4th and a Quick Trip

Bryan has added some "fun" to our house.  A long time ago, we got these swings for the kids and he finally hung them up from the trees in our backyard.  One of the great things about this house is the huge trees we have in our front and our back yard.  It makes it so cool to be outside.  Otherwise we would be indoors because it is too hot to just play in the sun down here.  The kids LOVE the swings.  While I make breakfast, they swing. 

Bryan installed this disc swing in the front yard and it is a challenge.  They really have to use their muscles to hold on to the rope and balance themselves on the disc.  Jillian is really the only one that can do it yet.  Rocco tries but falls quickly. 

Don't worry!  She does not get on but she wants to!!

This was our 4th!!  Bryan had to work so we just headed over to my parents and swam in the pool and ate hamburgers.

Hadleigh rode in the swing at Grammie's house.

Jillian got new pink goggles.

Rocco is ready to swim!!

Then on Thursday after swim lessons, we headed down 37 to Port Aransas.  Friday morning, the kids were ready for the beach. 

Two words - boogie boards.  Rocco discovered boogie boards.  And he rode and rode and rode and rode the waves. 

Again and again and again, these two rode the waves!!!

They were so good.  Again and again, Bryan and my Dad would take them out and find them a wave to ride.  They were incredible!!!

Little Miss was not so impressed with the sand and the wind and the heat. 

But put her on a boogie board and got a smile!!!!

It took a day or so, but then she discovered that she liked eating sand and salt water!!!!

Back to the waves!!!!

We did other things like visit different piers to see what the fisherman were catching!!!

We went to the park every night to ride the swings and play!!!!

We read lots of library books!!  Well, Hadleigh did not want Grammie reading this book.  She wanted her book. 

In the early morning, my three favorite men watched the ships sail to sea. 

We made sand castles. 

We played pirates and buried treasure!!

We waited for the Wharf Cat and took silly pictures.

We saw lots of red snapper!!!

I really wanted a cute pic of the 3 of them sitting at the beach with their feet and the sand but this is the only pic I got of the 3 of them together.  Watching the TV way to close!!!!!

It was a good trip!!

Swimming in the Big Pool

Swim lessons have started this summer and this year Rocco is old enough to attend.  About 27 times a day, these two ask "When are swim lessons??"

On the first day, Jillian went with Ms. Taylor to the 5 year old class and Rocco went with Ms. Alex to the 3 year old class.  About 5 minutes into the class, with every other 3 year old crying that they didn't want to put their head in the water and Rocco swimming laps around them, Ms. Alex yelled across the pool whether I would give permission to put him in the 5 year old class.  Ha!!  Awesome!!  So now he is swimming with the big dogs!!  Ms. Taylor takes no mercy on the fact that he is 3 and sternly instructs him to cup his hands, straighten his legs, and retrieve rings off the bottom of the pool.  Somehow Rocco does everything she instructs!!!  I always thought Jillian was a fantastic swimmer but at 3 years old, Rocco is even better than she was at that age.  Bryan is thinking we may have an athlete on our hands!!! 

Here is Jillian practicing her breaths. 

Here is Rocco!!  Ha!!

Jillian practicing the breaths during free stroke.

Roc practicing the back stroke. 

They also practice diving.  Jillian has almost got it.  Rocco has the form but doesn't like to jump head first!!

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Swim class is finished for the day.  You know why they are giving you those cheesy grins??

I think the real reason that J & R do so well during lessons is because if they do well and listen to Ms. Taylor we stay at the pool and I let them jump off the diving boards.  They LOVE it!!!!  They would jump all day if I would let them!!!

There are two diving boards - a low and a high.  I'll give you one guess as to which my kids jump off of????

This is her "dive" off the big board.  Don't worry.  We are still practicing!!

Then they figured out that they could jump at the same time!!  Sychronized diving is hysterical!!!

Day 4 Magic Kingdom - Part 2

We finished up our breakfast, changed the kids out of their costumes and into my favorite outfits yet!!  Jillian and Hadleigh wore yellow, black and red dresses we got off Etsy.  The boys wore yellow Mickey pirate shirts we got off Etsy.  The adults wore the gray shirts we wore the first night.  The ladies sported our sequin Mickey ears!!!

We still had not hooked up with Sum's fam so we found ourselves at the teacups and no lines.  Jillian LOVED this ride.  We spun and spun and spun.  We probably rode it 4 times in a row because there was no lines.

A Classic!!

More spinning!!!

After we got off, who should we see?  Alice in Wonderland and that rabbit!!!  We don't watch Alice in Wonderland but who cares!!!  It was just so fun meeting up with the characters.  She started talking to Hadleigh. 

One of my favorite pics!!!

Then we were off to fly with Dumbo!!

Then we found Sum, Bill and the boys!!  It was time to ride some race cars!!!!

Waiting in the pits!!!

Rocco wanted to ride with Roy!!

Bryan of course wanted to drive!!!

Summer was escorted by Gavin around the race track!!  I took this picture as we were PASSING them on the track!! 

Whooooo!!!  Hoooo!!!

This was my driver!!!

There are the fans!!!!!

Next we had FASTPASSES for Winnie the Pooh!!!

After the ride, we were navigating our map and trying to get to Tomorrow Land.  But we couldn't get there because we ran into a street party!!!!  Sooooooooo fun!!!

Lots of floats filled with characters and dancing in the streets.  Jillian and Gavin and Bill dancing with Timone from The Lion King!!!!

The kids were so pumped with the grand finale at the Street party.  Giant cannons boomed and Mickey Mouse confetti exploded everywhere in the sky!!!

Now we found it!!!

We had our next FASTPASS for Buzz Lightyear's ride!!  Rocco was beyond thrilled and seemed to be in disbelief when we saw Buzz!!!!

Jillian was ready to ride and had her guns aimed trying to find Zurg!!!

Summer, KK and Gavin were trying to find Zurg too!!!

Me and Hadleigh and Rocco were shooting at anything we could find!!!!

Evidently, when we were in the ride, outside a huge storm blew in.  The lights flashed and the ride stopped.  We were stuck in the ride with Zurg for a gooood 10 minutes. 

When we got outside, it was pouring so we thought we would take a break and go back to the hotel for some rest and we would come back for the night events.   Wellllllll, easier said than done!!!

Did I mention it was pouring???

Everyone got soaking wet!!  The water on the ground was 5 inches deep and everyone's shoes got soaked!!  If you were wearing Crocs, you were OK, tennis shoes, not so much!!!!

We finally returned to Magic Kingdom!!!!  Hadleigh was NOT happy.  It had cooled down and she was wet and we were worried she would get sick.  Bryan took one for the team and took Hadleigh back to the hotel.  He is the best!!!

Well, we parked our three strollers in front of the castle.  We asked several of the employees what was the best spot for the parade.  They did not steer us wrong.  We had PERFECT seats!!!!   We waited and waited!!!  It started to rain again.  Bill saved us and bought everyone ponchos and we were looking very stylish!!!  The kids were getting antsy and Summer and I spent a small fortune on light-up toys and the kids were happy again!!! 

At 9:00, the officials announced on the intercom that the parade would be delayed because of the rain.  Ohhhhhhhh!  We were dying!!!  Would all of this waiting be for naught????  But I told you before that this was THE BEST DAY EVER!!!!  And I was not joking!!  The parade started about 20 minutes late!!!

Here are some highlights......

The Electric Parade was one of my FAVORITE things of the whole trip!!!!   It was magical.  After the parade, there is a light show on Cinderella's castle.  It sounds stupid but it was UH-MAZ-ING!!!!  Then the grand finale is a firework show over the castle.  Again, not enough words to describe the awesomeness!!!!  We got back soooooooo late and we were wet and tired but it was very very worth it!!! 

One more day..........