Here is a sneak peak into the recent days of our lives:
The summer kicked off with Jacob’s preschool graduation. He did awesome with Miss Diane, made some great friends, and really impressed Mom with how much he learned in one year. He knows all of his letters and sounds, his numbers up to at least 20 (after that it gets sketchy), and easily writes his name. He says the pledge of allegiance, can do simple math, and shows lots of interest in reading. He can’t wait for school to start back up again. He keeps asking me how much longer till he starts “kin-dee-garden.” I think poor Danny is counting the days till he turns 4 and can go to school, too.
So far the summer has been surprisingly relaxing. I was worried all day every day with the boys would be more torture than fun – but as long as I avoid taking them on any sort of shopping excursions, things seem to run pretty smoothly around here. Jake and Danny really are best friends and I am LOVING how well they play together. It’s funny, even at the gym or the park, etc. where there are lots of other friends to play with – I usually find them off somewhere together, attached at the hip. I realize this may only be a season in their relationship – so I’m trying to soak it up while it lasts. I think sharing a room has something to do with it. They’ve finally figured out they can be stuck together and fight, or be stuck together and play. And on the days its too hot to go outside – they get pretty creative in keeping themselves entertained. (See the Tupperware Heads Dance Party below.)
The most exciting development this summer has been learning to swim. Before, Jake was too scared to even put his face under the water, but after just 2 days of swim lessons, he was literally swimming like a fish. I could not believe the transformation. He really took to it as soon as he got over his fears, and now swims all around the pool, under the water, over the water, jumps in, dives in, etc. He’s also informed me that he plans to be on the swim team when he is older. The $45 bucks I paid for 2 weeks of city swim lessons is about the best money I ever spent. He had a great teacher, only 3 other kids in his class, and had so much fun that he literally almost cried when it was over. I highly recommend the program. In fact, I’m trying to sign him up for the next level before the summer is over. And to top it all off – since Danny mimics everything Jake does, and watched all the swim lessons – he is now swimming under and over the water, too. He isn’t quite brave enough to go for it in the big pool yet, but has mastered swimming in the toddler pool. He even tries to copy the different kinds of strokes. Too cute.
While we spend the bulk of our time at the pool or the gym where the air conditioning is always on full blast – the boys have also been to a few movies, ride their bikes to the park, frequent the library, and like to help Dad with the yard work.
And because it’s just so hot all the time Jake and Danny are in nothing but their skivvies for about 80% of the day. They strip down to their little undies for naps and sleeping at night, and most often refuse to put anything else on during the day. The only time I make them get dressed is if we’re going somewhere. I’ve decided this has many benefits: less laundry, less wear and tear on their clothes, less air-conditioning to pay for, and easy clean up for things like eating spaghetti. I’m definitely saving energy – call it my version of going green.
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