We had a blast at Wild Dunes this year!
See?
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Dear Chloe
Dear Chloe,
You are three today. My how the time has flown! The other night you asked me to rock you before bed. As I sat in that chair with your great big body all folded up in my lap, I brushed the hair back from your little face and for just a moment I could see the little baby I rocked there so many times. The same sweet little nose and the mouth still shaped the same. But, when you open your eyes the twinkle there is unmistakable and when you smile your little impish grin and say something that makes us all laugh, I know the baby is gone and in her place is a vibrant, spirited, sassy, sweet, precious little girl! One of your favorite things to say right now when I call you "baby" is "You know I'm not a baby anymore, but you can still call me that if you want." Well, I do want to. I probably always will.
I always think that the difference between two and three is one of the most dramatic years and when I look back I know that it is. You begin two as a baby still and you exit two into three as a big girl. You've accomplished so much this year! No more diapers, no more pacis, a big girl bed. You can count and know your abc's. You can spell your name and even write it a little. You are working on controlling your temper and calming down when you get upset (but you still need a little work on that). You are swimming all over the pool with your floaties on and riding your tricycle up and down the driveway. You are very independent and like to do as much as you can by yourself. I am trying to remember this as I often have to "undo" what I did and let you do it yourself.
You and your brother have a very dynamic relationship right now. You fight a lot:). I think he enjoyed the days when you didn't assert yourself very much and he could run the show, but that is definitely not the case now. You want to do everything he does and sometimes he needs a little time to himself, but we can tell you still love each other deep down. We know this because you can't stand to see the other one hurt (unless you did it of course). It tears both of you up and you hover around until it is all better. You also stand up for each with mom and dad now, even when one of you tattled on the other in the first place. I love the little relationship you are developing and I hope you two grow closer and closer as the years go on.
Chloe you are so precious to me. I love to stroke your soft hair and dress you in cute little outfits and watch you run and play and listen to all of your cute little words, but the most wonderful thing to me is all the love you bestow upon me. Kisses and hugs around the neck and squeezes and snuggles. Sometimes I tire when you follow me through the house insisting I hold you because you are getting heavy! But I remind myself that the time is coming, very quickly, when you will not ask me to hold you anymore. So, for now I will relish being able to pick you up and have you wrap your little arms around my neck so tight and kiss me again and again. I will cherish everytime you say, "You're my best friend, mommy." because I know those days are very limited as well.
I will remember that today, at three, you are perfect just the way you are and that tomorrow you are already changing and so I will cherish today and all that three has to offer. I love you Chloe-bug! Happy birthday, baby!
Mommy
You are three today. My how the time has flown! The other night you asked me to rock you before bed. As I sat in that chair with your great big body all folded up in my lap, I brushed the hair back from your little face and for just a moment I could see the little baby I rocked there so many times. The same sweet little nose and the mouth still shaped the same. But, when you open your eyes the twinkle there is unmistakable and when you smile your little impish grin and say something that makes us all laugh, I know the baby is gone and in her place is a vibrant, spirited, sassy, sweet, precious little girl! One of your favorite things to say right now when I call you "baby" is "You know I'm not a baby anymore, but you can still call me that if you want." Well, I do want to. I probably always will.
I always think that the difference between two and three is one of the most dramatic years and when I look back I know that it is. You begin two as a baby still and you exit two into three as a big girl. You've accomplished so much this year! No more diapers, no more pacis, a big girl bed. You can count and know your abc's. You can spell your name and even write it a little. You are working on controlling your temper and calming down when you get upset (but you still need a little work on that). You are swimming all over the pool with your floaties on and riding your tricycle up and down the driveway. You are very independent and like to do as much as you can by yourself. I am trying to remember this as I often have to "undo" what I did and let you do it yourself.
You and your brother have a very dynamic relationship right now. You fight a lot:). I think he enjoyed the days when you didn't assert yourself very much and he could run the show, but that is definitely not the case now. You want to do everything he does and sometimes he needs a little time to himself, but we can tell you still love each other deep down. We know this because you can't stand to see the other one hurt (unless you did it of course). It tears both of you up and you hover around until it is all better. You also stand up for each with mom and dad now, even when one of you tattled on the other in the first place. I love the little relationship you are developing and I hope you two grow closer and closer as the years go on.
Chloe you are so precious to me. I love to stroke your soft hair and dress you in cute little outfits and watch you run and play and listen to all of your cute little words, but the most wonderful thing to me is all the love you bestow upon me. Kisses and hugs around the neck and squeezes and snuggles. Sometimes I tire when you follow me through the house insisting I hold you because you are getting heavy! But I remind myself that the time is coming, very quickly, when you will not ask me to hold you anymore. So, for now I will relish being able to pick you up and have you wrap your little arms around my neck so tight and kiss me again and again. I will cherish everytime you say, "You're my best friend, mommy." because I know those days are very limited as well.
I will remember that today, at three, you are perfect just the way you are and that tomorrow you are already changing and so I will cherish today and all that three has to offer. I love you Chloe-bug! Happy birthday, baby!
Mommy
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Swimming Lessons
We hit the pool for the first time this summer expecting to see Evan take off right where he left off last summer and hoping Chloe might even learn to swim this summer as brave as she was last year. Unfortunately there had been quite a bit of regression. Evan was sinking like a stone again and Chloe was terrified. After our first day in the pool, we were thinking Evan was going to need some serious swimming lessons. Swimming is a very important skill in my opinion because I view not being able to swim as a serious safety liability. I also feel the older you get, the harder and scarier it becomes. I felt that it was crucial that Evan learn this summer. In other words, this summer it was going to be sink or swim. And unfortunately after our first trip to the pool, it looked more like sink. We spent the day giving lots of instruction, none of which he would listen to, becoming frustrated because he wouldn't try anything we suggested, and planning to find a very good swimming bootcamp.
The next day I took them back by myself. Evan asked if he could just "play" instead of learning to swim. I said, "sure". He bobbed around in the shallow end while I worked on getting Chloe to release her death grip on me. The next thing I knew he was trying all the things we had suggested. He was floating, letting go of his nose and swimming underwater, swimming on top of the water. Before the end of the day, he was jumping off the side without holding his nose and going under. Within a few more days he was swimming like a little fish. Shallow end, deep end, jumping off the diving board? No problem!
He can do anything when he puts his mind to it!
We are so fortunate that our neighbors let us use their pool pretty much every single day. It helps alot with the kids' confidence levels. Chloe is now swimming around just fine all on her own with her life jacket on.
We LOVE swimming!
The next day I took them back by myself. Evan asked if he could just "play" instead of learning to swim. I said, "sure". He bobbed around in the shallow end while I worked on getting Chloe to release her death grip on me. The next thing I knew he was trying all the things we had suggested. He was floating, letting go of his nose and swimming underwater, swimming on top of the water. Before the end of the day, he was jumping off the side without holding his nose and going under. Within a few more days he was swimming like a little fish. Shallow end, deep end, jumping off the diving board? No problem!
He can do anything when he puts his mind to it!
We are so fortunate that our neighbors let us use their pool pretty much every single day. It helps alot with the kids' confidence levels. Chloe is now swimming around just fine all on her own with her life jacket on.
We LOVE swimming!
Play (More) Ball!
Baseball is still going... and going... and going.... Pretty soon it will be GONE! Evan has one more regular season game when we return from the beach and then there will be a tournament. He continues to improve and to enjoy it more and more. He even hit a homerun the other night! I was very proud and Chloe kept saying, "My brudder hit a homerun! Yay! Yay! Yay!"
This is what Chloe does to entertain herself every game. She has a ball playing in the dirt with the other sisters. She wears old clothes and shoes:)
Evan running home "super sonic". The third base coach (a friend of ours) talks him into running like Sonic every once and a while:).
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