Ah, summer!

We started off our summer with a bang....about 10 days in Kingwood full of swimming, playing & attempting to sleep all night. As always the neighborhood pool did not disappoint! We talked about doing lessons but once everyone was in the pool Charlotte remembered everything from last summer, Eloise got the hang of things very quickly & the boys were little bitty yet confident fishies. Arlo just liked to disobey the "no running" rule & try to climb to the top of the slide. There were a lot of overcast days & I just don't like to get in the water unless the sun is beating down & keeping me warm. I'm kind of like a snake.....that's probably why Eloise likes me so much. I was thankful that my Dad would stay in the pool for three (chilly to my standards) hours without complaint. 

 

Here's the swim team...  

 

 

There are always a lot of musical instrument sounds when we are at my parents' house. My Dad enjoys playing his ukulele & Arlo could not get enough of him! He sang "Arlo had a Little Lamb" a million times & Arlo looked like this each & every performance. This picture will be one of my favorites forever.

 

Speaking of Arlo.....remember when I said that we attempted to sleep all night? It was because of this little stinker.  There are so many options for sleeping there & long story short we had a lively game of musical beds for our entire visit. Arlo was not yet rooming with his brothers at home so we kept him separate from the other four. I also did not want to be his roommate but ended up doing just that during all the switcheroo-ing. We started him in this little closet where the modem & printer etc are. It proved to be a little too toasty & he was waking up at the exact same minute (near 5am grrrrr) everyday. We thought maybe some techy thing reset & made a noise so he was relocated then relocated again. The only place he did not sleep (for obvious reasons) was in the room with the bunk bed. He could get up there SO fast!

 

Talk about the pool not disappointing, Gaga just gets better & better! She had some crafts planned & a poster board with all of our days listed & post-it notes labeled with different outings or yummy treats we planned to have. It was fun until Arlo started ripping all of them off. It's like he's almost two or something.

The trails in Kingwood were perfect for this bike rider although Kyle said she had to pedal so fast while he was just coasting along. She enjoyed being with her uncle & doing something "big."



The first week we were there which happened to be the week Eloise turned six was monumental in her life! Suddenly it clicked & she dropped the training wheels & was pedaling with a big smile on her face!

There were lots of wobbles along the way which made us laugh so hard. She just has the best facial expressions ever. She was cruisin' a little too fast around the cul-de-sac & got pulled over by a constable! Marcus lives across the street & we always enjoy visiting with him & his family. He checked her rider's license, gave her a few tips & sent her on her way!



I must give credit to Paw Paw who got her on the right track. Eloise is one of the most determined people I know & it was serious business to ride that bike! The neatest part of this major accomplishment was that the bike belonged to my friends Laura & Bethany that grew up down the street. It is a vintage Schwinn from the 80's. Can you call that vintage? Not only that but I was sitting on the curb of the same street I practiced riding my bike as a kid & near the spot that I crashed on my rollerblades, busted some teeth along with my chin. Glad she didn't re-enact that ; )

While on the topic of vintage toys, we found the Talkboy & had a blast recording & explaining what a cassette tape is, ha! It made me want to watch Home Alone with my brothers.

Uncle Scott came to play too & got some attention from little Miss Elo. Since the 25 year old playground was demolished as soon as my dad retired the only playing in the backyard was yardwork which the girls happily did.

A huge highlight of our trip was spending a couple hours with Edie. She was a good friend in Orlando that took care of Charlotte when she was teeny tiny & I was working a shift a week. She also came over on my 30th birthday when the twins were two months old. She brought party hats, we celebrated then she sent me to take a nap. I woke up FOUR hours later. That is in top five best gifts for a mother! Another story about Edie that still makes me laugh is when Charlotte was about two. Edie was looking at some books on our bookshelves & Charlotte came up to scold her saying "No touch, Daddy's books!" I wish Arlo was trained that well ; )

It made me teary eyed when she pulled away. Charlotte was standing by me waving & yelled "Bye Edie! I love you!" Then she looked at me & said "I really do. She is so special." It was the sweetest most natural thing. I was teary eyed thinking about the little pieces of her life story that began in Orlando. Char was right. Edie IS special!

 

Back at the pool....or the waterpark driveway....

 

Oh what fun it is to be there! Robby picked us up in a jiffy the following weekend & we were headed north! It's always painful to detox from so many adults & SO many fun activities but we keep going back for more...it's worth it!