July

We are in the full throes of summertime here. July is a month that always sneaks up on us and is here and jam packed before we even have a chance to know it. It is totally flying by and I hate to look at the calendar and see that our summer break is already half-way over and school supplies are already starting to be advertised. I have been enjoying sneaking a few quiet moments when I can to put my feet up in the backyard with a good book and to catch a few rays. That's really all I need in the summer.

Kendle and Morgan finished up swimming lessons last week. They both LOVED their teachers and classes. It was a great first experience for Morgan and he passed level 1 after his first session and in level 2 was jumping off the diving board and swimming by himself a little. He is such a natural little athlete, I think once he gets over his dislike of going under water he will be like a little fish. He came a long way in four weeks of lessons.

Kendle passed level 4 and will be taking an advanced class in August. I was kind of hoping to just be done for the rest of the summer, but I figured by then she might be wanting something to do again and it will be a good opportunity. She has learned more in the last four weeks with these teachers than she has all of her other summers taking lessons. It was a good experience for her and she has gained a lot of confidence and new skills. She loves the water and would live in it all day every day if we had a pool of our own. Her teachers worked them really hard and she was always worn out after her class which was a bonus for me! 

They gave each of the kids their own pictures at the end of their lessons and here are Kendle's and Morgan's from their first session:

Here are a few reasons why July is going to be our favorite month this summer. We are looking forward to:

*The last Harry Potter movie coming out this weekend. It's the end of an era, I'm sure I'll shed a tear. We've been counting down for months and months.

*Next week Riley and I are heading to Seattle to watch the Seattle Sounders take on Manchester United. We are so excited not only to watch Riley's all time favorite team, but to get away for a day kid-free and just have some adult time. (Thanks ahead of time mom.) Now the big question is do I wear Manchester red or Sounders green? I know what Riley will be wearing. Have I mentioned that he has a Manchester flag that he hangs outside before and after their big matches? Yep, he's a die hard fan.

*The last week of the month we'll be heading to Long Beach for a (hopefully) relaxing week away. The kids are pretty much on pins and needles to finally be at the beach and I'm in full planning mode making lots and lots of lists (I'm such a list freak) of what we need to pack, buy, and all of that. We are super stoked to pack in a week's worth of fun and memories.

Hopefully all this fun doesn't pass us by too fast!