Swimming Lessons

You will all be pleased to know that I registered the children in swimming lessons this year. A sweet young lady who is the daughter of one of the teachers at my school taught the lessons in their backyard pool. It was wonderful because the groups were small and she was so patient with them all! I am pleased to report that Princess and Superman will both put their face in the water without screaming like they are being killed, and they no longer cling to me like leeches at the pool. I actually got to swim by myself on the last trip to the pool because they were off playing on their own. They even went down the slide in the deep end! Now, there is still lots of progress to be made before they are actually swimming on their own, but this is a dramatic improvement from even just a few weeks ago!

Princess using her big arms to "swim" across the pool.

Superman swimming with his face in the water!

I can fly! This is just a happy picture. I love it! Superman is jumping into the pool from the side which is something that he had never done before.

Princess kept the dogs occupied during Joshua's swimming lesson. This is Sadie and LouLou. Bailey did not move from her spot to be in the picture.

We need a fashion consultant!

I think that I have become the ultimate relaxed mother. Yesterday afternoon, we decided to go out to eat, so I told Princess and Superman to put on some clothes. (They were wandering around in their underwear as usual!) We went out to eat at CiCi's Pizza in these gorgeous outfits! People did look at us, but we just didn't care! The kids loved their outfits so we just acted like this was perfectly normal!

Don't you love the soccer socks and the hiking boots?

Princess says that this shirt matches this skirt because they both have blue on them and they both have flowers on them. You can't see them here, but she is wearing her red, white, and blue flip-flops with this outfit. She admitted that the blue was not the right color to match the outfit, but that it was close enough.

I just thought that I was a bandit yesterday!

Today, the kiddos and I went out to eat at Abuelo's. The teachers from my school get together every couple of weeks for lunch (team building!), so I decided to join them today. We had a bowl a queso, a child's enchilada plate, a child's chicken nugget plate, a Durango burrito, 2 teas, and a lemonade. Now, can you guess how much I paid including the tip?









$1.42!!!





That's right folks! The three of us ate for less than $2.00 at a sit-down restaurant! Abuelo's adopted our school this past year, so I have a never ending coupon for free cheese. Then I had two coupons for free kid's meals. I also had $5.00 off of any order, and I had a $5.00 gift card. Amd, because of the size of the group, gratuity was included so I could use the gift card to pay for that. I sure do hope that they adopt us again next year! Wonderful free meals provided to us a couple of times at school, plus all these other goodies! I am officially spoiled!

I'm a bandit!

I just went to Walgreen's and the cashier said that I made out like a bandit! I went in to exchange some barrettes and I owed .70 cents for that. But also bought 3 boxes of cereal that were 3/$5.00, but I used a coupon for $1.50 off of 3 boxes of cereal, so it was really 3/$3.50. I also got 2-24 packs of water for $3.99 each. Then I used my register rewards from my last visit ($5.50) and I owed just $8.41. Then, when I checked out, I received coupons worth $3.50 and a register rewards for $2.00 off my next visit. That means that I paid a whopping $2.21 (took off the .70 cents for the barrette exchange) for 48 bottles of water and 3 boxes of cereal. Of course, I have to remember to use those register rewards before they expire, but I feel that that was a wonderful shopping trip! Saving money is fun!

It just makes a mom feel good!

Princess and I had a conversation yesterday that really made my heart feel good. The principal at our school wanted a copy of Texas Monthly from December because our school was listed in it as one of the best in Texas. Well, we happen to have that magazine so I was going to take it up to the school to give to him. The conversation went like this:

Princess: "Why are we taking a magazine to Mr. M? Does he want something to read?"

Mom: "Mr. M wants this magazine because there is an article in it that says that our school is awesome! Don't you think that our school is awesome!"

Princess: "Well, I did feel awesome while I was there."

Isn't that adorable! I am so happy that my child loves her school and feels "awesome" while she is up there absorbing all that material into her brain. I know that all children are not fortunate enough to have good feelings about school, and I am very thankful that my child has found a good spot! I wish that for all our children!

Carlsbad Caverns--A Vacation!

We took an actual vacation! We went to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. We had a great time! This was the first time that we have been to a vacation spot that was "just because" and was not with the sole destination of seeing a family member and staying at their house. We do love those trips, but a side trip for some sight-seeing is wonderful, too!

Notice the high temperature for the day that we were there--105 degrees! No wonder there was a fire restriction in the area!

On the way down to the entrance. These ramps go back and forth and back and forth, and they are incredibly steep. But there is no way to go just straight down. We ended up at least 750 feet below ground.

Princess needed to wear a coat to keep warm once we got down into the caverns. The temperature below ground stays at around 56 degrees year-round. I thought that it was wonderful!

Superman needed to take a break. The entire trail and route around the caverns is about 3 miles long. It took us 3 hours to see everything and walk everywhere.

These are some of the cool formations that you will see down in the caverns. These are called "Lion's Tails." It is easy to see how wonderfully creative God can be when you see all of these wonderful formations made by moving and dripping water over many centuries. I don't think that there is a human anywhere that could have come up with this amount of beauty!

Dirt! Rocks! Water! Mud!

Superman loves to dirt, rocks, and water. Preferably, all at the same place at the same time. We recently spent a couple of weekends at Grams and Granddaddy's house, and they have a great patch of dirt that the kiddos are allowed to dig in to their heart's content! They get filthy! But they have a great time, and the smiles are worth it! Sometimes, I just want to go out and join them! Maybe one day I will!

I'm almost to China, Mom! That is what Superman said as he was digging. When he was done, this hole was about 18 inches or more deep. Grams, being the wonderful grandmother that she is, then filled the hole with water, and I think that you all know what happened next. Yes, he jumped right in! He was out before a picture could be taken, but I am sure that you can imagine the mess! We just took his clothes off of him before he was allowed back in the house!

On a different weekend, Cousins A and B were at Grams and Granddaddy's house, too. They all worked together to dig this moat which they filled with rain water. Then the floated their boats in it. Those are chicken feathers on the island for decorations.

When they were done with the moat, they jumped around in it a while! Superman is in this picture, but he is hidden by the giggling girls!

Of course, he had to have his own turn!

This is the only way to get them clean after a sunny afternoon of playing in the dirt. They would clog the bathtub if we didn't get some of the dirt off first!

Graduation!

Princess became an official graduate of kindergarten on the morning of May 30th. We are so proud of her! According to the "officious" testing at the school (read as non-formal), she is reading at a second grade level, and writing and completing math computations at the mid-to-high first grade level. Her teacher apparently told her this because she came home the night before graduation and said, "Mommy, you need to sign me up to take that test so that I can skip first grade and go right to second grade. I'm a smart girl, you know!" I did not sign her up for the test, and she will be going to first grade next year. She just learns so quickly---like a little sponge! She has to be shown or told how to do something one time, and it is there forever! I do hope that she continues to love school and love to learn!

Receiving her diploma from our principal, Mr. M. (Yes, his head is shaved. He shaved it because of a wager that he had with the 3rd and 4th grade about those tests that we have to take. Our school did awesome!)

Princess with her teacher Mrs. C. She was the greatest teacher! Grace loves her!

The proud graduate!

No this is not her boyfriend! But he was a good friend! Handsome, isn't he!

What have we been doing?

We have been doing alot lately, and I haven't told any of you about it! Sorry! When we get back from our trip, I will try to tell you about all of these things:

*Princess graduated from Kindergarten!
*Superman tried to dig to China!
*Scrapbooking!
*Couponing! (The rest of you finally got to me!)
*Swimming lessons!
*VBS fun!
*A trip to Carlsbad Caverns!
*Water heater mishaps!
*Kitchen sink mishaps!
*Moving classrooms!
*Many other things that I will think of between now and then!

Until then, please know that we are alive and well and having a wonderful summer!