Wordless Wednesday

Two weeks old and 4 years old, brand new love

2 years old and 6 years old, still in love

Toddler Trick Tuesday with a Six Year Old Special Stunt

Jenna is a quick little learner. And it's a good thing!!  My parents have a pretty good sized pool in their backyard.  You know, the in ground kind with a diving board. Rough, I know.  We learned early on this summer that Jenna has NO FEAR of the water. None. Notta. Zilch. Zero. None. NO FEAR of the water. So, combine this fabulous in ground pool with an active, fearless toddler and you get a CRAZY, TERRIFIED, OVER PROTECTIVE Mommy, Daddy, Papa, Mimi, Uncle Eli and Aunt Hallie.  And of course big brother Cale watches out for her when she's near the pool too.  This has led to us really working with Jenna on letting someone know she's going to jump in and on kicking her feet. Jenna has spent HOURS this summer saying Mommy ready, Hallie ready, Papa ready, Annie ready, anybody else who wants to catch me ready???  (this is her way of telling us she's jumpin in!).  But, thanks to a steady mantra of kick your feet, kick your feet, kick your feet. we have a new trick to share...

Oh yes, I know, she is QUITE talented!!!  She goes all over the pool now!! ALL OVER!!!  It's really cute, and I am much less nervous now that she has learned to use those little arm floaty thingies. Public Service Announcement: YES I know that those little inflatable arm thingies are not life saving devices.  My eyes still do not come off of her, but I know that I can let go and she won't sink like a lead balloon!!

the classic Jenna Has A  Big Mouth Like Mommy face

Blowing bubbles, yet another terrific toddler trick

Cale has also had a great summer of swimming and has really advanced his own skills, and without the aid of flowery floatable arm things!!!  He passed his swimming lessons with STRENGTH marked on every single objective!  YAY CALE!!!  I tried to get some pictures of him tonight, but alas, he poo-pooed that idea and avoided my camera anyway he could.  I deleted the one of the water without Cale but with the bubbles his speedy departure left, since he had escaped my view before my dreadfully slow camera decided to act.

And down he goes.  No picures Mom. None please. No really, I hate the pictures today!

I did capture this video his his Six Year Old Special Stunt. It's pretty impressive I think, and it's complete with it's own Ta-Da!!

I love the Ta-Da!!!

Lastly, thanks to Papa for taking care of the oh so cool in ground pool with a diving board to that we have a free, fun and non-busy place to practice all our tricks and stunts.  I know its a lot of work. Sadly, I also know we rarely ever NEVER help you with it!!  But, none the less, thank you Papa for providing this great place to play, exercise, learn and love!!

Wordless Wednesday

Just a few words... :)

I LOVE my swimming lessons!!!!!

I HATE these swimming lessons!!  Let me GET DOWN DAD!!!!

Toddler Trick Tuesday

IF BUBBY CAN CLIMB A FENCE, THEN I CAN TOO!!!

We went to a Bible Camp Rodeo over the weekend, which I will blog about in more detail later. Jenna, my tiny cowgirl, was putting her tomboy in HIGH GEAR!  This petite curly haired sassy girl of mine was jumping in mud puddles, trying to drink muddy water, chasing cowboys, climbing fences and kissing goats.  When we finally left the rodeo, her boots and legs were coated in mud.  She had a great time!!  So did Cale. Like I said, more on this rodeo later.  For now, this week's toddler trick was brought to you by my muddy baby gir!l  It didn't take her much time to feel a little TOO comfortable climbing that fence! 

And go ahead, leave a comment about how CUTE this girl is!!!

Wordsday Thursday on a Friday

It's been that kinda week folks, the kind where Wordsday Thursday on a Friday seems all kinds of normal!!! 

I guess most of you are just wondering what the kids are up to, what are weekend plans are and what we're having for dinner tonight....WHAT? No??  Oh, right, you want to know WHAT THE HECK is up with my random pictures of  "Damaged State Properly" and damaged personal property!!  Ha ha, OK, let me tell you the little story of my giant stupidity.

It all started on Wednesday morning as I was getting on the highway.  Local folks can visit the on ramp to the highway nearest my parents for your personal viewing of the destruction.  I looked away for just a moment and when I looked back up, WHAM, there was a pole right there in the middle of the road. Okay, I lied.  It wasn't in the middle of the road, it was on the side of the road where one is not supposed to drive their vehicle.  I think it also used to have a tiny reflector on it so one could see at night that they were not supposed to drive there. Apparently on this Wednesday morning, I needed more than a tiny reflector. 

Yep, I can clearly see here the little reflector is no longer there. Or MAYBE the reflector had already been knocked off, and this is a contributing factor to my automobile mishap.  Nah, probably not!  Oh, can you see that black thing in the grass beyond my tiny reflectorless pole?  That black thing used to be on my car.  Oops!  When I took it to Leo at Bret's Autoworks he mentioned that more of the protective covering was missing from underneath my car (we've had a piece hanging down for a month or so, thanks Leo for taking that off too!).  Leo, I found some of it, wanna put it back on??  If you are local folks, I really, highly  recommend using the fine folks at Bret's Autoworks for your automotive needs.  They are fair, they are honest and Leo has a key when the vending machine eats your money. 

Ahh, this is pole #2 or 3 in my own little demolition derby.  It is on the other side of the on ramp from the first pole. I can't really explain in writing what I did. I have to talk with my hands for this one, but if you can just imagine my little car working like a pinball between all these tiny poles, you'll pretty much get the gist of it.

The damage sustained was minimal compared to what it could've been, I suppose.  A little buffing and painting and it should be nearly like it was!  This is the first point of impact, the "holy cow, there's a pole in the road" moment for me. 

I guess this is when I started spinning around like a pinball and is the 2nd point of impact, but I really can't say.  I was really trying more to not shoot onto the highway in a nontraditional method, then trying not to meet the bottom of the large ditch on the other side, resulting in an air bag deploying, sunglasses breaking, engine exploding kind of moment. 

This is....besides the back of my car, I really don't know. I THINK this is the pole scratching as it came out from underneath my car, or the result of another pinball hit on a pole. I don't know, just another piece of evidence in my stupidity. 
Alas, I did stop the car before I crammed it into the ditch, so there was not an air bag deploying, sunglasses breaking, engine exploding kind of moment for me on Wednesday morning. And for that I am thankful. Also for these things I am thankful....that I had already dropped off my kids, that no one was behind me, that God guided my car to safety and delivered me safely to work that morning, that some nice person called the police to come to my aid (although I had already established that I was fine to move on with my day), that the cop was a nice man more concerned with my safety than the "damaged state property" he had to write an incident report on, that my boss and co-workers are so understanding, that the car had minimal damage (can you say transmission scare with me??) and that I live in a small town and was able to laugh a little and unnerve with the "second officer on the scene" aka a former neighbor.

And a public service announcement here: Driving distracted is dangerous. Yes, I am guilty many a day, a lot of the time, of driving distracted. Eating breakfast, drinking water, looking for my phone, putting an address in the GPS, watching the kids in the backseat.....you get the picture. A moment folks, my eyes were off the road for a MOMENT (and my tires need aligned) and in just a flash, I was off the road.  No one was hurt, no one was around me, thankfully.  I ask of you to look at your driving habits and think hard on what things distract you.  Please please please eliminate them.  Unless they're your kids, don't eliminate your kids.  Just drug them.  Haha, no no, don't do that either!

So there you have it, Wordsday Thursday on a Friday.  Much fun huh?!?! 

Wordless Wednesday