happy birthday, Charlie!

My baby turned 5 today, at 1:39 this morning to be exact. :) Thankfully, he slept in. We had a busy morning. After he woke up, he opened his presents from us then my sister and Maddie came over and gave him gifts too. And in the middle of all of this, I go into the bathroom to dry my hair. I just get started when the lights flicker for a second, then the power goes out completely. I felt kind of funny going to swim lessons with half of my hair dried, and the other half wet. At least we were at a pool, I wasn't the only one with wet hair, just the only one with half wet/half dry hair. It was so hot, it dried fast. Harrison had his swim class yell, "Happy birthday, Charlie!" from across the pool. My parents came to watch them both swim. Harrison jumped off the low dive into the deep end. I'm still amazed at what he has accomplished. After swimming the three of us drove to McDonalds for lunch, where the drive thru attendant upon hearing it was Charlie's birthday, gave him an extra toy. (Just what we needed.) This afternoon my parents came over and gave him their gifts. Boy, this kid is having a great day. He got his beloved Lego hospital this morning from my sister, and I think that he is in heaven now. It's good to be 5, right?
And tonight we are going to shooby dooby down to Rubys for dinner. The big party is this coming Sat., when a whole gang of us heads out to Legoland.

what a difference a day makes

Wow! If I didn't see it for myself I wouldn't believe it. It all started this morning. There were no tears about going to swim lessons. When we got to the pool the boys each happily took off their sandals and headed over to their teachers. What happened next was shocking. Harrison jumped right in, cooperated with his teacher, and even jumped off the diving board into the deep end! Who is this kid? He later told me that he thought his teacher Carrie was, "spectacular". I really had to agree. He is a completely different swimmer then he was yesterday.
And then there's Charlie. He wasn't as excited as he was yesterday, but he did such a great job. I think he was embarrassed because my sister and niece were there to watch. He gets shy when he knows someone is watching. :)
After swim lessons they went over to my parent's house and they swam there too. No vests either. I guess they just needed that outside boost of confidence. I can't wait to see how they are swimming when these lessons are over. Even though they will have taken up our entire month of July, and the every day schedule is a pain, it will be so worth it. It already is. I will bring my camera so you can see for yourself. :)

swimming lessons, day 2

Well, I wish I could say that the boys are doing great, just like fish to water, but no. They actually did much better today as long as you don't count the major, "Class A" hissy fit that Harrison had this morning. I had to force on his swim suit, and force him into the car. Ahhhh, good times. Thankfully the tears stopped once we arrived at the pool. He cried a couple of times in the pool, but his teacher Carrie is a miracle worker. He did very well today. Charlie also did great! He didn't cry today like he did yesterday. He is still a little unsure about the whole thing, but I can't complain. Now we just have to see how tomorrow goes.

I know that the flower has nothing to do with my post, but it is very pretty. I just wanted to share it with you.

checking in

Our fourth of July was nice and relaxing. We did go in the pool. The heat wasn't as bad as it has been, so that was nice. The fireworks started way too early. Poor Frankie was so upset. My mil came over for bbq'd hot dogs and root beer floats. We can see a small fireworks show from our front yard. Robert, his mom and Harrison sat outside, while I sat inside trying to calm Frankie down, and Charlie stayed inside too. He doesn't like the noise either. I really thought Frankie would have relaxed a little because he and Vegas did the most swimming that day. Just look at Vegas jump!

I finally managed to get a couple of more rows sewed onto Harrison's quilt. I just might get this done! Actually, I have no idea what to do with it when the rows are completed. That is phase two.

By far the most exciting thing for me is that I found a quilt for our bed. I had to admit that if I ever sewed a quilt for our bed it wouldn't be for a very long time. So, this morning I was paging through the Target ad when I noticed this quilt. Remember we (Robert) painted our bedroom? I thought this quilt would match, so I showed it to Robert and I nearly fainted when he said he liked it. I seriously have brought home 3? different comforters only to take them all back. After a trip to Downtown Disney to pick up a couple of Legos for Charlie's upcoming 5th! birthday, my sister niece and I headed over to Target. I also got the cute pillows there too. Yay! It's the little things, right? Totally.

The boys start swimming lessons tomorrow. Wish us luck. ;)

happy 4th of July!

I am done running errands, and I'm heading out to the pool. We always stay in on the 4th, Frankie is so afraid of the fireworks. Have a good day. :)

flickr favorites

Here is a small sampling of my favorites over at Flickr. I could look all day over there! Below is a list of who the photos belong to just incase you would like to see more of their photos. :) Enjoy! Oh, and I highly recommend clicking on the photo to see it larger.
1. White & Purple flower 3, 2. Capybaras / Capivaras, 3. Snack Attack Handbag, 4. Rachel's Sham, 5. Fisher Price: Teaching Clock, 6. merry go round, 7. mini snowmobile, 8. mondopanno, 9. Farmaervas, 10. Martín, 11. _6042275-1, 12. Fireworks, 13. cartwheels on the line, 14. Doll Quilt Swap II for me, 15. Christmas Wishes for You, Deer., 16. Tokyo International Quilt Festival, 17. Heart Pouch, 18. Girl Face Easter Cookies, 19. Rick Rack Heart Tote Details, 20. Critter Charms, 21. Life is a Bowl full of Mushrooms, 22. fillette, 23. House 3, 24. What now... mini art quilt

lazy summer

Happy Tuesday. Here is what we have been doing lately. Yesterday the boys and I spent the late afternoon in the pool. They love it, and it feels so good for me. Must be the weightlessness. :) See that little bench seat in the deep end? That's where I spend a lot of my time. This summer I am bound and determined to have the boys swimming on their own. We have done swimming lessons, but to no avail. Plan B is in action. I am looking into lessons again and hope to have me niece teaching them too. She is a great swimmer. So far, our schedules aren't working too well though. Today I have a day of cleaning planned. Specifically the boys room. It looks as if it might take all day. Instead of two little boys living in there it looks like a pack of wolves moved in. Seriously I'd take a before picture to show you but I'm too embarrassed.

I just finished the best book. It's called The Glass Castle. (Just realized I need to update my reading list over there>) I read it in about 3 days. My sister picked it for our bookclub. It is an autobiographical story about the author, Jeannette Walls and her childhood. It's not an easy read. Her childhood was awful. She wasn't abused per say, but if it happened today, the children would certainly be taken away from their parents. I think that one reason it was easier for me to read is that I knew ahead of time that she turned out ok, she actually is quite successful. I can't wait to talk about it on Sunday when we meet. What are you reading? Anything good? I've got to pick the next book and I'm not sure what to pick.