Twirling

Lainey likes dresses. Rarely can I convince her to wear shorts and shirts these days. That being said, she especially likes dresses that "twirl" when she spins around and around. Today, she chose this dress to wear because it would be perfect for twirling. Even though it's a billion degrees outside, and this dress' skirt has several layers...she insisted on wearing it. So, here is our little girl twirling, and twirling, and twirling. :)

After Walker's swim lessons, we went to the gym and as I was leaving the childcare area, I heard Lainey telling another little girl that she got her pretty dress at Costco. I had to laugh because she is correct. I wouldn't have thought she would have remembered that fact. But, you gotta love Costco. They definitely have some very cute and very girly dresses right now!

(She wanted me to take a picture of her coughing. She's so silly sometimes.)

Cinderella and her "carriage." Rudolph was in charge of pulling the carriage.

Walker did not like Rudolph being tied up to the carriage. This is Lainey, holding firm, not giving into Walker's demands. Poor Rudolph. He looks like he's in a bit of pain here and obviously, struggling to breathe. I think I must have been holding Walker at this point in the process.

Never Again

Little Buddy doesn't like wearing hats. I forced him to wear the hat for a few pictures this evening, fully aware that he probably won't wear it again for awhile. He looks so cute, though, even if the hat is a little small. He has a big noggin (because he is such a smartie). :)

"Can we play with Play-Doh? Please? I promise I'll only eat a little bit this time."

He loves playing with his sister's Play-Doh ice-cream set...even without the Play-Doh. (Thanks again, Lisa, for this fabulous gift! Always fun!)

"Done yet?"

Night Swimming

Ok, so these pictures were taken towards the end of the evening...most of our swimming was done when it was still light outside. Both kids slept till almost 9:15 this morning...swimming wears them out! Especially when they swim until 9:30 p.m. Well, Lainey swam. Walker was more interested in throwing stuff in the pool than swimming!

Sweet Sidney...she and her friends Lexi and Ashleigh were amazing with the kids. I would welcome them into my home at any time. Seriously. Whenever. They are amazing girls!

The bigger girls taught Lainey how to have an underwater tea party (remember those!?) and how to jump off of the diving board and onto a noodle.

Fortune Cookies & Grasshopper

Just some cute stories to share...

1. Tonight, after our yummy dinner at Pei Wei, we all got fortune cookies. I took the fortunes out of Lainey's (so I could read it before she inadvertently tore it) and Walker's (so he would not eat it). Walker's fortune said If you put up with small annoyances, you will gain great results. I made some remark about what Walker's should have said, although now that I think about it, his fortune is pretty spot-on. He does put up with a lot of little annoyances at his age. Anyway, Lainey's fortune said Everyone feels lucky for having you as a friend. I thought that was so sweet when I tried to explain it to her, she just looked up at me and said, "Mine should have said I love my Mommy." :) So, of course, I gave her a giant hug right then and there.

2. Every evening, some boys in our neighborhood play cricket. We've seen them playing the game outside several times, and I've repeatedly told Lainey that the name of the game is "cricket" but she continues to refer to it as "grasshopper."

3. Lainey has perfected what she refers to as "mad eyebrows." She furrows her brow (on command) and makes "mad eyebrows." :)

4. Whenever she is tired, she says that she's ready to go "night-night." However, whenever she sleeps, she refers to it as a "nap." Even when she goes to bed for the night. So basically, her days are divided into "before nap" and "after nap" and "tomorrow after my nap." :)

5. Each time she cries, she always asks/looks for something to use to "dry her tears off." Sweet pumpkin. She makes my heart smile BIG.

Thanks, Ms. Cindy!

Tomorrow is Lainey's final swim lesson! Lainey adores Ms. Cindy. I'm glad that we'll be able to continue seeing her as we've put Walker in lessons for the next few weeks. :) Tomorrow Lainey is "tested" with her clothes on. She'll be expected to save herself while wearing clothes and shoes. I think she'll do well; she has really come a long way in the past four weeks!

taking it all in...

This is a typical shot of Walker. He was a wild man during lessons, prompting me to sign him up as well. I don't trust this kid, the one who used to be afraid of water. Not so much anymore!

Walker's favorite thing to do during lessons is to throw this little helicopter in the pool and watch it float and hope that someone (either me or Lainey) will give it back to him. If we aren't careful, he'll try to go in and retrieve it himself!

And...here's the little man himself. He's not laughing. He's screaming!

Lainey drew this picture today. :) Thanks to Ms. Cindy for being such a positive influence on Lainey!

Happy 4th of July!

Here are a couple more pictures from the weekend... I hope that all of you had a safe and happy Fourth of July!

Photo credit: Kelley Loredo

We lit sparklers with friends on Saturday evening...

Photo credit: Doug Bender

and rode a golf cart in Plano's annual Fourth of July parade on Monday morning. And, before you ask, by this point in the weekend, I had given up on asking Lainey to wear red, white, and blue. It just wasn't happening. :)

Photo credit: Doug Bender

Saturday at Lake Lewisville

We had a GREAT time at the lake on Saturday on our friends' boat. Kelley and Carl are amazing hosts and even put up with our slightly sensitive and somewhat fussy Walker. :) Thank you both for having us. We had a blast. I look forward to the day when my kids can go to the lake and not shed any tears!

Walker was generally content when 1) he was "driving" the boat and 2) when the boat was going fast.

He did not love the anchored boat, his life jacket, or the heat (who can blame him for that last one).

Walker did enjoy the jet ski...again, I think it was the fact that it was moving fast!

the three munchkins on the giant tube/trampoline

Kelley and the kids

Ahh...these two. Trouble. Yet...not. Best friends who love each other to pieces but can really drive each other crazy, too. :)

Lainey floating :)

And turning over...

The squirters that Ms. Laura brought were huge hits.

Walker was also happy - believe it or not - when one of us would toss him in the water to the other person. He loved going down and bouncing back up in the water. He thought it was hilarious!

Lainey finally took a break from swimming to eat lunch. That girl had a fabulous time playing and swimming and jumping.

The dads and their kids... Carl and Gage, Chad with Reid and Drew, and Ben with Walker.

Laura chaperoned the final tube ride with Reid and Drew, her two kids, and Lainey. Lainey and Reid became "friends" on this tube ride. Hilarious. Laura said they discussed brushing their teeth and how they'd like to become friends. At this point, I think I was reading Dora stories on the boat to the other kids.

And finally, Walker just couldn't take it any longer. He was even snoring!

What a great day on the boat...thanks again, Kelley and Carl!

Friday Night at Babe's

Gotta love Babe's in the summertime...

What's not to love about this old tractor?

I mean seriously, when are kids ever allowed to do this type of thing on a big, powerful, once-moving vehicle?

Walker was in NO mood for pictures.

Neither was his camera-shy cousin, Collin. :)

sharing a seat (for once!)

See One, Do One, Teach One

I took a few (crummy) pictures of Lainey teaching her baby how to swim during her bath last night...she was cracking me up. Obviously, swimming lessons are making a great impression on her. She kept telling her baby what to do, and encouraging her along the way by saying, "We're almost done, we're almost done." :)

Baby jumped in and swam to Lainey.

Here she is on her tummy....

and here she is, floating on her back. Good work, Baby!

****

On a separate and more serious note, sweet baby Nash Sievers passed away three years ago today. I will never forget those first few days in the wake of his passing. I remember who called me with the news (Jackie), where I was when I answered the phone with the news (on Preston Road, just south of Spring Creek Parkway), what I did just hours before I got the call (had lunch with Jackie), what Lainey was wearing (a light pink dress with white flowers), the shock, despair, and heartbreak that I felt for Nash's family, the tears I shed for Tracy and Brad's sweet baby, and the subsequent hugs and squeezes and cuddles that I showered upon my own baby Lainey, just 2 months old at the time. Baby Nash, we remember you and all your sweetness and pray that you're keeping watch over those brothers of yours...as well as little baby #4. Thinking of and praying for your families today, Tracy and Brad.