Summer--not over yet

My friend found a slip and slid on clearance. She knew how much I wanted one, and gave it to me...well she gave it to Gracin but he is sharing:)







Here in Mississippi, summer lasts forever!! We will still be playing with the hose, baby pool, sprinkler park, slip and slide, and water table for 2+ months! Yes it is hot! Too hot in fact. At least we have a backyard to play.

Swim lesson are over

Mr. Susan...That's what Rhylan kept calling her;)

Rhylan started swim lesson, knowing nothing about water and swimming. She was eager to learn and loved going to swim lessons. She learned to blow bubbles, kick with straight legs, monkey walk on the wall, climb out of the pool, jump into the pool, swimming safety, float on her back, use her arms to swim, and put her eyes under the water! After she learned to put her eyes under water, she started getting scared. She stopped saying "me first!" She would actually run away, ask everyone else to go first, and scream and cry! There was such a change. But Mrs. Susan was so good with her. Rhylan is super independent, she would put her eyes under when she was standing on the steps "ALL BY MYSELF!!" That is the way she is with most things. She always wants to do things all by herself. So Susan had to find ways to help Rhylan do things by herself. I am so glad she took swim lesson, I think she learned a lot, and got a bit more used to the water. She will actually lay down in the bath now for me to wash her hair. Before swim lessons, she would never do that. She even had to have a wash rag over her eyes when I put water on her head. But she is much more brave. We play a lot in our backyard water toys. And she will even put her eyes under in our baby pool...as long as it is all by herself!!

1 year photo shoot!

I was able to get a few good pic of Gracin during his 12 month photo shoot. Not a ton but a couple. He was hot and cranky but the lighting was perfect so I had to do it. And now, I don't feel like doing it over again. I am happy with these. I will post more when I edit more. These are my favorite, one has a few different crops.

Grammy Sue and Grammy C, I want to hear your #1 choice and your #2 choice. (You will get both, one will be 5x7 and the other 4x6.) Let me know soon so I can order them:)

Everyone else you can tell me your favorites too:)

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

Gracin is 1!!!!

Thursday was Gracin's birthday! We had a party here for him and his friends. A few friends had big sisters, so Rhylan had some friends too. And well, the kids had parents, so we had friends as well!! In other words, we all had a great time!

Gracin had a pool party. We had two little pools, our sprinkler park, and a slip and slide all in the back yard. Gracin loves water, he was having a great time. He enjoyed splashing all his guests, and running around. His cake was made to look like his orange swimming pool (see the beach balls, floating rings and water slide?) He loved every bite and even stole some from the trash. I think it was a great party for his first birthday.

I also had some yummy food and drinks.

Gracin got all wet helping daddy set up the pools for the party
Silly girls! I didn't get pictures of all the guest...I was pretty focused on Gracin.

The cake

Thank you Caleb, Alden, Rachel, Mary, Eliza, and Louisa (and parents) for coming!

MORE TO COME...BIRTHDAY PRESENTS!

I am a very proud mamma right now!!

As I said before, we have been working on Rhylan's name. But we haven't actually gotten down and written it out. Then the other day I was busy with something and suggested she use her Magnadoodle to write out her name. Since it was the first time ever, I wrote it out for her first and she coped my writing. She did it easy!!!!!!! I couldn't believe it, she was also pretty excited about it. After the first time, she erased it and wrote it over and over all by herself without help from me!!! Now 2 days later she is a pro. These are all pictures from her first couple times.

FIRST TIME EVER!

SECOND TIME, FIRST TIME W/O HELP

I just won $100 gift card!!!

YOU CAN TOO...

I won an online photography contest, with this photo!!!
If you go to http://prize.komando.com/enter.asp you will see the entry form. Here is the site home page http://www.komando.com/, Check out the gallery to see weekly finalist and winning photos! I hope you win too!!!

I want a slip and slide

Today Rhylan and I used the "sprinkler park" for a slip and slide!! We were having a great time. Gracin kept to bum sliding while we moved on! First we were running and sliding on our knees!! Rhylan got pretty good at this. Then we moved up to running and sliding on our bellies. I was surprized Rhylan even did this...our faces got wet!!!!!!

Gracin's best splash

Great knee slide!!

Wow I make a big splash compared to little 24 lb Rhylan

Rhylan's belly run!

Coming the other way.

I think Slip and Slides are $9 with a slash pool and all. I just might have to go get one...any adults up for a slip and slide party? Do you remember how fun they were? I did today. In college I remember my friend Preston would through the best parties. He still lived at home so he had a big back yard to set up a HUGE slip and slide. We soaped it up real good and went for distance, crazy slides, and group slides. Not one person broke a bone! Oh man there are times when I miss doing fun stuff like that... like today... (Thanks Rhylan and Gracin for sharing your toy with me!)

They love Zelda

Gracin started giving Zelda hugs! She doesn't really enjoy them, in fact she moans. Rhylan also likes to hold Zelda. Even thought she is tortured, she still hangs out with the kids. She is usually in whatever room we are playing in...just out of reach of Gracin's death grips. I am glad Zelda is a social cat, my kids sure love her:)

A good reason to do laundry

It has been pretty rainy over the weekend, leaving a lot of mud around our house. We have one spot, right next to the front door, where all the rain water runs off the roof (no rain gutters!!???!) Rhylan calls it the bug pool:) We were out side Saturday evening mowing the yard, and weeding the flower beds. Gracin slipped and fell right in that mud pit! He was so filthy. He also had an orange Popsicle beard. Not even 1 year old yet and I am getting a small taste of what our future holds with Gracin. Boys, gotta love them (the bath tub was extra gross that night!)

Ten reasons...

Why the pet store is better than the zoo:
1. It is air conditioned
2. We don't need to pack a lunch or own a member pass...although we do:)
3. The animals are usually awake and running around
4. No sunscreen and no sunburns
5. It only takes 15-30 min to see everything
6. Little puppies can lick your fingers
7. You can get your picture with a HUGE snake
8. You can buy crickets for your pet frog while you are there
9. You can get right up to the glass and see the animal up close
10. Its only a 5 min drive home when we are done!

We took out some change from our jar and put it in Rhylan's wallet. She was so excited to ask for the crickets. She carried them through the store and loved paying for them with her "own" money. This is the moment she was given the crickets, and turned to show us.