Lil fishies

Bella learning to swim!

Well, she knows how to swim...has for a few summers now...but now she swims sans floaties. She's brave, too...jumping off into the deep end, silly girl!

A little bit of this, a little bit of that....

Holiday weekends for us are usually spent chilling out...eating out...going to a movie...or traveling. Ya know...stuff where we usually get OUT of the house. But I wanted to make the most of having my husband off today...take advantage of having some muscle around ;). So...we tackled the back door.

This gross monstrosity is what we have been living with for the past 2 1/2 years. Back story: when we bought the house, it had a deck. But it wasn't sturdy and water collected inside the backdoor when it rained, so James and his dad took it out. Then after we took it out, it rained and rained and rained...and James had to go out in the pouring rain and pack brick with mud to keep the rain from flooding our 'mudroom'. And then we just never got around to fixing it. Who knows why not, it's not like I haven't had 100 other things to do with this house!

But today we did it! I dug everything out...yucky dirt and blocks.

Then James helped me place our new planter bricks (it was the only thing I could think of that would work) and filled in the holes with some cement caulk. It's not absolutely perfect...but I think its 100% better than what it looked like before!
My goal is to build a planter across the whole back of the house. It will help with more regulated watering, since you have to water your house here in Texas (fun, fun). But we're taking it one step at a time!

Since the weather has turned the dial to HOT....our pool has been getting some use. But it hasn't been all fun and games....I can't even count the times I've been asked "can we swim, mommy??" this week. Why is this?

Because the pool looked like something from a scary movie at the beginning of this week! We had an algae problem, to say the least. We did everything we could, but nothing would get rid of it. So finally, our pool service peeps came out and put this stuff in that clumped everything  up and made it sink to the bottom...then they were able to vacuum it all up. Yummy.

Within a day, it was back to being clear, thank goodness!

We had a little Memorial Day get together with friends and celebrated the start of summer in the pool!
Jax got his first taste of swimming...and he was NOT happy! Poor baby. After the initial shock of coldness, he settled in...but man, he was UPSET for a bit there.

Even Aube wanted to help! Jax kept sticking his head into this back little hole....making him look even more uncomfortable! lol.

All we really needed to round out the day, was a good ole fashioned small town parade! Doesn't that sound like fun? I'm going to have to find us a parade one of these days!!
But we did have yummy potato salad, healthy brownies (yes thats right!), good conversation and happy kiddos. Beautiful day!

But now the weekends over. Dangit. But tomorrow is our 9 year anniversary...and we are celebrating at Texas de Brazil...holy canoli, I'm excited.

This title was supposed to be "lazy afternoon" but then I noticed a friend posted that same title...so I changed it & can't come up with another one.

My girls have been quite the little fish this summer...asking to go swimming every day. It reminds me of what a small miracle it is that we actually have a pool. Something I thought would never happen. Of course...our house is crumbling to pieces, so having a pool makes that whole scenario seem a bit better.
Having access to a pool is a good bargaining tool...such as "If you don't stop crying, we won't go swimming." or "Do you want to go swimming? Ok, then put your toys away (or eat your lunch, or eat your dinner, or stop whining <---thats the usual one)" On the days I don't work, I use the pool to get the banshee's to take naps...and I usually keep up my end of the bargain and take them out there when they wake up. Usually. Ü Today, I'm playing good mommy and took them out there. And it was so nice to relax and enjoy that moment. I was floating and looking up into the trees and the sky...you know that floating where your ears are under water and you can only hear yourself breathe? Mmmm....I was able to close my eyes and be transported back to summers visiting Las Vegas and my Grams & PopPop's house. Where we were mermaids and dolphins for the day. Such good memories! Speaking of...Bella found her tail today...such a pleasant surprise. Ü
I guess I should have named this post "Rambling" or "Pointless" haha.

"Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy.....I want to go swiiiiiiimmmmiiinnng."

One thing I am determined to do this summer is to have more pool time. I'm not that big on swimming...truthfully, it's fun and relaxing, but it's a bit of a hassle. The getting ready, getting in, making sure no one drowns, the splashing, the bugs, the screaming when getting out, the crying when having to go inside = one big headache. I know it just comes down to me not being so tightly wound, which has become too much the norm lately.
James, on the other hand, is totally rad at making sure the girls get pool time. When I work at night, he takes them out and lets them swim while he reads or makes dinner (we bbq alot lately, due to this). We should really put the girls in a swim class to learn how to actually swim. But since we are lazy Ü we are trying to do it ourselves...haha. That's what I've been doing all year, actually...when one or the other as fallen in the pool...SWIM, baby girl, SWIM. haha.

Bella loves her goggles....they help her to "try and find Spongebob" underwater (you know, since he lives in a pineapple under the sea....which is the only part of Spongebob I let my kids watch, the beginning....as I try and turn the channel to another, less annoying, station).

James properly adjusted and spit (yes, spit, yuck) into her glasses to make sure they didn't fog up...of course, it didn't help much and she'd surface with them 1/2 filled with water. lol.

My goal is to have this water-baby swimming by the middle of summer. I know she can do it (since she fell in the pool last month and kept her head above water until I could reach in and pull her out...haha...I told you it was my method) she's just fond of the phrase "I can't" whenever I take her floaties off and let her go.

See...I'm in the pool! Not just snapping pictures by the way-side. I'm tellin' ya...we will all be a bunch of waterlogged folks by fall!

The girls.

Well...we've started it....the dreaded potty training. I've been going thru some of my old posts, getting ready to make them into a book thru Blurb, and I realized I started Bella on potty training ALOT earlier than Aube. Which is odd, cause I thought I started Bella late. OH well. I'm reminded about how difficult it is...especially since I'm going with the "wearing undies all day" approach. Which means I am glad I have tile....lotso messes.
We got Bella to sit on the potty for hours with books, so we thought we'd try it on Aube too. We are also trying a chart for Aube, since she seems to understand it a bit more. We now have 2 charts up there, too...since Bella didn't want to be left out. Ü It's definitely warming up here in TX. The night before last, the girls had a blast playing in the pool. The water is still only like 65 degrees...which is a bit chilly...but they splashed around on the steps...
Little nakie bum.

James was trying to get her pull her undies up...so she'd grab each side and jump...didn't do a thing, but it was cute to watch.

Crazy-bad picture, dumb flash. But Bella drew this pic of "B.o.b." and let me know she wanted to go to the Big TV again and see Monsters vs Aliens again.

Bella's dance school is putting on a recital next month, even tho it costs an arm and a leg, we are excited for it...and hoping Bella can overcome her shyness. I'll watch her thru the window while she is in class and it looks like she is barely paying attention, but then we get home and she dances around and shows me her "Bumble Bee" dance and I'm amazed at what she has absorbed.

But now they are being too quiet...hmmm...

{Splish, Splash}

I've been taking my sweet time getting around to posting lately. Whoops...but oh well, better late than never. Last Friday, we had some friends over for a swim and some lunch. We always have a blast when there is company in the pool! Thanks to Erin for runnin' in and grabbing her camera so I could have these cute pictures!!
Bella and Brady sitting on "the waterfall"...all we need now is a slide!

Aube looking classy in my glasses....

Fynn was crackin' me up trying to drink the waterfall...

Natalie and Auntie Erin....their "myspace pose"...isnt that what it's called?

Please ignore the beached whale in this next picture...I AM working out 3 days a week to try to NOT look like this anymore Ü. BUT...I had to post this picture...mainly b/c it shows that my Aube DOES trust me! LOL...that day she started to jump from the ledge of the pool into my arms! YAY! She's finally starting to like the water, as long as mommy is in there with her!

She's a pro

I had to add this second clip because she looks so darn cute with my glasses on her head. And she's getting pretty good at it!

And I win the "Mother of the Year" award with my "Hold on Aube" comment Ü. Sorry babe.

When Bella dropped those sunglasses on the bottom of the pool.....I said to her "Why did you drop my glasses on the bottom of the pool?" She says to me (giggle, giggle) "glasses on my bottom" (giggle, giggle). Haha...no...that does not answer my question!

Learning....

Bella has started to express an interest in learning to swim underwater. James could probably tell you more about this than me, mainly b/c he is such a good daddy and takes the girls swimming constantly! Shannon came over yesterday and swam, then the girls and I went out again today to cool off! Bella kept saying "hold nose, mommy, hold nose" ....I guess James has been teaching her to hold her nose and go under. She's so cute while doing it. I have another one to post, too...just can't get enough!

Party time....

It's that time of year!
Sun, pool, lunch, and some fabulous ladies

...a great combination!

Today was my first pool party of the season

and we all had a blast!
I really do love how well all the kiddos play together!

There's nothing like a cool pool
when it's hotter than heck outside!
I'm starting to think all the work
has been worth it!! Ü

Thank you ladies for such a

Fantabulous day!

BLISS

Nothing else can describe it...

I spent most of the day out in the yard
getting it all ready! I have a feeling
most of this week will be like that...
especially now that I bought all the rock! YAY!

But when I look at a pool, this sense of
peace overwhelms me and I just want to jump
in fully clothed....especially since it's hot now!
After doing as much work I could before I dropped
from exhaustion...I slipped into my suit and dove in!
I'm not a big swimmer...it's probably the whole
bathing suit thing! But I'm determined to use this
pool this summer!!

Swimming suit season.....

....HAS BEGUN!
Since the pool is blue and clearer than clear...
we decided it was time to take the girls out

and let them swim!
It's been over a year...so Bella was kind
of confused as to how to wear the floaties!

The water was a bit too CHILLY for the
parents.....

After a few moments, recovering from
her earlier confusion....Bella was once
again magically turned back into her former
mermaid-self.

Aube...not so much a fan of the water!
We think she might do better when Mommy
and Daddy venture in, too!

Too cute...Bella was begging her
to come in and play!

But once she did.....she wasn't too happy about it!

Clearer shade of blue

Yes, people...the picture below has NOT been touched up,
it IS a blue pool (a BIG thanks to Scuba Steve), we finally have
A BLUE and clear POOL!!!!! It took long enough..
we got "professional help"...hehe, finally, right?
James was doing an awesome job...but there's only so
much you can do with 1/2 hour here and there.

To get the pool "in shape" to me doesn't just include
the clear water....I've wanted to and am in the process of
clearing out everything around it. I've shared with you
pictures along the way....And I'm getting SO close!

With a little help from my princess worker.
(In a skirt, with a shovel, no less!)
She kept stealing my shovel...so I invested in one
just for her...saves me some chasing time!

I like to post this picture every once in awhile...
just so I can SEE the difference I am making.
This was taken right after we bought the house...
which was amazingly a year ago this month!

One of my main causes for distress this week has been
this dumb lawn...how much there is to do, how
much it's gonna cost me to get it where I want it
to be, and how much I just want a YARD that my
kids can play in and be safe in!

Step by step I'm making progress, I'm really wanting to
do Desert Landscaping around the pool to reduce
water usage and also to help reduce mosquitos
since we will be swimming alot at night when Daddy
gets home. I just want to get it DONE, so I can
relax and enjoy something for once...I feel like I
haven't stopped in the year we've been in this house...

FOR HIRE: cute little pool girl, $3000 an hour!

Bella is her daddy's little helper.
She LOVES it when she
can go outside and "help"
clean the pool.

Poor Aube...
she's not quite allowed out there
just yet....ever since she fell in
last week...no worries, she is fine.
Just scared her daddy half to death!

I'm hoping to get a fence put
up soon...but it seems that
everything I want to do to this house
costs us $3,000!
New windows...$3,000
New bathtub....$3,000
and I can only guess...
pool fence....$3,000
Now accepting donations! Ü

The day is gone.....

Surprisingly, today turned out very well...
Started out with a complication or two....one being in
which my phone was delicately "dropped" and James
clavicle was delicately "broken" (not really, he's just a wus).
ANYWAYZZZZZZZZZZZZ.....
Bella got signed up with the FANTASTIC GP Softball Association.
I am way too excited that she will be playing a game called
Blast ball this spring. I have visions of softball greatness
dancing in my head (la la la la la).
After which we were able to eat out FINALLY this week
(you wouldn't think that would be so hard) thank goodness
for tax returns.
THEN I got to work thru the most beautiful day, in which
I was wishing I was outside planting flowers....James did manage to
catch a snake in our dirt-pond-of-a-pool. No worries,
no pythons here, just a little garden snake...
which he let free in the street in
front of the house, where I am sure it then made its way
BACK to the pool/pond. Hopefully we can get the filter fixed
so the pool will be SNAKE FREE this summer (hahahaha,
you don't even know... that pool is so scary, right out of a horror
flick).
THEN we got to try out a little GP dive called
Isabella's Pizzeria.....very appropriate, since Isabella
loves Pizza!
THEN after putting the girls to bed....I got to be:
BY MYSELF
the first time in....awhile.
There is just something to being alone for a moment
even if it is just to go buy eggs and Nestle Drumsticks
(oh and a quick trip to Target), and being able to listen
to "Party Like a Rockstar" so loud that your seat vibrates.
T-t-t-t-totally Dude.........