Monday Miscellany

It has come to my attention that I have been neglecting my own family here on the blog… So I thought I’d give you a quick run-down of what we’ve been up to so far this summer… I apologize, this is a long one.  Also, I started writing this yesterday, so the title made sense.  But now it’s Tuesday…

In June, Big C decided that he wanted to join our neighborhood swim team because that is what all of his friends were doing.  Never having been swim team kids ourselves, D and I were a little leery of the time commitment and the discipline involved in it. (Our last organized swim lesson with Big C ended with tears and a heated discussion in the parking lot at the parks and rec because the instructor asked him to float.)  Needless to say, we were a little apprehensive when he expressed this interest, especially because at registration the coaches told us that he’d need to be able to swim approximately 10 feet without holding on.  We’re very lucky that our neighborhood has a “mini” team that worked with the kids every day until they could all swim the length of the pool.  Last week, he competed in two meets, in both the freestyle and backstroke events.  Here are a few glimpses of life at swim team…

These were from his second meet.  At the first meet, there were coaches to help them down the lanes if they started to struggle.  C took full advantage of the helpers and let them help him along.  At this meet, (which was only three days later) the coaches didn’t get in the water at all.  It was all very official.  Apparently somewhere along the way, C decided that he knew how to dive.  This was news to all of us.  He looked so official at the starting line.

And he’s off!  (Pops- note the form.)

Amazingly he pulled out in front and swam for all he had.  I was so torn as to whether to take the pictures or jump up and down cheering!

That’s him in lane 2 – winning his heat!  I got too excited and didn’t take any pictures of the finish.  He’s come so far in such a short time.

Little Man had the best view in the house – from “Daddy’s Head” as he calls it.

The sad thing for me and the boys is that swim team is over today.  As much as it was a hassle for us to make it out the door every morning, it sure made the first month of summer vacation fly by.

So another thing we’ve been up to is traveling.  We took the boys up to my parents’ house in Ocean City, NJ for the 4th of July.  We were so busy building ball rolls at the beach, swimming in the bay, kayaking, and jet skiing that my camera stayed tucked inside most of the time we were there.  I did bring it out in the evenings a few times and had a blast trying to capture the beauty of the sunsets over the bay.

The highlight for my boys may have been that my Dad found our old Gameboy hand held games in the closet.  These things kept them busy for hours…  Here, C is showing D how to play Tetris.

My Dad and brother.

Mom and Dad.

One of the nicest things about going there for the 4th is that we can watch the fireworks from their deck.  We’re just far enough away to see them, but don’t get blasted by the noise or have to deal with crowds.   I forgot to bring my tripod, so this is the only shot that wasn’t totally shakey.  I love how it turned out though!  Next year, I’m definitely taking my tripod.

So that’s what we’ve been up to.  We’ve got a few more trips planned, hopefully I’ll take some photos to share!

In business news, my fall schedule is getting filled up quickly – everyone wants photos for cards and gifts!  If you’ve been on the fence about booking a session, now is the time.  There are still a few days to take advantage of my 20% off prints discount if you book before August 1.