Pool Pals

We enjoyed fabulous 85 degree weather on Saturday, so we pulled out the old wading pool. It was last year's pool (and was really too small for the kids then) so I'm hoping I can make a good case for getting a bigger one this year.




The kids had a lot of fun, though, splashing in the pool. They ran a "car wash" for all of Caleb's matchbox cars that had found their way into the sand box. They fixed up our little slide so they could slide into the pool. Camille was content filling up buckets with water and dumping water from one bucket to another. Caleb thought it was lots of fun to run and scream "Cannonball!" as he jumped into the pool. It didn't take too many tries before he realized that the pool is really too shallow for that!

There's nothing like ice cream on a hot day...

There is nothing like spring! The sky was blue, the few clouds in the sky were fluffy and white, the grass is starting to turn green, buds are forming on the trees, flowers are blooming. And - the best part - 80 degree temperatures are not unheard of! That was today. I couldn't have imagined a nicer afternoon, particularly because Caleb and Camille decided this would be the day they would play nicely ALL DAY! It was heaven.

The kids were so well-behaved that I took them down to McDonald's for an ice cream cone. We ate them in the back yard and then spent the afternoon playing in the sandbox, running around and playing croquet with some kids in the neighborhood. Camille decided to wear her crown all day and for the most part only answered to "Princess LuLu" (a character from our most recent round of library books), but she was loveable and cooperative. Caleb was a very good listener and was really helpful around the house and playing with his sister. I couldn't have been more pleased. If only the whole summer would be like this!

Is that a whale there on the beach?

So my husband has this knack for taking pictures of me that make me look entirely ginormous. I think it has something to do with the fact that he's taking them from a funny angle, two feet above my head.

Anyway, for those of you wondering just how big my belly is now, these are for you. Please note I have not shrunk two feet, nor is my butt as big as it appears to be. Again, it's the funny angle thing I was taking about above. Enjoy! And please be kind.




The good news is I don't look horribly huge from behind.

The Vacation Report

Since Rob was on spring break this week, we took the opportunity to take the kids on a little vacation. We ended up spending three days in Myrtle Beach, SC - mainly because Rob got suckered into one of these timeshare presentation deals. You know, the ones where they promise you X if you'll sit through the timeshare presentation. Our sales person must really have thought he had a chance of selling us something - he kept us three hours (and, yes, the kids were with us) - even though we told him right from the beginning that we weren't going to buy anything. The good news is that we got $50 in restaurant gift cards and $30 in cash and paid next to nothing for our two nights in a hotel on the beach. We had the most beautiful view of the beach from the balcony in our room.


In our free time, we spent some hours in the hotel pool (the kids LOVED the lazy river, although Caleb preferred running against the current to floating on the raft). Camille likes to tell people that she liked to "swim like Ariel" (from the Little Mermaid).

We also got some time on the beach. Here are some pictures of the kids having fun in the sand.






We enjoyed our time at the beach, but were all happy to return home. I am looking forward to the kids adjusting back to a normal sleep schedule (since we all stayed in the same room, Rob and I ended up going to bed when the kids did, except the kids decided to fool instead of sleep. Camille didn't get to sleep until 10:30 on Monday night and 9:30 on Tuesday. And, no, of course she didn't nap. Hopefully she'll be back to her 7:00 bedtime soon).

This afternoon was sad, though, when Rob had to go back to work. It was nice having Daddy home for a whole week. We'll have to vacation more often!