It's potty training time!

Naomi has decided that it is time for her to potty train! She randomly saw a pair of unnies sitting on the floor the other day and actually asked me to put them on her. I was shocked and thought it was a fluke, but she hasn't really looked back since. She's wearing her unnies all day with the exception of naps and bedtime, and I occasionally still put her in a diaper for longer outings where I can't get her to the potty at decent intervals like when I go to the gym. She is still trying to figure out number 2, but she is rarely having any accidents! I'm so very proud of my big girl!

Summer Swim Classes

I finally got the kids signed back up for swim classes. We did a 2 week, daily class, at the Mountlake Terrace Pool. The kids absolutely loved it! I'm really looking forward to them building their confidence and skills, as soon I'll have another kiddo to look after when we're at the pool or lake next summer.

This was the first time that Nicolas did a class without Mom or Dad in the water with him. I was a little worried that he would get nervous and not want to participate, but after asking me to hold his hand up to the edge while meeting his teacher for the first time, he eagerly went right into the pool from there on out. It was an absolute joy to watch him interacting with his teacher and the other kids in his class. He is working on his back float, jumping in with assistance, and becoming more comfortable with putting his face in the water and going completely underwater as well. He'll be repeating the Tadpole level in his next session, which starts back up in a couple of weeks. 

Naomi took to the water quite naturally, just like I thought she would. This was her very first exposure to swim classes, and Travis and I traded off days with her in the water. Even though she is so strong and independent, I was shocked when on the very first day, she stood up on a 6 foot long styrofoam board floating on the water and walked across and jumped in to her teacher! I had to hold her hand that first day, but by the end she wanted to go over and over again and was doing it all by herself even stooping down to pick up favorite little toys along the way. She is working on using her paddling arms, kicks, back floating, and overall comfort in the water including going under! She will remain in the Parent and Tot class until she's almost 3.

Naomi and Daddy having fun in the water!

Nicolas getting ready to jump in!

Playing games!

Pigtails!

Every little girl should wear pigtails. It's simply adorable, and always brings a smile to my face.

A zoo trip with our Besties

Hard to believe it, but this was our first trip to the zoo with the Lass family this summer! We had such a great time, even though we didn't see many animals. We enjoyed a nice lunch, the zoomazium, the carousel, feeding the birds, and watching our friends get their faces painted, we also enjoyed a nice ice cream cone in the shade to wrap up our long day.

Nicolas monkeying around on the fence, watching the emus.

Naomi loved feeding the birds.

Luke helping Nicolas when he couldn't quite reach the bird.

The Crew! (Maybe one of my all time favorite pics of the 5 of them!)

We weren't even out of the parking lot yet. It was a great day!

Our little fashionista!

Every morning Naomi comes into our room to let us know she's awake. She usually asks for 2 things: "wahwer" and a "bress." It's difficult most days to even get her to wear a pair of shorts under her "bresses" for modesty. Here are some new additions to her ever growing "bress" collection, complete with what happened when I tried a pair of ruffled leggings on underneath for fall layering. This girl cracks me up!

This is my new fav on her, the MJ Dragonfly Satine

HA! Look at that scrunched face, on the floor, all over some leggings!

Cheese!

This is adorable too, and it's a nice fine corduroy material.

Love the back! 

She's not sold on the shirt and skirt combo, it's not a "bress" afterall.

I haven't told her it's a shirt yet...

I'm not ready for a teenager...

I just had to document this shenanigan of Naomi's, so that later in life when she really is a teenager I'll look back and remember not to be surprised...

So earlier today we had been outside playing for about two hours. Our contractor showed up to go over a few things with me and I set the kids up inside with some drinks and a cartoon. Just as I was finishing up with the contractor outside (less than 15 minutes mind you) the garage door starts opening. I look under it to find Naomi standing on her tiptoes, on a step stool, on the top stair leading into the house, super proud of herself. The door had been locked too. She smart and it's scary.

My Big Boy

I've been having so much fun with Nicolas lately! He is turning into such a kid, and rapidly outgrowing his toddler days. In just a couple of weeks, he'll be starting pre-k so I really wanted to make sure that we filled the last of summer with as much fun as we could.

Everyday for the last 4 or 5 days, we've gone outside to play and ride bikes. He's always been so very cautious when it comes to riding his bike, that I thought it would be a great confidence booster for him. We've continued our talks about being brave and always being willing to try things at least once before saying that we're scared to do it. I really want him to understand that being scared is ok, but that we shouldn't let fear get in the way of having a good time and exploring. My biggest point in our bravery talks in relation to the bike, is that he is in control of the bike. He pedals the bike, he steers the bike, and lastly he can slow the bike down with the brakes if he's feeling a bit out of control. I still have to rest my hand on the handlebars most of the time, but he's really doing 99% of the work without even realizing it. By my approaching bike riding differently, and really Nicolas in general, he isn't getting as frustrated and giving up as easily. He even did an extra lap around the cul de sac today to see a boat, and I rewarded him and his sister with a mid afternoon ice cream treat.

Here's a few pics from around the neighborhood lately:

My Sweet Boy at the Park 8/17/13

Sibling Fun! 8/17/13

Mid Afternoon Treats! 8/19/13