Puddles

The heat is on....

It's too hot to do anything outside except for playing in the water.  On Sunday, we set up a slip and slide and the kids had a blast.  Then on both Monday and Tuesday nights, we had a swim party with the Erickson kids (Julian, Molly, Jackson and Ava).   It's an awesome perk to live on the river during a heat wave.

Chance as good as the lottery....

When trying to take a picture of 2 toddlers and 2 babies, the chance that you will have all 4 looking and smiling is basically as good as purchasing a winning lottery ticket.  I tried my luck at a photo session with the Swanson cousins:  Cullen 3, Jameson 2, Simone 1 and Quinn 3 months.  As you can see, it's a one in a million chance that one perfect pic will turn out.

Little Triathlete

Cullen participated in his first triathlon on Saturday.  The events for the 3 - 4 year-old division were as follows:  swim 20 yards, bike 1/4 mile and run 0.1 miles.  The triathlon was not timed, the goal was merely to finish and have fun while doing so.  Dirk completed the tri alongside Cullen.  Dirk participated in his first sprint triathlon this spring, so he had lots of pointers for the little man.   Cullen opted to swim with the help of Dad, his water belt and the noodle.  As he transitioned out of the pool, his cheering section was there to keep him motivated  (Mom, Simone, Jason, Tracy, Jameson and Quinn).  Dirk was so concerned with getting Cullen ready for the bike that you will notice he neglected to put shoes on his own feet.  This became a bit painful when he and Cullen finished the run in a field of sand burrs.  Cullen attributes his performance to his balance bike and his "fast shoes".   He finished the tri with flying colors and received a medal at the end.  And in his mind, the grand prize was the bounce house at the end of the finish line.  We asked if he would like to do it again next year and he said yes.   We are very proud of our little triathlete. 

Little Chairs

Simone is obsessed with little chairs.  Basically anything that is her "size".  She constantly crawls into Cullen's room where we find her sitting at his table and chairs playing.  We recently moved her rocking chair from the bedroom to our family room.  She loves to sit and rock back and forth and back and forth....

Simone is now taking a few steps on her own.  We have caught her taking as many as 6 at a time.  She still prefers to crawl - because she can get from point A to point B pretty fast that way - but the walking will be here in no time.  Because she is always on her knees, we have been sending her to school everyday with a dress and leggings.  We make sure to put leggings on to protect her little knees when she plays outdoors.  We know that once she is walking she is no longer a baby and will no longer need the leggings.  Until then, she can remain our baby.

God Bless America.