swimming...swimming...swimming!

We are halfway through our 4 months of swim lessons that will hopefully have us ready for summer fun!

 

 Drew has spent the last 8 weeks in Level 1.  It took him a few weeks to get used to having water around his face, but after an afternoon at the kiddie pool, he was more adventurous.  We have made it a point, now, to utilize the kiddie pool after lessons, even if it means crockpot or make-ahead dinner twice a week -- it's so worth it.  Drew is now swimming under water (in the kiddie pool), and more than willing to go under water with jumps and blowing bubbles during lessons.  He was advanced to Level 2 for the next session!

 Evan has really taken off with the whole swimming thing.  He easily passed into Level 2 after the first 4 week session and has continued to excel there.  He is doing a modified version of the front crawl, swimming under water, floating, and kicking like a machine on the kickboard.  He was passed into Level 3 for the next session, but due to no openings, he'll stay in Level 2 this next session and move up to Level 3 come April.

I am so proud of these little guys!  They have made new friends in their play time in the kiddie pool, and I think they will have a lot more fun this summer at pools and such than they did last summer!  Yay for swim lessons and exhausted boys come 7pm!

time is flying by, and we're still here!

A little update!

We had a great Valentine's day celebrating our love for each other and reflecting on Christ, who loved us most of all.  The boys were delighted by their surprise everything-is-a-heart breakfast, and Scot and I enjoyed a fancy lunch since he had to work that night.  We're not big into the commercialized version of the day, but it was fun to celebrate it in the low-key way we did. The boys were able to see the wonderful example Scot set for them, too!  I got some of my favorite treats, a balloon, and a beautiful card (I have a strict no-flowers policy for the day, so I got a lovely bouquet 2 days later!)  It was just what I would have ordered!

In other news:

• Trader Joes just opened in our area, and I am so excited to have some of our old "staples" back on the pantry shelves and in the freezer again!  It's the small things in life, right?
• The boys love the movie Frozen and can be caught singing "Let it Go" or a line or two from "Do you want to build a Snowman?" while they play.
• After much thought and research, we have, I think, officially decided on a plan for schooling in the fall. Homeschooling with Sonlight gets me excited and I'm so ready!  We'll take it year by year, but I think I'm going to enjoy the structure of the curriculum for the first year or two...or three...and we'll see what we do after that. 
• Scot is doing well at work, and mostly, we're getting into a groove for when he's home and really enjoying all the family time we get!  We get to go the zoo or the museum as a family, have breakfast/devotions together, and he's home for half of the month's dinners.  It's lovely. 

 Evan is very much getting into "exercising" and "muscles" and being like his dad!  I'm loving the shift from little boy to "kid".  He still has such a tender heart and is very other's-minded, but he's also becoming more aggressive and coming into his own.  He is sweet to the core, though, and we pray that never changes -- no matter how "cool" he gets. He says his favorite subject is math, and we have recently discovered that he is extremely auditory when it comes to learning.

 The boys love their ties.  They only like to wear shirts to church that will make wearing a tie a possibility.  It's wonderful.  A lot of the ties they wear were Jared's, so it's fun to remember his wearing them and now seeing another generation enjoying them, too.

 We're moving away from naps and into quiet times.  It's going ok.  I miss the naps some days, but most of the time it's ok.  As long as there's a quiet time.  I recently discovered audio books, and Evan is enthralled.  Drew will listen along, but not quite as intensely.  This is what a normal quiet time looks like.  Drew is enchanted with towers and building structures and anything make-believe.  He tells the wildest stories to go along with it all.

It's February.  Which means we have afternoons nice enough for jet-spotting and a picnic out back.  Followed by a night that brings hail/sleet/snow.  We're loving life and the challenges and joys it brings.

a lazy saturday.

A lazy Saturday sometimes looks like this:

We may have a repeat tomorrow.

Just one reason we love it here.

There are so many reasons we love living here.  The mountain views.  Our wonderful church.  The fair weather.  Our faithful friends.

"Grammy & Grandude" are at the top of the list, though.

A couple weeks ago, Scot was working a long stretch and the boys and I popped down to my folks' for the last 2 days of his "stretch".  The weather was near perfect for a late-January day: blue skies, sunshine, and very little wind.  We were outside both afternoons, either walking or playing at a park, or both.  We missed Scot being with us, but it was a nice distraction while he was working long days.

We were able to escape to the zoo for a couple hours and it was such a treat.  The river otters were not only out, but they were very playful.  We got up-close (4 feet?) to a pair of lionesses.  A peacock decided to display his gorgeous fan of feathers for a group of females and we enjoyed watching him "strut his stuff".  We happened to be passing over the bears while they were getting a snack and witnessed tricks and chomping.  Let me just say this: I never want to be in the wild with a Grizzly.  It was a treat to say the least.

The boys got to watch Saturday morning cartoons with my dad and my mom read countless books to them. They are spoiled with love (and ice cream) and we couldn't be happier about it.

It was a short trip and we're looking at dates to go back down as a whole family for an overnight.  It's a mini-vacation for us and we feel so blessed.