Monday, May 27, 2013

Gearing Up For Summer

Happy Memorial Day! A great time to remember those who are far braver than I will ever be, and the weekend that really marks the beginning of summer.

Saturday was a pretty depressing kick off for the "unofficial start of summer". Cold, raining, gusting wind.

We had a hard time figuring out what to do. We had multiple ideas for outdoor family fun, but when it comes to indoor (yet out of the house) family fun, we haven't quite found anything that suits us yet. The girls are too young for most things, and the things they aren't too young for tend to be packed on rainy Saturdays. So we ended up having breakfast at one of our favorite spots in town, and then shopping.  The fun part is that we went shopping for teeny tiny golf clubs! I think Adam had been waiting for that moment since Madison's birth. We found the perfect pink set, and thankfully, the rain gave us a great excuse to not use them (since we had to order them and won't get them until Wednesday).



Yesterday wasn't too bad. Adam was able to get out and golf in the morning while the girls and I played inside and took early naps, and once he was home we were able to get outside (albeit in sweatshirts) to play on the swingset. We actually called some friends for an impromptu cookout, and we had a great time playing and eating steak.

Today Mother Nature finally gave in, and we got a beautiful day for the last day of the three day weekend! Adam golfed again (hello summer!) while the girls and I had a great time baking. Madison has become a great assistant, and even better than that, she was so excited to wash the dishes when we were done! Reagan still isn't quite helpful, but she was happy with a mixing bowl and wooden spoon.

Not only did it save me a job, it completely occupied her while I dealt with the counters! Win!


The girls took early naps again, and afterward we hit the pool for the first time this summer. It's funny - only nine months have passed, but when you think about it, that's 60% of Reagan's life and almost a third of Madison's. They have changed and grown so much that there is no way it'll be the summer I remember from last year.

Here are my first three observations about how this summer will compare to last summer.

Last Summer: Madison adored the wading pool, but is very, very nervous in the big pool - even when held.

This Summer: Same (so far). But I can deal with this.

The big heated pool was 85 degrees. I was so happy in there with her. The baby pool was freezing. You're on your own kid.


Last Summer: I got both girls changed in the locker room. Reagan sat in her infant seat while I changed Madison. Madison sat on the bench while I changed Reagan. Note: I didn't bring them in their suits. Neither were potty trained, and after a few times of wet car seats, I decided it was worth the extra 5-10 minutes.

This Summer: Changing was craziness. Madison was so excited to get in the water that she wasn't waiting for all parts of her suit to be on. Once it was on, she had no interest in waiting for her sister. Reagan started climbing on the benches, the shelves, the shower stalls and flipped here, there and everywhere as I wrestled her into her suit. As for me getting changed, they decided that mommy needed NO privacy and whipped my curtain open over and over. Holy cow. We'll be coming dressed from now on. Madison's trained and I'll take my chances with Reagan. They can sit on towels on the way home. Note: We were eating dinner immediately afterward, so we needed clothes and I figured changing in the locker room wasn't that bad. I was wrong.

Last Summer: Madison played in the wading pool while Reagan napped in her infant seat or sat in the Bumbo in the shade.  I had one kid I really watched, and one who was more of a companion.

This Summer: Reagan figured out how to unlatch the gates and run out into the main pool area within the first 30 seconds. Crap. Even with four lifeguards on duty, I'm already worried about watching two quick moving kids.

Hello. I'm Trouble!


I can't wait to find out how this summer progresses! Hopefully Mother Nature is on board and those days in the 40s are gone until the fall!

I posted a poll on Facebook about doing a weekly wrap up on Sunday nights. It won't be a run down of our week - no one wants to hear that. But I'll write some entertaining highlights that weren't worthy of their own posts, share some of the best blogs I've read that week, follow up on previous posts, and do a weekly "blogkeeping" to clear the way for the next week. Pop on over and share your thoughts! I'll leave the poll open until next week and then decide if it's something I'll try!
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