Liv Pics

Summer kid!

 Liv has a couple new additions on the patio... a new cardboard cottage and... a pool!

This morning as he was headed out to play in a golf tournament, Jeff mentioned that it was going to be over 90 degrees today!  OMG! "Liv, let's get dressed, we're going to the store." (I had seen a little inflatable pool at CVS for cheap - and was kicking myself for not buying it on the spot.) 

It was the perfect fun for a hot day... hooray! 

My little helper!

I took the girls to a "nearby" lake the other day - quite the adventure. I admit, it was a little stressy to go somewhere new with all the beach, picnic paraphenalia solitas, But we mananaged (quite well) and it was so worth it! Liv "practiced swimming" (wading) all on her terms. It was really pretty cool to watch. I had set her up with her toys in a shady spot in the sand; she asked to go down to the water. She sat on the water's edge and threw pebbles for a while. Then walked in up to her ankles. Back out. Back in 1/2 way up to her knees, back out. Back in up to her knees, back out. -- and she'd make little comments to me (to herself): "It's not cold. Its just right." "it's not deep. it's just right." "it's just sand, it's nice." When she got up to her belly. she invited me to join her: "You can come here, with me, if you want... it's not too deep." When she got comfortable with that she'd walk away from me. Once, she stumbled and got her face wet. She gasped, eyes wide! ...stood right up, walked out of the water, sat down on the sand looking nervous, then marched right back in to where she had been. I was so proud! She kept at this little routine in/out, in/out, in/out a little deeper each time, claiming "I need to practice." "It's not scarey, it's fun." It's not too deep, it's just right." The only coaching I gave was that when you get in past your belly you need to take small careful steps. She had one other scarey moment when she was in to her shoulders and got knocked off balance by a boat wake, and was up on her tip-toes, chin way up and just barely keeping her face out of the water... she might have even gotten dunked a little but I was two steps away and told her "I'm coming, here's Mommy, I'm here." and pulled her (with my one free hand that wasn't holding Camila) to slightly shallower water. She was so brave! She stayed right there in the water, composed herself and kept on with her game. It was great to watch her build her skills and confidence.