Vacation pictures

There were just so many great pictures of the kids from the beach - that I just included a collage here. You can click on the collage and enlarge it to see all the pictures up close...

Tonight on the way home from church, we were talking about how important it is to go to college so that you can make enough money to support your family. Brooks has decided on 2 new occupations:

1. Dog Catcher (self explanatory)

2. Tree Knocker (you know, when someone needs you to knock down their tree)

Kate swimming class

Kate was excited about swimming class this year. She has really gained so much confidence! This time she learned how to float on her back, how to tread water, to swim across the pool with her head down sometimes, swim some without her noodle - and I'm sure more!

Here she is jumping into the pool off the diving board!

Here is Kate with her teacher, Miss Sara. She was a great teacher for Kate and she loved her!

View from our balcony...

Seriously.

This was the view from our living room balcony.

We have never been so fortunate to have such a wonderful view before.

Vacation June 2011

We just finished another great week at the beach! We returned to Destin again and the weather was warmer than when we were here last. We were all eager for the kids to try out swimming in the pool after swim class last week. They did great!

Kate is swimming with her goggles and the noodle. Brooks has graduated to swimming with the floaties! Both were doing laps around the pool. Kate was swimming to the bottom and touching the floor.

We had a little scare when Brooks jumped into the pool WITHOUT his floaties on. Fortunately, there was a man who saw him before we did (it happened so fast!) and pulled him out. I asked him why he did it, and he said he just wanted to try jumping in. Well, he will wear his floaties from now on - at least until he has learned to swim.

It seems that each vacation gets better and better. We can't wait to go back! :)

And, Brooks did swim!

Last year, we decided that paying for swimming lessons for Brooks would have been a waste of time. This year, I still held my breath that he would actually like it. But, instead he loved it! Here is the photo proof that he was swimming by himself. Hey, just because he had a noodle or a swimbelt was OK with us. The fact that he wasn't clinging to the edge of the pool or his coach was good enough for us!

Swimming with his float belt

His friend, Piper and his coach Mr. Logan

Dog paddle with the noodle

Mr. Logan and Brooks

Wow, can you tell we are a white family?

Brooks and Daddy

Here are some pictures of Brooks and Scott at the pool in Mobile. I just loved capturing this moment. I only wish someone could catch me with Brooks! :)

Hydrangeas

I look forward to a vase of these every spring. I would rather have a bouquet of hydrangeas than a dozen roses. They are my favorite flower! :)