Sweet, Sweet Summertime

Independence Day 2010

Megan and a friend from Church. He's Jeremy's age, but he's got a sister older than Megan that participates in book club with her.
I think either Megan or Emma took this picture.



Emma wondering when the fireworks will start. Sorry sweetie, more than an hour before sunset still!



Also, I've discovered my love of the local pool. It is wonderful. Of course it helps having the kids in swim lessons where the life guards are the ones actually watching Megan and Jeremy while I watch Emma in the baby pool. At the beginning of the summer it was rarely above 70 degrees outside and very overcast when lessons would start and so the kids' lips would be blue by the time they got out of the pool, but they still loved it. Now it's well into the 80s and sunny. Finally! Some sun in Cleveland. I thought I'd never see it again.

Emma is my water baby.

She has no fear and would swim all through the deep end if she could. Before Megan and Jeremy ever came close to putting the whole of their faces in water, Emma was dunking her entire head.

She loves to play a game she invented called Blast Off where she pretends to be a rocket ship. She counts to three and then jumps up, making a big splash in the water when she comes back down.

Here she is doing her Do-Do-Do Dance. She pumps her arms and sings, "do-do-do" when she gets excited about doing something.

Jeremy was the most apprehensive about swimming. While he really wanted to do it (just like preschool and soccer) he has reservations about being with other kids he didn't know well (just like preschool and soccer). But these last few weeks he has done great!

I haven't seen him hang on a lifeguard or make them carry him in a long time, and he went all the way under the water when they played ring around the rosy--he's the only one to do it, too! Also, he finally consented (at least twice) to be Mr. Fox when they play What Time Is It, Mr. Fox? He hates to be in the center of attention if it's a bunch of kids looking at him, so that was a huge leap for him.

Jeremy loves the water mushroom!
He and Emma play in it constantly when we're at the pool for fun and not just lessons.

After Thursday's lesson one of his instructors told me he's doing well enough to move up to the level 2 class, which is the class Megan is in. He's very excited about that!

In this picture he is smiling at the piece of "pirate treasure" he went under the water to find.

Megan was the whole reason we decided to do the lessons this year. Megan, for as long as I can remember, has said she wants to be a diver when she grows up. She wants to explore the ocean and all that's in it. So, naturally she needs to know how to swim.

Megan can get nervous when it comes to letting someone hold her while teaching her to swim, but she's getting better. I remember taking swim lessons and being terrified.

A couple weeks ago they had Megan's class go off the diving board. There was a lifeguard in the pool waiting to catch them, but Megan missed him (because she was holding on to another lifeguard and therefore couldn't jump far enough). She went straight down, but immediately started kicking her legs straight and came right back up on her own. She was scared and crying, but as soon as one of the lifeguards told her she'd done exactly what a real diver does she smiled and got excited. They were impressed that she hadn't freaked out and flailed around.

And finally (I know, this is a long post. I haven't posted in forever so I've got a lot of catch up) we've been bowling!!!

And I neglected to mention when I first posted this, Nathan got 4 STRIKES IN A ROW!!