Quick Trip to Port A

My weeks of summer vacation are dwindling.  We are heading to Disney World in a few short days and then I need time to recover from our vacation and then I head back to work. 

 

The kids have been BEGGING for a little beach time and so I convinced my parents to help me and we headed down to Port A.  We went to the beach Friday night and then headed to the city park.  A man came up to us and said at 9:30 there would be a fireworks.  After going to Port A every summer for my entire life and never seeing a random firework show, we were all skeptical to say the very least.    Well, what a wonderful surprise!!!!  We enjoyed the most beautiful fireworks show we have seen in a long, long time!  I love an unexpected surprise!!!!

 

This sweet face was a little different this trip.  Most of the time, I can't get him out of the water but there was a lot of seaweed and he was NOT into that so he spent a lot of time digging some holes and smashing sand castles. 

 

These two were the pair I could not get out of the water. 

 

Seriously this girl could ride the waves ALL day!!!!

 

 

Rocco was looking for the perfect wave

 

I made them pose for two seconds

and then she was back riding.....

 

Preschool coaching session....Rocco gave Hadleigh some tips...(Rocco will literally do anything for Hadleigh.  She can be such a toot and Rocco will give her his kidney.  Melt my heart)

 

 

She gave it the good 'ole college try again and again....

 

 

 

she loves the water and so desperately wants to ride like the big kids

 

Then we had to burry all the kids...they asked to be buried!!

 

 

Daddy played the game too!!!!

 

 

Their Name in Lights

We woke up super early on Friday morning for the "swim championship."  The kids were less than thrilled for having to get up so early to swim.  Josh Davis is a local hero around here.  He won lots of medals at the Olympics and grew up swimming at our local pool.  They built this bee-you-tee-ful natatorium in his honor.  It was the first time I had been inside and I was impressed. 

 

 

Rocco was out of sorts.  I don't know if it was the bright lights or the noise of the crowd but you could tell that he was nervous.  He chewed on his goggles the whole time. 

 

Lining up with the other littles.....

 

So proud of this boy for being one of the only 5 year olds to make it in the freestyle to the championship!!!

 

 

When he saw his name on the jumbo-tron, he thought he was a movie star!  He did not care for one second what place he got!! 

 

Yep!  He is still nervous! 

 

His backstroke cracked me up!  He is not even trying at the end.  He is gliding through the water just coasting to the wall. 

 

 

He did a little better!  Not last at least!  He was dancing like a crazy kid like he won the gold medal!

 

Next up, it is Jillian's turn.  I have another little nervous sweetheart.  Insert goggle in mouth for chew toy. 

 

And she's off.  She had the dreaded 1st lane so it was hard to film her but we are super proud of her efforts!!!

 

 

She got to see her name in lights and she was thrilled.  She posted her best time of the season!

 

And now to enjoy the rest of our summer!!!!

Swim Team 2014

This is our last week of swim team and the kids have worked hard this summer.  Swim team is a commitment.  Practice is every single day since the middle of May (well, weekends off).  The kids have done an awesome job and work really hard.

 

Once upon a time ago, I was a cheerleader.  I thought I knew a thing or two about cheerleading but evidently I missed some lessons.  Did you know that cheers are performed at swim meets?  It is the most awkward thing EVER!!   The kids even run through a breakthrough.  Ha!  That's awkward too because remember you are not supposed to run at a pool.  Ha!  Here is a small sample of an awkward swim team cheer........

 

 

Jillian participates in the freestyle and backstroke.  She is very studious and precise with her arm strokes.  So precise that at the first couple of meets, she really didn't seem to understand that this was a race.  Speed was not in her vocabulary.

 

 

This boy participated in freestyle, backstroke and a boys 100m relay.  He is the only 5 year old on the team.  At the beginning of the season, the boy could barely get across the pool.  It made me so nervous.  The coaches didn't give him any slack for being young and now he can go up and down the lanes of the pool without breathing hard.  It is amazing!!! 

 

From the beginning, Rocco clearly understood the meaning of a race.  The first meet he zoomed off the blocks and impressed everybody.  He earned ribbons for every single race.    (He could work on his dive a little bit.  Ha!!)

During the 3rd meet, they earned their "sharks."  They were THRILLED!!!

 

This girl has been a trooper.  Each swim practice is an hour.  Each swim meet is about 4-5 hours long.  It is hot and at times very boring waiting for a 30 second race.  She has been so good cheering for bubba and sissy.  We read books, play her computer, and play on Momma's phone.  Most importantly, she talks to every other mommy at practice and makes sure she knows their name and all their kids names.  She entertains everyone while we wait. 

 

Rocco ready to go.

 

After several meets where Rocco earned ribbons and Jillian didn't, she finally got that speed was a factor in swimming.  It lit a fire in that girl and she started swimming fast!  Nothing like a little sibling rivalry!!!!!

 

Finally my big girl earned ribbons in every.single.race and earned a spot on the girls relay team.  She has improved every single meet.  So proud of her!!!

 

Finally last night, Rocco had his under 6 mini-championship.  The boy totally understood that this was the time to shine.  I have NEVER seen him swim like that and he rocked it!  He won 2nd in freestyle and 2nd in backstroke.  His relay team got 4th. 

 

This is Roc with his amazing coaches - Lucy, Katelyn and Caitlyn.

 

And his sisters were right there cheering on their bubba!!!!  When we were driving home, Rocco said if I could win stuffed animals at all the swim meets, I would have tried a lot harder.  Nothing like a little extrinsic motivation!!!  Ha!!

 

Both kids have qualified for the end of the year championships on Friday.  We have to be at the pool at 6:45 in the morning.  WHAT?????   So silly!!!  Then we will be done!  And let me just say that everybody will be very happy to be done!!!!

Babies

 Poor little baby #4!!  There is rarely a time that I get to think about or talk about the sweet little babushka!  Here is the little munchkin at my 2nd ultrasound.  12 weeks 3 days - I just know that because it says it on the picture.  I feel terrible because I have not written anything down for this poor kid.  And there is really no chance that I will remember to do it later. 

 

Because I am a young-looking 36 year old (cough, cough), I HAVE to see an old-lady OB specialist (probably a more official term exists but who knows??)  and the baby is looking great!  I did love getting this high-tech ultrasound.  You could see so many details including all 4 chambers of the heart.  Pretty cool!  Bryan and I have decided NOT to find out the sex of the baby.  It was very difficult to not find out during the sonogram!!!  I was sweating and I realized my fists were clenched.  I really wanted to find out but I resisted temptation.

 

This is me at 25 weeks and Summer at 39 weeks.  It is not a great picture.  The little two had just lipsticked all over my mom's bedroom so we were not happy BUT this is the last time this will ever happen so we had to capture our bigness together!!!

 

On Monday, I got to crash Summer's delivery party and I got to meet the cutest little nephew you ever saw!  McCoy Hayes Pearce was born at 4:16 weighing 6 lbs 11 ozs and this little man is alert.  Here he is getting his foot printed.....

 

My kids were soooooooooo excited to meet their new cousin!!! 

 

Lots of kisses heading McCoy's way!!!!  So excited to have two little nephews!!!