Last Pool Party

This has nothing to do with the pool, but I thought it was cute.  The other day both girls were playing so nicely and correctly with their toys, I just had to take a picture (Amelia disappeared before I could take her picture).  And Sophia looked so cute with her head propped on her hands.

So when the forecast called for 90F weather this week, I figured that was a good excuse to get out the pool for the last time.  We've only pulled it out twice before - once in UT and once here - and both times Ken set it up.  And now I know why.  It is exhausting.  I spent an hour blowing it up - alternating between blowing into it from my mouth and using a foot pump that didn't work much better than just blowing into it.  After countless comments from Amelia "is it ready?" . . . "this is a lot of hard work, huh?" . . . "is it ready now?" . . . "can I help?" . . . "is it ready NOW?" . . . I decided the pool was inflated enough to hold water and put the hose in.  My girls love to splash and play in deep water, but thank goodness they were just as happy to run back and forth in a few inches of water instead.

I made sure that the pool was in the shade, put sunscreen on the girls, and sat down to catch my breath . . . literally.  Well, being exhausted, I didn't think about the shade moving, so after about 10-15 min, the pool was mostly in sun . . . which my girls don't like (yeah, they're definitely used to living in the NW).  So I offered to get them their hats - which they said yes to - but which were promptly dropped into the pool.  This led to their next activity for the next 10-15 min.  Dip the hat into the pool . . . exit the pool . . .

run across the yard and let the water drip from the hat onto the tomatoes in our "pseudo-garden" . . .

try to smile when Mom asks you to . . . 

run back to the pool . . . and repeat.  Overall, the girls spent an hour playing in the pool which equaled the hour that I spent blowing it up, so I figured that was pretty good.

And on a completely random side.  The other night I looked outside and saw these 2 "jungle women" out in the yard.  It just made me laugh.

I Love it When . . .

I love it when Sophia puts herself down for a nap . . . now if I could just get her to do it around nap time, instead of right before dinner ;)

A Sunny Beach Day

We went to the beach on Saturday, to avoid the Labor Day rush, and it was great!  The sun was shining, a cool breeze was blowing, and there weren't a ton of people.  We were at Westport, on the WA coast.  This isn't a great picture, but I love how you can see the Olympic Mtns while you're at the beach.

The girls had fun digging in the sand . . . it's always hard to know where to start.

Amelia wanted to fly her kite, and did a great job getting it up and keeping it up.

 And then Sophia wanted a turn holding the kite.  She did great, until she got bored, and then just let go of the kite.  Thank goodness the wind wasn't blowing too hard and I was able to catch it after running after it.

More digging in the sand . . . who needs a shovel?  I've got hands!

 And a few sand angels . . . doesn't everyone do sand angels?

 And then the girls got brave enough to play in the water. . . and couldn't stop giggling and laughing, they were having so much fun.

Just Another Day at the Beach

My friend Liza and I went to the "beach" with our kids today, ie. Tolmie State Park, on the south tip of the Puget Sound.  They looked so cute walking up the path in their rain coats and rain boots.

The tide was out when we got there, so there were sand bars to stand on in the middle of the water.

 My girls don't care if it's not sunny at the beach.  All they want to do is dig in the sand . . .

 and throw things into the water . . . 

and walk in the water.

All in all, a successful day at the beach before it started pouring rain, and we headed for home.

Success

Today I watched Amelia in her last dance class.  The first week Amelia was scared and cried and just wanted to be held.  The second week, Amelia didn't cry, but she just wanted to hide behind me, especially if someone looked at or talked to her.  On the third week, Amelia sat quietly and watched and even played with some of the wands/streamers/shakers.  I thought that was success.

Today I watched as Amelia ran into the classroom and excitedly showed the teacher the princess wand she had brought to class.  Amelia sat on the side and watched, looking like she wanted to participate, but didn't quite dare.  I almost started crying when I was afraid her fear of trying would keep her from doing what she loves to do.

But then about half way through the class, Amelia started dancing with the class.  I think even she was excited that she had done it, because she ran over to where I was sitting and gave me a hug, as if to say "I did it, Mom"!.

That is success!

Realization

Do you ever wonder where you get some or all of your character traits?

I'm a planner, and always have been.  I've never really thought of where I got this trait from, until recently, when I realized I got it from my Mom.  Which is kind of funny, because I never really thought of my mom as a planner - things just always got done. 

My mother is dying and has already planned her funeral and written her obituary.  She apologizes for not being able to plan the actual date of her funeral.  But she has asked all of her children to speak at her funeral.  So of course, I've started planning what I might say.  But I have come to the realization that I can't plan what I'm going to say . . . at least not now.  There are too many things to say . . . how do you narrow it down to just 5 minutes . . . and what do you say after 6 older siblings have spoken?  No, this may just be something that doesn't get planned. 

That's How it Goes

If Ken or I am singing a song and we don't quite get it right, Amelia will say, "no, this is how it goes" and then sings the song for us.  And when she gets done, she says, "that's how it goes, Daddy (Mommy)."

Today Sophia and I were singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Sophia says to me "this is how it goes" and then proceeds to sing part of the Itsy Bitsy Spider.  I love it.

Now, if only I could figure out where she got the phrase "no way, Mommy".