Being Brave

For a long time, Caroline would not put her head underwater. If, for some reason, her head accidentally went under, she would reemerge to the air sputtering and coughing and would then say to anyone who passed by, "I was so brave!"

Much like Lucy, Caroline took swimming lessons at Cookie and Grumps' beach, and (again like Lucy) it was these lessons that finally gave Caroline the confidence to willingly put her head underwater. Since these lessons, Caroline has celebrated the fact that her head can go underwater, and she has become enamored with jumping off of the dock where Cookie and Grumps keep their boat.

Earlier this summer, while Steve took Emily, Cate, Cooper, and Lucy out on the boat, I stayed on the dock with Caroline and let her jump over and over and over again.

So excited

Ready ...

Set ...

Go!

Very proud of herself

Warming up 

Eventually the others came back because the allure of jumping off of the dock was too much:

My favorite shot of the summer:

Beach Part 382,823

Boat Ride

As I have mentioned previously, I don't love boat rides. That being said, the idea of being on a boat in really deep water full of sea creatures without being able to see the bottom ... I am wrapping my mind around it.

Also? This guy LOVES the boat:

We headed out early in the morning to see the Charles W. Morgan set sail from New Bedford, MA on its way back to its home in Mystic, CT. My knowledge of the ship is nothing compared to Steve's, but it's a big, beautiful whaling ship that is on only its 38th voyage.

Here are a few pics I snapped in between trying not to think about all that lurks beneath the water:

After this boat ride, we all headed to the beach so that the girls could have swimming lessons. Then we stayed and played in the water before finally coming home.

I think Caroline was a bit tired.

More Birthday

While Steve slaved away and sanded down half of the girls room (our room makeover will have to wait for another post), my mom and I took the girls to the beach. We had a great morning of swimming, sand, and snacks. Then we came home and Nana went to work making a birthday cake for me with the girls. There was Indian food for dinner and a little cake before heading to bed. Big celebrations definitely aren't my thing (side note: if any of you are planning on throwing a big party of any kind for me, please don't). This was perfect.

This is my face when I realized that Steve put 33 (32 plus one
to grow on) on the cake.  

Got 'em all!

32

Today is my 32nd birthday, and tradition calls for a picture of me with my girls. Here is a look back at 31 and 30. 

And now here's to another year. I am so lucky. And I hope to spend the next 365 days appreciating just how good I have it and how many wonderful people I have in my life.

Aquarium

Today's forecast was hot, humid, and eventually rainy. Not really ideal for a beach day, slip and slide day, playground trip, etc. So instead we headed to the aquarium that is conveniently located just ten minutes from our house.

When the girls were younger, trips to the aquarium typically consisted of them running around wildly pressing buttons, madly pointing at animals, and then sprinting to the next exhibit. It was still fun, but it has been really enjoyable to see Lucy's visits evolve. She is interested in reading about the animals, identifying the fish, and spending more time examining the habitats. Caroline is still a little crazy, but it's indoors and air conditioned so everyone is happy!

Also, this is the first summer in a long time that I have not worked, so these trips are particularly enjoyable because the four of us all get to go together. How lucky we are to be teachers and to have our summers free!

This is a little devil.

Reading about the frogs in their habitats

We caught part of the seal show

Casually checking out the sharks

Being a turtle

I can't look at this without laughing -
especially with the arms sticking out

Yikes!

After a fairly long hiatus, I am attempting to post some of the major events in May and June. I have dated the posts so that they correspond with the events. To all of our loyal readers, I hope you enjoy the updates :-)