Another week down!

Well we have survived another semi crazy week of summer!  Kate finished her 2nd VBS today.  She had a great time.  Personally I found it a little too crowded (500ish kids?!?), not well organized and too far from home.  But Kate said she loved it even more than the VBS she went to last week so I guess my gripes weren't her gripes!

Anna Clare continues in her physical therapy.  She's now working on her leg muscles and is getting stronger every day.  Hard to believe she wasn't even sitting up a few months ago!  Now she's pulling up and getting dangerously close to walking.  Yikes!

Here are a couple shots from therapy this week.  She finally stopped crying in PT but I have to stay in the lobby for most of her session now!  She has the worst separation anxiety.  I literally cannot leave her view without her crying.  Sheesh!



























The girls and I met some friends at the Frisco Athletic Center on Thursday.  This is the gym that we currently go to.  It has a big outdoor pool area, complete with a toddler pool with water slides.  After several visits to this pool Kate finally braved the slide (in the toddler pool mind you!).  She spent the rest of our time at the pool going down the slide over and over.  Anna Clare and I sat in the shallow water and played! Everyone had a great time and didn't even mind the first day of 100+ heat. 

Here is one last picture for the week.  Totally inappropriate but yet so stinking cute I had to share! 

Happy Friday!

One Proud Mama!

Kate has been in and out of her fair share of activities.  She's a dance class dropout.  She's a gymnastics class dropout.  She doesn't want to play soccer again in the fall but I'm likely to enroll her anyway.  (she "played" in the spring and would happily drop out of soccer too!) 

The one activity she has always enjoyed is swim class.  She's been taking classes at Emler almost consistently since last summer.  After about 2 weeks in her first class at Emler last summer she was moved up to the next level class.  She has moved on through a few more classes since then and is currently learning to move her arms as well as kicking her legs.  At the end of class yesterday the teacher called the parents in to watch the kids swim.  As I watch the other girls in her class try to get their arms over their heads in the pool I'm thinking "there's no way Kate is going to do this" to myself.  (We spent 3 hours in the pool together on Sunday and I had no luck getting her beyond a doggie paddle.)  Well wasn't I shocked when she did what looked very much like a freestyle stroke halfway across the pool and back!  I couldn't believe it.  The teacher then told me that she's more advanced in swimming than most 4 year olds.  He said that at 4 some kids start to "get it" with swimming and she is one of those kids.  He said that the bulk of 4 years, however, are still wiggling through the pool in more of a doggie paddle (as she was doing Sunday).  This girl may not want to dance or tumble but she can swim! 

The ribbon below was something she earned in class as well.  She is now able to jump off the wall into the pool, turn around, swim back to the wall and climb out all by herself.  The idea is that if she ever fell in a pool she would know how to save herself.  The ribbon got her a free Frosty from Wendy's.  So she had a frosty for dinner last night.  She certainly deserved it!

Kate is in Vacation Bible School again this week.  This one is at our church, Grace Avenue Methodist.  They had water day today with pools and sprinklers to play in.  She's having a great time though I think she liked last week's VBS better.  (because of all the teen girls I think)  I will be sure to get some pictures!

Thank God Its Friday!

We're over a month into summer now and I'm still wondering when the 'lazy days of summer' begin.  Running Kate around all week and trying to keep her entertained is wearing this mama out! 

Today was the last day of week 1 of Vacation Bible School.  When I signed her up for VBS I thought that the 9-12 hours would be fun for Kate AND a nice break for me.  Well not so much.  Little one needs a nap in that time period so basically I race Kate to VBS, squeeze in a walk or an errand, race home for Anna Clare to either nap (or cry if she's refusing a nap), then race back to pick Kate up.  Not the relaxing break I was hoping for!  Oh well, Kate had a ball!  Her class at VBS this week was run by 1 adult teacher and a half dozen or so young teen girls.  Oh these girls LOVE the little ones!  Many times when I got there to get Kate one of the girls was holding her like a baby.  She was eating this stuff up!

Here is Kate with one of the teen volunteers, being carried like a baby!  Clearly she is loving it!

 

VBS class photo.

VBS graduate with her cute frame and photo.

 



 

 

Preston Meadows Lutheran puts on a great Vacation Bible School for these kiddos.  Kate had a wonderful week but secretly I'm glad it's over!  Now onto next week and another VBS at our church.  Just thinking about it makes me tired...

 

Here's how we spent the rest of the afternoon.  At home, playing and working on the latest National Geographic Kids magazine!

 



Starting Point

With so much family that we don't see nearly enough (and my growing dislike of Facebook) I thought it was way past time to begin blog!  I will try to update this regularly and share what we're doing and current photos.  I will try...

We are mid summer and having a fun time so far.  Kate is a busy girl!  Since school ended in May we have been on a short family vacation to San Antonio.  (hello 15 inches of rain in 3 days!)  Now we spend much of our time visiting parks, playground, and pools -  trying to stay busy and cool.  Oh the exciting life as a stay-at-home mom with a 4 year old to entertain... 

Below is one shot at the Marriott resort we visited in San Antonio.  Note that Brett is wearing a shirt because it was chilly!  Also note the mean-face-kid.

This week Kate is in Vacation Bible School at Preston Meadow Lutheran Church in Plano.  She went to the same VBS last year and loved it so she's back there this summer.  So far she is having a great time and, from what I see, enjoying being treated like a baby by the teen (or tween perhaps?) girls that volunteer in her class.  Sigh, she still wants to be a baby...

Anna Clare is a busy girl herself!  She is crawling now - and quickly.  She has begun pulling up and is thinking she'd like to tackle the stairs.  Her current obsession is with Max!  I'm seeing a play yard in our family room in the near future.  I miss my baby that didn't go anywhere but mobile Anna Clare is super fun!

Below shot is my trouble maker baby pulling everything out of one of the kitchen cabinets! 

 

Below shot is one of the many I've snapped of Anna Clare and Max.  Since she follows him around the house...

 

 

 

Kate's new obsession is with kool aide.  Loves to make it.  Loves to drink it.