Swimming Lessons

Matty has been taking swimming lessons for the past two weeks.  His teacher has focused a lot on basic fundamentals, safety, and breathing...we can really tell that the class has helped his confidence grow.  There are only 4 total kids in the class, so he has received a lot of one-on-one attention.  Tomorrow will be his 8th and final class!

Practicing to rescue his teacher.

The buoyancy position.

Poor Zach tries to keep busy during the hot lessons.

Let's go home!

Campout

We attended the neighborhood picnic/campout on Saturday night.  The boys had a blast running around with their friends.  Our neighbors invited the boys to play in their tent, and all the little kids loved playing inside...it looked like they were actually in a bounce house! (which explains why it was hard to get a good picture of them).  We ate a little dinner, the boys danced to a few songs, but we had to leave before the movie started.  Even though it was a bit steamy out there, it was nice to catch up with many neighbors.

Playing with their friend Sloan.

The only decent pic of them in the tent.

Zach sharing some of his dinner.

Summer is Here

Pool!

Matty started his swimming class this week, and he loves it!  He is learning how to be buoyant without wearing a bubble on his back, and how to do the freestyle properly.  He has really come a long way since last summer...he loves going down the water slide at our neighborhood pool and is great at jumping in.  Zach loves to go down the slide as long as someone is with him, and he also likes to jump in, throw balls, and play with plungers.

Water Fun

Gezer Park

Today, we visited a park that we haven't been to in a long time.  The last time we were there, the playground equipment looked too big and scary, but this time, the boys loved it!  There were different levels of slides, bridges, and tunnels to crawl through.  Plus, there were swings, a teeter totter, a sand area, running water and waterfalls, and Matty's favorite, a marble maze!  He was really good at navigating the marbles through the maze with all the gears, and then he was teaching other children how to do it too.  One mom even thanked him for sharing with her daughter, and for showing her how to use the different gears!

Zach loved the teeter totter!

He loved going really high!

The sand diggers were a hit.

The wildlife was beautiful.

The infamous marble maze.

Arboretum

This morning, we took a trip to the OP Arboretum...what a beautiful place!  It's been over a year since we were last there, and there were several new things to see.  The boys' favorite was the new train exhibit...they were able to walk around on a red caboose and see the little train village in front.  Matty was really excited when we bumped into his preschool teacher and her daughters!  There was so much beautiful scenery everywhere...water falls, flowers, trees...I might try to take Christmas card pictures there this fall!

On the Go

The past week has been pretty busy around here.  Matty went to the dentist last Thursday, and did great!  I was pretty worried about him because he has had an overactive gag reflex since birth (due to prematurity and breathing tubes)...but he was a pro at his office visit.  He had some x-rays taken and then had his teeth cleaned by a hygienist and then he finished with a check-up by the dentist.  The boys have also enjoyed watching the road construction vehicles on our street all week as they tear up old curbs and pour new ones.  We visited the pool twice this weekend and Matty went down the water slide about 50 total times by himself...he loves it!  Zach likes to slide down with one of us and really likes to squirt his plungers.  Today, we visited the Farm and then rode bikes outside.  The boys definitely keep busy at all times!

 Such determined riders!!

Our roses are beautiful again this year.

Out of our way!

Busy Boys

Brotherly love.