Starting Summer Off Right

Well, it's not officially summer because Jack still has another day of school, but this past weekend, we kicked off the season with our first swim. This was Reid's first swim ever! Unfortunately, he didn't enjoy it but he did have a better experience the next day.

The big boys had a blast swimming, having noodle (lightsaber) fights, and jumping off of the diving board. Yes, Graham jumped off the diving board! He would never attempt it last summer but on Saturday, out of nowhere, he just walked over and did it and then preceded to jump off another 583 times after that, give or take. :) It was a fun afternoon just being together as a family.

Jack the Swimmer

I am so impressed with Jack's swimming this year that I am dedicating an entire blog post to it! At the beginning of the summer, Jack was very timid in the water. Even though he swam often last year, it had just been awhile and he was cautious. He did not want to put his face in the water and wasn't interested in jumping of the diving board (or off of anything for that matter!). But throughout the summer he has just amazed me. We signed up for one on one swimming lessons with a really great teacher. After just one session, he was already putting his face in the water, swimming without floaties, and jumping off the board. After two sessions he was starting to get braver even without Ms. Denise present. He was showing off his tricks to us and by now he was doing cannonballs and even trying to dive off the board. After four lessons, it was like he'd been swimming his whole life. He now jumps into the deep end without floaties and swims to the side all by himself. He likes to go to the bottom of the pool and touch the drain. He also loves trying new tricks like jumping backward off the board. Even his technique is improving, as he sees the benefits of using big arms and keeping his body up on the surface of the water to kick more effectively. He is our little fish and I'm so proud of him!!

Playdate!

Last weekend, we had our monthly playdate with the Barkers and the Spurgeons at my mom and dad's pool. The boys had such a great time together as always. I'm so glad the boys have such good friends to spend time with. Next month... Thomas the Tank Engine!!

Family Reunion at the Lake

Last weekend the entire Vaughn side of the family joined us at the lake for a mine family reunion. Actually, we were missing three people- Toby, Jessica, and baby Claire. Claire was born only a few days prior so we forgive them for not coming. :) However, we are so glad they sent Charlie! It was so fun watching all the boys play together! Graham and Charlie enjoyed playing ball together and going on boat rides, while Jack enjoyed swimming in the lake, jumping off the boat, and tubing. This was his first tubing experience this year and he was slightly braver than last year, allowing us to go fast enough to see the beginnings of a wake. Contrast that to Collin's tubing adventure. All us old folks in the boat were scared to death and sick to our stomach's during that boat ride, but he said, "that was nothin..." Whew, to be young and fearless!

The big boys spent their free time golfing and playing Bocce Ball. I enjoyed some relaxing reading and laying out time. And then in the evenings we all enjoyed playing games together. Of course we had to play Garbage one night. Then the next night, the younger generation played Poker while the (older? more mature?)... others played Garbage again. Cody and his friend Isaac joined them and apparently almost even won. It was fun having everyone together! Lots of good memories were made!

Independence Day

One of my favorite podcast hosts was complaining about a pet peeve of his- the fact that most people call the recent holiday the fourth of July instead of it's actual name, Independence Day. The reason for the celebration is our nation's independence after all. I tend to agree so I'm working on correcting myself. We had a wonderful Independence Day this year! My parents went all out as usual and we had lots of family over for swimming and hamburgers. The boys loved swimming with their cousins, Keaton and Katherine. There were only a few holiday mishaps- a couple of dog throw up issues after he ate a bunch of ice and two bee stings for Kent. Other than that, it was a pleasant day and lots of fun!

Randy and I took Jack to UCO for some fun and fireworks in the evening. He was so excited to stay up late. The show was really good and we all enjoyed it. Jack was asleep in the car before we were out of the parking lot. 11:30 is pretty late for him. He prefers to be asleep by 8!




Can't believe I don't have one picture of Graham from that day!!!

Summer Fun

We are loving summer over here!! Even though it is super hot this summer, Jack, Graham, and I have been having a blast! It's either inside or in the pool as far as I'm concerned, so that has kept us cool. I am just really loving being home with the boys full time again. It is amazing how much it opens up our days for more fun things like play dates and lake trips, while still allowing me to cook more, keep up with the ironing (my least favorite chore and always the first to go when I'm busy...), and stay dedicated to Bible study. These are the things that just felt rushed when I was working two days out of the week. Most days we hit the gym in the morning (unless I went at 5:30am before they woke up), then we either go swim at BB's, meet up with friends for a play/lunch date, go to the church library, or just play at home. Then it's lunch, nap, and playing until Daddy comes home. On Wednesdays, the boys have been attending Playschool at Highpointe Church and they just love it. I am really impressed with the program and those five hours each week allow me to clean the house and get the groceries bought without having to drag the kids along. Our evenings have been filled with t-ball games, small group gatherings, and more swimming. Can't believe we only have a month left before school starts!

Lake Trip

The boys had a great time at the lake a couple of weekends ago! They celebrated Papo's birthday, took golf cart rides, swam in the lake, swam in the pool, played games, watched movies, and watched Mommy ski. Pretty fun and relaxing time!