Swim Lessons

The younger two boys had the first of their two week swim lessons today. One great thing about them being close in age is that they are often able to be in the same class/group. We really liked the lessons last year so we signed them up at the same place. Most of the lifeguards ended up being the same and they remembered the kids which made them more comfortable with getting into the water. Last year, Pudge wasn't too easy to convince to get in (especially if the water was cold) but this time he saw a familiar face and joined right in. 

They started the class in the wading/baby pool and had the kids searching for diving rings. They both really liked this game and were excited to "play another game in the big pool" when it was time.

Pudge originally wanted to wear goggles but ditched them a few minutes into the class.

 Pequeño's favorite part of the lesson was getting to play with the pool toys. Pudge preferred getting to swim with the different kinds of noodles.

 Neither child wanted to jump into the pool and had to be convinced to slowly slide into the arms of the lifeguards so they wouldn't splash themselves in the face. Pudge was sure that they were going to try to make him go under water and kept backing up and saying "just please don't dunk me" before he would go in with them. Surprisingly, they both were willing (and enjoyed) putting their faces in to blow bubbles. I thought that at least one would refuse since they had been avoiding getting their faces wet during the rest of the time. 

They both also thought that it was hilarious that they had to kick their feet and try to "soak" the lifeguards. 

Unfortunately, they'll need to miss the class tomorrow because it is at the same time as Pudge's kindergarten testing. When we left the pool today, they were excited to tell the lifeguards that they would be back soon so hopefully the next lesson goes just as smoothly!

A little bit of our Sunday

Fish Tacos

Cooling down with the pirate ship pool, water table, sprinklers, 

and a water fight in the yard with the neighbors

Making s'mores

Evening dance party on the deck

Soccer Tournament

Little Bear had a soccer tournament today at the high school. He and Papa had to leave the house at 7am to get ready for his first game. His team was scheduled to play 3 games but one of the teams "forfeited" so their third game was cancelled. 

His team won their first game 7-2! Papa said that Little Bear did a really good job being aggressive. 

They had a little break between games so they went to get a snack and some shade at Target since it was sunny and 90 degrees. During the break time, the younger kids had finished their kids run and we went to the grocery store to fill the cooler with ice, water, Gatorade, and ice pops. We also bought a few hoagies at Primo's and then met Papa and Little Bear a little before he had to be back at the field for stretches before the second game. 

The team did an awesome job during their second game and won it 4-2 which made them the U-10 Boys winners for the tournament!

Kids Run

Today was the first of this summer's Kids Run Series through our local running club. Pudge and Pequeño were both able to participate (Little Bear had a soccer tournament) and Abuela came down to spend the day with us.

After checking in with their age groups and getting their pins, we had a little while to walk around before the runs started. Some of the sponsors had tents set up so we checked those out and the kids each got their own cow bell from the first one. Then they went to another tent where the Wildlands Conservancy had a few animals for the kids to see. They had a python, lizard, and turtle which the kids thought were all really cool. 

They also were able to make a paper craft there which made a little canoe and then they got a red marshmallow Peep to put in the canoe (and eat). 

Next, the kids wanted to see the firetruck which was being shown and they each got a chance to sit in the driver's seat.

Pudge thought that it was awesome that the tires were so big on the truck and had a lot of questions for the fireman.

Then we sat in the shade for a little bit to cool down and the kids wanted to eat the lemon slices from Abuela's iced tea.

Shortly after, the groups started to form so Abuela and Pudge went to his age group while Pequeño and I went to his. While we were waiting for Pequeño's run to begin, he was very excited. He took off smiling but he got more and more nervous about how many people were running next to him. He made it a little more than halfway before he stopped running and said "No, I'm not running". Since we were stopped in the way of the people who were running and walking, I tried to get encourage him to finish by racing me. That worked for a little bit but then he sat down and I had to pick him up and carry him part of the way while he buried his face in my shoulder. Right before the finish, I told him that if he wanted to get a ribbon, he had to either walk or run to the end and he ran holding my hand. As soon as we got to the end, he started crying and wanted to be held. He was excited to get his ribbon but wasn't happy about the fact that he was sweating or that he had to wear the number pinned to his shirt. 

Next was Pudge's group. 

This year, he ran without an adult and he did a great job on his own. He was exhausted when he finished but was so happy to have earned his ribbon. 

On our way out, the kids wanted to stop and see the clowns and get a balloon. As always, they chose to get balloon swords...

which they then used to sword fight with Abuela.

Fish

Recently Papa went on an overnight fishing trip with a few friends. They spent an entire day on the water and had a great time. He had gone on the same trip last year and none of them had caught a single thing. This time was much different! 

This is what his cooler looked like only a few hours into fishing...

All of the guys came home with a ton of fish. So we feel very blessed that we were able to have some to cook for now and a lot to freeze for later. (I am hoping to borrow a food vacuum sealer from a friend for some of the ones that we are going to freeze for longer term and have wrapped and frozen some for sooner use.) 

Papa made some of the fish for dinner tonight in two different ways. There was some grilled fish

(This was the leftovers and the kids liked this as fish tacos)

and a lot of beer battered fish (like Papa used to make with Grandpa R.) which was the kids favorite. 

This was the leftover beer battered fish for this week:

We'll be eating variations of fish for the rest of the weekend at least! 

Pregnancy Update

(Same outfit)

Pregnancy is weird. It's the only time that I get bigger and smaller simultaneously  without trying. Currently, I am 7 lbs under my starting weight for this pregnancy and had to buy a size smaller in pants recently but baby (and my stomach)  is definitely growing! I am still dealing with hyperemesis (especially in the form of middle of the night and car sickness) but it is much better than it was. 

Baby Cuatro is moving constantly and the other kids love to watch my stomach moving and feel him. It's getting to the point where some movements are painful so I know that means we're getting closer (although we hopefully have another 4 weeks or so!). Next week, we have another ultrasound which should be our last one this pregnancy. 

Tomorrow, his car seat should be delivered as well as the last of the cloth diaper inserts that we needed. The only other thing that I need to get is a few clothing items (he currently has no pants or socks) but we are otherwise ready.

Pequeño and Soccer

Pequeño has a love/hate relationship with soccer. This is his first season playing and it's been an interesting one so far. 

He loves to tell everyone that he plays soccer, loves to put on his soccer themed clothing (and shin guards which aren't required for this class), and loves to practice dribbling and kicking the ball in our yard. 

However, he has a tantrum every.single.time that he is told that we are on our way to his soccer class. EVERY TIME. Once we get there, he takes a few minutes to warm up to the idea of playing soccer again with the same group of kids that he plays with every week and usually spends a few minutes making sure that I'm not leaving (it's a "parent and me" class but the kids are playing on their own with little help/redirection from parents at this point). 

Once they start practicing and playing games, he is back to loving it however he will occasionally just walk off the field and say "I don't want to play this game.", take a look at the fun that the other kids are having, and run back out to join in again.

Then on the car ride home, he'll excitedly talk about all of the things he did at soccer and he immediately wants to go practice more once we get home. 

Weekend Fun

Friday was a sunny day and surprisingly warm so we hooked up the sprinklers and let the kids run around in their bathing suits for a while. 

(This was right before I left to pick up Little Bear from school. So he got a chance to run around in them as soon as he got home too)

Papa had the weekend off and had decided that it was the perfect time for a home barbecue. He finished night shifts on Friday morning so after sleeping that morning, he spent all of Friday afternoon and early evening making our feast. Smoked ribs, wings, fried okra, okra stew, collard greens, corn bread, pecan pie (all from scratch) and watermelon! We  had a few extra lemons so the kids helped me make some lemonade. 

Little Bear was the most excited to find out on his way home from school that we'd be having a barbecue for dinner and that we'd be able to eat outside. He loved the wings, ribs, cornbread, watermelon, and fried okra.

Pudge was all about the corn bread, wings, and watermelon. He liked the collard greens (which also had bacon in them) but doesn't like the smell.

Pequeño tried everything and has been really excited to be able to eat wings and ribs from the bone now (vs. us taking the meat off for him). 

Pequeño was clean until he started eating ribs...

Saturday Little Bear got a chance to go to the high school to learn about the instruments that are offered next year if they want to be in the band. They were shown a lot of string and brass instruments and he had already narrowed  it down to brass instruments before we went. He got a chance to listen to the different instruments, hold them, and talk to members of the highschool band. By the time that we left, he had decided that he likes the Alto Sax (then Tenor Sax but that isn't offered until he would be a little older) and then the trombone. On Monday he'll submit his choices (and order preference) and we'll hear back later which one he is able to get. 

Afterwards, we went to the library to return everyone's books and picked out a few books for the younger ones since they didn't come with us. As soon as we got home, they wanted to start reading and we spent a long time reading to each other (Little Bear read to Pudge, Mama read to Pequeño, Papa read to Little Bear, and Mama read to Pudge & Pequeño) which was really sweet.

Sunday was another day filled with soccer games. We were all able to go to Little Bear's game first but had to drive separately. He did a great job and scored a goal ! His team won the game 4-2.

While he was playing, the younger two ran around and played in the open space behind us. Pequeño had decided that he wanted to be like his big brothers today and wore his shin guards to the games (without any soccer socks)

Pudge, Pequeño, and I had to leave the game a few minutes early to get to Pudge's game. (Papa and Little Bear met us there as soon as Little Bear's game ended.) He ended up scoring a goal during his game as well and kept giving us "thumbs up" from the field.

After we got home, the kids helped Papa clean up the basement and get some of the camping equipment together for an upcoming trip. Then after having leftover barbecue for dinner, we all hung out on the deck for a while before bed.