Swimming

We have been swimming a lot this last week. Nate has become quite the swimmer and can now do the backstroke and swim down to get dive rings. Ellie has really bloomed this week and gotten a lot more comfortable with swimming and is even willing to swim under water and jump in without plugging her nose. Ellie cries any day we don’t have a chance to go swimming because she want to practice. Eve is our water baby and thinks she can swim. She likes the water a lot and is not scared of it at all. In fact, she walks/jumps of the bottom step and will go under water with her eyes open and a smile on her face and wiggles her arms and legs so she pops up to the surface (we still help her so don’t worry) and likes to swim between Mommy and Daddy. She has learned to hold her breath at the right time too because she doesn’t come up coughing.

Scottsdale’s 60th Birthday Party

We thought the party was going to be busier so we walked from our house to the civic center (about a quarter mile) however parking wouldn’t have been a problem. Oh well, the kids were troopers walking in the heat.

As part of the city’s birthday they offered a free breakfast of eggs, hash browns, sausage, fruit, sweet breads, and orange juice. It started at 7:30 so it was an early Saturday morning.

The color guard and the mayor. We also had birthday cake which was a yummy chocolate ganache and pecan torte.

Face painting. Eve sat very still to our surprise. Since they were not busy, Nate got three skulls on his face. I think I only saw 15 kids total during the whole party so we pretty much had free reign of the activities.

Roping horses.

The obstacle course.

The singing cowboy. His horse did tricks on command.

Eve and her truck

Eve really likes the truck especially the bumpers. She loves to watch her reflection in the bumpers and the wheels. She also waved goodbye to the truck and kissed at it as we walked in to church last week. Paul was so proud!

Here is a little video of Eve and her bumper.

Playing Games

Ellie wanted someone to play a game with her but everyone else was busy so she decided to play with her doll. Her doll won thanks to Ellie playing her cards for her.

Arizona Rick the Balloon Making Cowboy

First he put together the “witch doctor” and then had Alvin and the Chipmunks to dance along.

He made a crazy hat for this girl for her birthday but then he surprised her with a birthday cake hat and gave the “crazy hair day” to someone else.

Ellie was going to be the assistant for this trick where she would be “floating” but she decided she wasn’t brave enough. The girl that did do it got very nervous so it is good Ellie didn’t try it.

He made giant ducks for a girls versus boy duck race.

Old McDonald had a farm. The farm included a very large chicken, duck, dog, pig, sheep, cow, and donkey.

Did you know that Old McDonald also had an aquarium? It included Shamu, an octopus, a crab, a scuba diver, and a mermaid. Nate in his scuba suit and Ellie with her Shamu hat.

He then put himself inside of a huge balloon that looked like a very large whoopee cushion before he blew it up. He then asked if we were ready and pulled out his magic wand. Out of his magic wand he pulled out a very large needle and popped the balloon. I covered my ears because almost everyone knows I hate popping balloons.

After the show. We had a great time.

Father’s Day

The kids gave Daddy this mug that they made at church. The little people are made with their thumbs.

Some of our friends came over for swimming after Father’s Day lunch at Chuy’s Mesquite Grill.

We love Daddy!!

Happy Father’s Day to our wonderful Daddy!! Here is what the kids have to say about their Daddy.

Nate:  You are so sweet! You’re the best! I love you so much that I give you a kiss!

Ellie:  I love you! You’re great! Your love covers me and you’re faithful and you love me. Dear Daddy this is my place, I love you and please come to me everyday. You are my heart covering.

Eve:  Uh, Uh-oh, Yuh, Yuh

Anniversary Celebration

Paul surprised me on Friday. There were no kids at home when I got home from work. He had set up with Grammy and Grampy (their great grandparents) for the kids to stay overnight at their house. They love going over to their house. We felt like we were dating again so we had to go by Wal-Mart first since that’s where we ended up at on our first date (we really just needed a few things and it was easy to zip in and out with no kids). We then had dinner at a German restaurant, hung out at Barnes and Noble, and went to see Pirates of the Caribbean 4. It was nice because we did not have to be home at any specific time, we could hold hands, and Paul would open the door for me.

On Saturday, we slept in and then went to Burger King for breakfast but we picked up Dutch Bros. Coffee first. We ran a bunch of errands and just enjoyed spending time together including a snack break at McDonalds. We went to dinner at Oregano’s Pizza Bistro and then picked up the kids. It was good to have some time without kids even though we love them dearly.

We finally had some time to celebrate our anniversary that was on May 20. Sometimes our life is too busy but we made some time to celebrate our 11th anniversary even if it was a month later.