going private

After months and months of nagging from Jon, I am finally giving in. If you want me to add you to the list, them please leave me a comment and your email address if I don't have it.
Thanks!

she swims!!!

Well, I said in the post above that I thought Mamie would be wearing her floaties forever, but she won't :) On the last two days of lessons, it finally clicked and she is swimming by herself. She still needs lots of practice, but loves it, is not afraid anymore and wants to practice all the time.

Mamie taking off from the steps to swim to her teacher.

taking a big breath

and going again!

Lilly was already swimming, but here she is practicing breathing to the side while she swims.

The two wild ones. Hollis did great too--he had NO fear at all.

July is flying by...

One month from today, Lilly will start kindergarten. I am getting a little bit sad about it and feel like the rest of the summer is going to be over in the blink of an eye. We have been staying busy--we went to Huntsville for a few days to visit CJ and Pop last week, and we've had lots of fun with friends, swimming, and going places.

I took this picture from the kitchen window after the rain the other day. There were actually five bunnies, but I couldn't get them all in one shot. They hung out for over an hour, just cleaning their little faces, eating grass and clover, and playing with each other. We watch them run at each other and jump up into the air--I haven't figured out if they are fighting or playing, but it is pretty hilarious to watch. I had pet rabbits growing up, so I love them. Every time we pull in the driveway, you can see white tails and bunnies hopping off. There is never a day that goes by that we don't see at least one. Mamie has named one of them "Hopper." Of course there is no way to distinguish between them, so they are always "Hopper" if there is one bunny in the yard.

Creative Discovery Museum

We went to the Discovery Museum in Murfreesboro last Friday with some friends. It was really fun for their ages and I would recommend it if you haven't been. We packed lunches and ate there at their covered picnic area.

Mamie played on this for a LONG time--spinning arund and around...

If you ask any of the kids in our group what their favorite thing at the museum was, they would probably say the conveyor belt. Not sure why, (there were several "more exciting" things there) but they loved it. Even the big kids could not get enough of it. I bet they filled up 20 baskets of plastic vegetables while we were there.

Daddy's little grocery worker sorting produce ;-)

And the surprise of the day was running into Jon's cousin, Allison, who lives in Murfreesboro! This is her little boy, Sean, who we hadn't seen in a LONG time! They were celebrating his 2nd birthday. He's a little cutie.

Shoveling coal

Funny how manual labor seems so fun when it's at a museum, but at home it's not.

Meeting Snow White

Mamie, Lilly, Frances, Libby, and Lexi all decked out in their princess attire

Listening to Snow White read a book. I caught Mamie scratching her nose--it looks like a pick, but it's a scratch!

Making snow.

Swimming Lessons

Mamie, Lilly, and Emery ready to swim

Hollis practicing his kicking

Mamie practicing blowing bubbles

Not sure what Lilly is doing here. But can you tell she is having fun? She is already swimming pretty well on her own and loves it, she just needs a little help with becoming a stronger swimmer.

I'll have to give an after-lessons report next week and let you know if Mamie learns to swim on her own. If she had her way, she would wear floaties forever.

happy 4th

a very rare thing--Mamie smiling for a picture

Lilly wanted a picture with her doll, Lily Anna, since they matched :)

Wild man Hollis in the bouncy house

Watson baby #2 is on his way...

the carman clan--minus me, the picture-taker :(

my girls love those earplugs--lilly wanted hers in before it even got dark.