little shark...

I wanted to take a moment to mention Ethan and his swimming.  He started swimming before his second birthday with lots of hard work in ISR.  We put him in this safety swim class because we moved in a house with large ponds behind it.  We then found he really liked to swim and went from there.  He has been taking classes with Swim America since he was three.  He works so hard each working on certain skills he has to master before moving up to the next group.  He has been working on the freestyle stroke and synchronized breathing.  He doesn't have meets yet so family and friends never see what he has achieved.  I wanted to share with our family and friends a little clip and photos of him in action.  I have learned that is so hard to photograph or video a swimmer!  I get so much joy out of watching him swim.  

look for the shark swim hat!

not only...

someone likes brother's boots

a little sneak peak of the project

it's Friday!!!  Not only did Bennett not cry for the FIRST time during ISR 

he squealed as if he enjoyed himself swimming with his brother.  Did I

mention we are in week four?

Not only did we get Sweet Cece's afterwards to celebrate another week of ISR complete, 

we enjoyed our frozen yogurt for free!  

Not only did I start an art project for Ethan's room, I actually finished it!  

Not only do we have a date night tomorrow night, we are taking a limo to a concert {Fitz & the Tantrums}.  Which is a first for me...

  

Oh, David's family are joining us.  We might actually carry on a conversation over 

dinner without five kiddos to tend to.  

Yes, I have enjoyed today!  I hope you have too!

Ethan's summer so far...

People are always commenting on what a "happy boy" Ethan is.  He loves life and glows with joy.  His little light is one of the brightest I've seen.  If he notices me looking worried or stressed, he will say "just be happy mom."  He is my happy boy.  Bennett was having a 'moment' in the car and Ethan said as calm as can be..."babies just cry mom."  So matter of fact that I had to just laugh.  His new saying..."that is just ridiculous."  When I ask him "where do you get your sillies from because mommy isn't that funny."  He looked at me point blank and said "Nana."  The kid cracks me up.  

  He has had such a great summer.  I haven't been the best at posting pictures, but here a few so far from our summer with little captions.  

 3 year photos

he has been wanting to learn to snorkel at the pool...too bad the kid size doesn't work very well

all boy!  

 

This picture was taken when Bennett was only a few weeks old and I was a very tired mommy.  But Ethan can make you have fun and be silly no matter what!  I think we took 30 silly phone pictures that day!

Ethan and David have a little vegetable garden in our back yard.  Their strawberries might be small...but they are the sweetest you've ever eaten!  We now have tomatoes and cucumber!

He wore this necklace of his cousins for a week solid.  David just loved it!  

If I had to sum up his summer favorite times...this would be it!  Catching lightening bugs.  Can you tell he is happy?  David and Ethan have a method to catch them and letting them go.  I could sit and watch them run our backyard for hours.  Both having the best time.  So sweet.  

Ethan attending cooking camp at his school for a week.  This was his chef's hat.  His teacher wrote on his daily notes that she is amazed at how shy he seems, but has the best belly laughs and can really  let loose and have fun and be silly.  I think she nailed it on the head:)

He asks every day to hold "Bennett Stone."  He call his brother by his full name.  Bennett might just go by his full name one day if Ethan has his way!  Grandpa just calls his "Stone."  

Swimming!  He has had the best time meeting up with his buddies at the pool.  He loves to dive for dive rings and swim nonstop.  I have to tell him to "stay above the water for a while."  He would swim until he literally would pass out asleep most days.

He still loves his sandbox

We have to go check out "Daddy's House" almost every day.  David is building a house down the street from ours, and Ethan has to keep a close eye on the progress.  

David has several remote control sail boats and Ethan has loved going with David to the lakes behind our house to sail them.  They did this more in the late spring when we had windy days.  I need to catch a photo of this.

so true...

splish splash...

Love my water baby!  

infant swim: and we are done!

Last week Ethan has his official last day of ISR (infant swim resources).  He had completed his checkoff fully clothed and in shoes the week prior.   We wrapped up the class with a fun session with me in the pool, dive rings, and last pieces of advice from his teacher.

I was so thrilled and proud of him and what he has accomplished over the last 7 week or so.  It was definitely  a commitment but worth every second.  He gained so much confidence and countless skills during the course.  I feel lucky to have found out about ISR and find an awesome teacher.

Just today at the pool I watched him spot a toy and jump right of the step to grab to the ball to realize I wasn't standing in the water to grab him.  He turned himself around and kicked back to the step.  I think that was my moment that I realized how amazing the skills are that are taught.  Of course I was right there, but watching my two year old trouble shoot and calmly find his way back was awesome to witness.

Maybe at some point this summer, I can get it together and take some photos at the pool:)  Ethan, we are so proud of you!

infant swim: week 3 & 4

Infant swim is going well!  Ethan is now working on the harder skills of the program.  Ethan's swim teacher was in a triathlon on Saturday so Friday we didn't have swim.  So I took Ethan to the rec center to swim.  This was the first time we swam without his swim teacher in the water with us after starting infant swim.  We had such a blast!  He really seems to enjoy the water.  I even got Ethan to wear a pair of swim googles for the first time.  I have to get a photo of him wearing them!  An almost-two year old in a pair of speedos googles with all that blonde hair sticking up everywhere....so adorable!  

Ethan swimming with his swim buddy

working on resting (floating)

I

Earth Day....

In honor of Earth Day I thought I'd share little ways in which our family tries to be green.  After moving into our new house last year, our city started a blue-bag recycling program.  You simply seperate non-recycleables from those that can be recycled into one bag.  The city picks up your blue bags once a week right outside on the curb.  MUCH easier than what we've tried and failed before of seperating plastics, paper, glass and hauling them off to the local recycle center.  We have a blue bag can right beside our trash can in the kitchen to make it that much easier.  I love watching our recycling stack up in comparison to our trash. 

Just this week I discovered reusable swim diapers.  I know what you are thinking....ugh.  With Ethan's Infant Swim classes, I realized how much money I was spending on disposable swim diapers for him to wear them for literally ten minutes.  Not to mention they really don't work for pee!  I googled swim diapers and found this washable swim diaper.  I absolutely love it.  You just toss in your washing machine and air dry.  Ethan has never gone #2 in the pool so I'm keeping my fingers crossed it stays this way.  Gives me a little bit of a different opinion on cloth diapers....just a little bit!

One of my favorite stocking stuffers of all times from my SIL, Whitney, were these Envirosax.  I love toting my groceries, Target goodies, and many other items around in them.  They roll up into a small ball to fit inside your purse so you never forget to bring your own bag.  These sturdy little bags come in a ton of different colors and prints....adorable!

I love to organize so on-line bill pay through our bank is a must for me.  I love how everything is one place.  It saves a ton of money on stamps, time writing checks, and the hassle of checking to see if those checks where cashed, etc.  I sit down twice a month and pay everyone from the electric company to our dentist.  Once you set it up...it is so easy.

infant swim: week 2

Ethan is now finishing up week two of infant swim.  He seems to be proud of what he's accomplished over the last two weeks and so are we.  Here is a small clip of him in the water.