls in one backyard. And the weather couldn't have been better. Pushing 90 and hot/humid. Perfect doesn't even describe it! We had to be in the pool to be comfortable. Now that is my kind of weather!

Lauren has the most amazing cannonball. She even yelled "cannonball" every time she jumped off the board. Such a sweetie. 

With all that swimming comes snack time too. Mr. Freeze and frozen grapes do a lot to hydrate and refresh those adorable smiles.

There were a lot of pool toys floating around...which really just complicated the whole 1...2...3... counting business. But they played with everything that was floating around; so as much as Ryan despises all those things in there at one time, even he couldn't complain. They were having too much fun! 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, we are so thankful for those wonderful friends of Regan. They are sweet, kind and polite. And the fact that they had no problem including Sidney made this afternoon even more awesome! 

I think we're in for many more pool parties that the girls call their own :) 

Diving board tricks

These girls crack me up. With Lincoln on a much more predictable schedule, we have been able to take full advantage of his afternoon naps and soak up some pool time. I started my second of three summer 10 day vacations from work last Friday and we have some big plans to make the most of those 10 days. It started with a trip to AirMaxx (trampoline place) and then an afternoon in the pool. Sidney was making some silly faces, claiming to be a bird, or frog, or dog, or ____ (insert any other animal), as she jumped. 

She was really starting to catch some air! 

And then tried her luck at a cannonball. Of which she has no idea what she is doing. 

Her thought is to make a splash and ensure that anyone around the pool gets a laugh out of her. 

It works :) 

Regan had fun being silly and showing off for the camera. Most of her moves entailed doing some sort of dance move while jumping. They don't always work well but she finds herself to be hilarious.
And as long as they are happy, I'm happy!

Now if only Ryan had as much vacation built up this summer :( Hopefully next year! 

Summer time

 There hasn't been a cloud in the sky lately. And for this I am thankful!

 

And I think these guys are a bit happy about it too. 

We've been spending hours and hours outside and in the pool. After a long MN winter and an even longer (and terrible) MN spring, we are longing for fresh air and fun in the sun. 

Yesterday Kari and her 3 kiddos joined us for some fun. I didn't get many pictures of the day, because frankly, I was too busy chatting and swimming to stop for a pictures.

But there seemed to be some happy WET kids!

Well, maybe one wasn't so happy! 

Actually, this picture is deceiving. Lincoln loves the pool. He just doesn't like to be splashed (as he was here). Not to worry, a quick towel dry off and he was happy as can be again.

Regan is a fish. She swims like crazy and now has one heck of a tan and some blonde hair. She keeps her eye on the pool and helps us watch all the kids (not that I rely on her yet, but I do believe some day she would make a great lifeguard). 

I'm working with Lincoln on his swimming skills too. He's yet to be put underwater, and I'm not certain this is the year to do it; but he's comfortable in the water and enjoys splashing away!

YEA for summer!!