It may seem like we do nothing around here but go to the pool. That's not entirely true, but we have been frequenting the pool often this summer - what else is there do to when the weather has been consistently in the 90s? Ellie's made a lot of progress recently. She now floats on her back, jumps into the deep end and jumps off the diving board all by herself (with only someone catching her as she says).
After a very messy meal last week, I put James in the sink for a quick rinse off. It's been awhile since I bathed him in the sink and he looks so big in it.
We recently spent a day in Stonington, Connecticut with our friends Abbie and Greg and their children, Penelope and Robert. Stonington is an adorable seaside town and we had a great time hanging out at the beach and going out to lunch. Ellie even attempted crabbing with Penelope and Robert but a seagull grabbed the hotdog, knife and string (all in a ziploc bag) she needed to catch crabs. She loves to retell the story herself!
It's hard to believe that we've been going to the pool for four weeks already. This was a great week at the pool and it was so nice to cool off during the record high temperatures. In addition to accessorizing for our trip to the pool, Ellie's gotten really confident in the water. She loves to use her surf board (kick board) and noodle in swim lessons and can use them without assistance from her teacher. James loves the kiddie pool and can barely wait for me to get a swim diaper and his trunks on before getting in and scooting and splashing all over the place. He was a superstar this week and napped poolside for a few hours while Ellie played. I'm hoping for more afternoons like that this summer.
We spent Independence Day weekend in Buffalo this year. My cousin Peter got married on Saturday so we spent the three day weekend in WNY. I didn't take too many photos while home but I did get a few (see above). James enjoyed a cupcake at Mimi and Papa's on the 4th and we visited G&G on Monday before driving back. Ellie and Grandma rocked James in the rocker and we put Ellie's bow on Grandpa's head which James tried to put back on his head. Hopefully I'll get more photos from the other photographers in the family and I'll post them soon.
We had a very short overnight visit from our friends Erin, Pat and Sadie and Courtney, Brian and Jack last week. They arrived late Thursday evening from NYC and NJ and left early Friday morning to catch the Nantucket ferry. It was such a short visit that Ellie didn't even know they ever came. We were glad to get some shots of James with some of his 2009 baby friends, Sadie (April '09) and Jack (December '09). We loved seeing everyone and just hope they'll stay longer next time!
Ellie is loving seeing her friends Benny and Gwyn at the pool this summer. She and Benny are two peas in a pod, they take a swimming lesson together every morning and then spend the rest of the day playing together. Ben fractured his elbow last week so he was in a cast for a bit. I think his cast looks so cute in his plastic waterproof bag.
Poor James will not be pleased someday when he finds the photos above posted online. He was so cute getting into Ellie's doll cradle one morning last week. James was also very pleased about his new "hat." He found the plastic storage container and wore it all over the house, sans diaper of course.