Aker Aquatics

This afternoon, we were invited to the Aker's house (Aunt Missy's Mom & Dad's house) to go swimming.  John wanted to go swimming as soon as we got there, but he waited until Uncle T could watch him.  Once Uncle T was ready, John ;jumped right into the pool to show Uncle T all his new swimming moves.  And that's when it began.  That's all John did for the rest of the day.  He jumped into the pool, swam to the side, climbed out and jumped back in.  I gave him one rule, to watch out for Gillian and Grandma Aker.  He was very careful to not jump on top of anyone, but no one was safe from his splashes. 

Uncle T asked "How about you jump off the diving board?"  John said "No Way!  I'm not jumping off the diving board!"  But he continued to jump off the side of the pool.  Uncle T convinced him to move along the side of the pool closer and closer to the deep end.  Uncle T asked him again "How about you jump off the diving board?"  John again said "No Way!  I'm not doing it!"  But Daddy talked to him.  I'm not sure what was said but before we realized it, John was standing on the diving board.

And he loved it.  He loved it so much, he did it again. 

Since he wasn't afraid of the diving board anymore, Uncle T asked "Why don't you go down the slide?"  John said "Well it's not wet."  Uncle T said "I'll get it wet.  Don't worry about that.  Are you going to go down the slide?"  John surprised all of us and went over to the slide.  I honestly thought that he would chicken out when he climbed the ladder, but he didn't. 

He only went down the slide once, but he must have jumped off the diving board a dozen or more times.  Gillian swam the entire time.  Well, I take that back.  She would get out of the pool occasionally make me take off her lifejacket so that she could grab a quick snack and then want to jump back in.  We tried to get her to jump off the side, but that didn't work.  Maybe next time. 

Pool Day

On Friday, Daddy took us to Crystal Springs. Crystal Springs is a family water park run by East Brunswick parks and recreation. Crystal Springs has a kiddie pool, a lazy river, three water slides, a lap pool and a shallow recreation pool.

We got there early on Friday morning and found some chairs under a big umbrella. We walked around and decided to go on the lazy river first. John had his own tube, but Gillian rode with me. Gillian was hilarious. She loved the tube and also tried to splash me and Aunt Betty! The boys went around once and were done. Betty and I wanted another ride. So we handed off Gilly and headed back around. When we found Daddy and the kids, Gillian was in tears. She wanted to go down the kiddie slide, but wasn't allowed to wear her life vest. She felt like she was in trouble and after that was afraid to go back down the slide. 

We headed back to the shallow recreation pool (also the pool right by our chairs). The kids swam. And we got to see all of John's new swimming skills he learned at camp. John was afraid to put his head under water at the beginning of the summer. He is now swimming underwater! I'm impressed. 

After swimming a little while, John wanted to try out the lily pads. They have a pool that has a cargo net overhead that the kids grab while trying to walk on floating lily pads. John had a hard time but he completed it! Gillian was not too happy. She was too small to try the lily pads. After that we checked out the water slides. You needed to be a minimum of 48 inches. John is 48 and Gillian is 42. Once again, she was not happy to find out that she couldn't go on the slide. We waited for the boys to come down. Unfortunately they came down the steps and not the slide. The attendant said that John was too short. It's a little frustrating, but Gillian was melting down. So it was easier that both could not go on the slides. 

We went back to the lazy river and this time Gillian rode with Aunt Betty. John was ahead of Daddy and I. And when we finally caught up, we found out that he made friends with the family on the tubes in front of us. He cracks me up. 

We again went back to our pool and the kids went in and out of the water.   

We went back to the kiddie pool and Gillian finally went down the slide!

 

It was a great day at the pool!

Beach day

Today we started our stay-cation with a day at the beach. Gillian was super excited. In the car on our way there, Gillian said "It's the beach day!" 

It was a little breezy when we arrived and the waves were really big. The kids immediately put their feet in the water and said to us "You need to get wet!" We told them not yet. They continued to run in and out of the waves. Gillian gave up after a little bit, but John didn't stop. A lifeguard came over and said that the rip current was really bad today and if he wanted to go swimming it had to be in front of the lifeguard tower. 

John gave up on the water and decided to bury my feet.  He worked really hard on burying my feet. I broke free and then buried John's feet (and most of his legs).

Gillian, meanwhile, entertained herself by looking for rocks and making "cupcakes" and singing songs. 

We ended up walking over to go swimming in front of the lifeguard stand. Aunt Betty held Gillian's hand and I held John. John is crazy. He wasn't afraid of any of the waves. He got knocked down a couple of times, but got back up again. He loved it. Gillian fell one time got her hair wet and I thought she was done. But she complained the rest of the time we were at the beach. "I want to go back in the water!" She is tougher than I thought. 

Overall it was a pretty great day at the beach. 

Beach boy

John went to the beach again today with Aunt Betty, Grandma and Grandpa. He is quite the beach bum. He loves to build castles, search for shells (or sand dollars) and just catch some rays. 

But his favorite thing has to be playing in the waves. He spends most of his time at the beach in the water. 

I can't wait to take him tomorrow and play in the sand with my beach boy. 

The zoo

John and Gillian went on an adventure to the Philly zoo today with Mimi and Poppy.  The kids told me little bits about their day. John told me "We saw like 7 turtles! And not little ones. Big ones!" Gillian said "Poppy hold me up to see the monkeys!" I asked "What was your favorite animal?" John said "The lion!" Gillian said "All of them!" Gillian also told me "We didn't see the llamas. Cause they spit!"

Here are some pictures of their adventure. 

The sand dollar

In the car this morning, John and I talked about going to the beach. He said "I hope I find a sand dollar." I said "That would be awesome. I never found a sand dollar at the beach." He said "I've seen them one time. You know, when the touch tank was at camp. Did you know that they are alive?" I said "No. I have never seen one that was alive." He said "You know what? If I found one at the beach, then I would just put it back in the ocean. Cause it's alive. I wouldn't want to keep it." He has such a big heart. Then he said "You know what? A sand dollar isn't money. You can't buy anything with it."

Trial class

Yesterday Daddy signed John up for trial Tae Kwon Do classes. John has expressed desire to take Karate classes. Daddy thought that this will help with John's concentration and listening skills. Today was his first class. He was very excited. 

I asked if he would smile in one picture. He said "No. This is serious. I need to be serious." I didn't get to watch his class today. Daddy said he did very well. But he needs to work on two things. One, listening to instructions. And two, not talking to his classmates. John agreed. He said "I need to listen better." He says he likes the class, so we will see if he likes it when he goes again on Wednesday.  

Last day

Today was John's last day of camp. He was not happy that the end was here. This morning he said "I just wish summer would last forever." I can't blame him. This summer has been really great. We found a great camp for him and he has had a lot of fun. He has gotten more confident swimming. He has made new friends. Gone zip lining. Enjoyed electives like archery, pottery, lanyard making, and cartooning. It's been an awesome summer. Until next year Camp Briar Hill!

Camp Show - take two

Today was the second day of camp shows at Briar Hill.  Since I am so close to camp, I had decided to go to go both days.  Today I asked Grandma and Grandpa to join me.  Aunt Betty also came, because we didn't actually get to see John perform yesterday.  We arrived at camp today and saw the end of the previous show.  Betty and I both said to Grandma and Grandpa, "When those parents move, we need to move to the front and get the first row."  Grandma looked at us like we were crazy.  But it didn't stop Betty and I.  We practically ran to the front.  We ended up getting seats right in front.  And the perfect view of my boy and the rest of the Hortons. 

When they were done, the announcer asked them "Do you want to do it again?" The kids all yelled a mixture of NO and YES!  We laughed.  Then the announcer asked the parents "Do you want to see it again?"  The parents of course said yes.  And the kids had to dance again for us.  They did a great job.  Afterward, we got a few pictures of the Hortons.  

The bee sting

Today was John's camp show. Aunt Betty met me at work and we drove over together. We arrived at camp just as the group before John's was finishing. We found a seat up front. They called the Hortons to the stage and we didn't see John. We looked everywhere and no John. Finally Tom, John's counselor, came over and said "Sorry, but right as we were lining up John got stung by a bee. He's in the nurse's office. Do you want to check on him?" I said of course and practically ran to the office. There he was, clutching his ear. He had tears in his eyes. The other counselor with John said "He got stung on his ear." Poor boy. So we got back to the amphitheater just as the Hortons were starting the show. I asked John "Do you think you want to join your friends?" He said "No. It just hurts so bad." He sat in between Aunt Betty and I and watched his friends dance and sing. I have to say that he was really brave and handled his first bee sting really well. He stayed at camp and he and Tom called me later in the day to let me know that he was feeling much better. 

Chuck E Cheese

Gillian went to a friend's birthday party at Chuck E Cheese today. She was a little shy when we arrived, but once she got her tokens she ran around like a crazy girl. We tried every game. Her favorite game was a Spongebob bowling game. We must have played it a dozen times. 

Chuck E came out and danced for everyone. I asked Gillian if she wanted to dance. She refused. But then later he came out to sing happy birthday to Turner. Gillian watched him closely. He went to his "dressing room." And she asked "What's he doing?" I said "Maybe taking a nap." Well I was wrong. He came out a few minutes later and she said "I guess he wasn't sleepy. He had to go potty!" I love her imagination. 

Errands

Today was a long day of errands with the kids. Our first stop was the post office. We got yelled at in line, because the kids kept touching the chain divider. We mailed our package and headed out the door. Gillian said "Why did he have our box?" "Because that man is going to make sure it gets to Uncle Joe." Gillian said "But I don't want HIM to have it." Don't blame her on that one. The postal employee was a little strange. Our next stop was Toys R Us. I specifically told the kids "We are getting a present for Turner. We are not getting any toys for ourselves." They were amazingly good in the store. And we didn't get yelled at! 

Our next stop was to visit baby Kenzie (and Aunt Missy too). John found a purple Pegasus that he wanted to give Kenzie. Kenzie loved it of course. John held her a few times but Gillian refused. I don't think she is used to the baby just yet. 

After visiting the baby, we headed to Costco. Before we could get in the store Gillian asked "Why did you bring John?" Costco is normally a "girl thing." I felt bad that I was taking away her special outing with mommy, but I had to get these errands done. Anyway the kids are always good in Costco because they know I supply them with samples. They were extra cute today. When it was time to go in the walk-in fridge, John snuggled Gillian tight. "It's so cold, we gotta stay close!"  

We went home for lunch and a little break. John asked for a "Fancy grilled cheese." While Gillian had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with no crust!

After lunch we headed back out to go to the bookstore and the craft store. Gillian got mad at the bookstore cause she only had one book and John had 3! I can't say no to getting an additional book. The kids read their books in the car and when I pulled into the lot for the craft store they said "Can we stay in the car?" Umm no. You can't stay in the car by yourselves. They argued with me and were ridiculous in the store. I think I pushed them too hard today. Oh well, we got a lot done. 

New Baby

Let me start this post by saying, Kyle and I are not planning on having a third child. We love our little family and are quite content. 

In the car this morning, John said to me "When a baby comes to our house, then we will have a problem." I know he has baby on his mind, because of his new cousin, but I wasn't sure where he was going with this. I asked "What do you mean, when a baby comes?" He said "You know, if we get a baby. Then we wouldn't have enough rooms." I said "John, I'm not sure we are going to have another baby. And if we were then we would decide to move or stay in our house. If we stayed than maybe you and Gill would share a room when the baby is little." He said "Well if the baby is a boy then we could share." Again I said "John, I would love for Gillian to be a big sister, but I don't think that we will be having another baby. I like our little family." John said "Well, if we get a baby like Aunt Missy, that could take awhile. And I want a boy." I said "Yes, having a baby takes nine months." "That's really long. That's like a whole year! I laughed and said "Yea, maybe we should just enjoy baby Kenzie for now." John agreed, "Yea, when can we see her again?" 

Elsa

For those who don't know, Elsa is one of the princesses from the movie Frozen. Frozen merchandise is very hard to find. I was lucky and found a plush Elsa for Gillian's birthday. Gillian loves her Elsa doll. Today Daddy picked up Gillian from school, he went inside and got all of her stuff and then went back outside to get Gillian from the playground. She came running to him. He handed her the Elsa doll. She then called all of her friends over. All the girls were excited to see the doll. Gillian said "I hold it up so everyone could see." And she held the doll up over her head. The girls all had something to say about the doll. Dorlisa said "I like her slippers!" I wasn't there, but I envision it much like this:

Big cousins

John and Gillian became big cousins for the first time on Monday. They have been anxiously waiting the arrival of their new cousin, Mackenzie Catherine. Aunt Missy was supposed to be admitted to the hospital where John and Gillian were born. That hospital has a rule of no children visitors under the age of 14 (unless they are siblings). This rule made John angry. "Why can't it be 10 and older?" I laughed and said "John you aren't ten." He said "I'm 7, that's almost 10!"

Luckily for us, Aunt Missy was admitted to a different hospti. We found out today that John and Gillian would be able to visit their new cousin in the hospital. I told John that we were going to meet Mackenzie tonight. He said "Yes! Yes! Yes!" When we told Gillian, she jumped up and down. When we arrived at the hospital, Gillian wanted to hold the baby. But then changed her mind. I convinced her to sit on my lap while I held the baby. That lasted about ten seconds before she said "I think her wants to lay on the bed." We moved the baby to the bed and then John wanted to hold the baby. 

He was so sweet with her. We moved the baby to the bed so the kids could watch her and talk to her. 

 

Gillian kept putting the baby doll in her face. I don't think Kenzie liked that too much. After awhile, John asked "Can I hold her again?" We put him in an armchair and they snuggled up. Gillian was very curious, so we were able to squeeze her next to him. They both got a chance to snuggle with their new cousin. 

 

Before we left both of them gave Mackenzie kisses. She is loved more than she knows. 

Mini Golf

We took the kids to play mini golf today. John is very serious about mini golf (he is serious-er now that he is 7). Gillian is not so serious about mini golf. Gillian was easily distracted. 

She would putt and then stand in the middle of the hole so everyone else would have to hit around her. Or she would kick our balls. John got mad. He kept saying "She's cheating." Towards the last few holes, she just stopped trying to play and she would sit on the rocks or sing a little song or just wander around. I guess golf is not her game. 

Catapult

On Friday at camp, John made a marshmallow catapult. It's a simple contraption made of Popsicle sticks and rubber bands. After dinner for the past two nights John has been entertaining us with his marshmallow shooter. Last night his first shot ended up hitting the ceiling and then falling in Daddy's drink. He also made one hit the ceiling fan! Tonight he tried to shoot Daddy and I while we were outside on the deck. His first shot he hit Daddy in the belly. Then he tried to get me. It didn't work. He shot over my head. And straight up in the air. He laughed so hard, and then he ate the marshmallow! He needs to work on his aim. 

Serious-er

This morning on our way to camp, the chicken dance came on the radio. I danced along with the song. From the backseat I could feel John's disappointment. He said "You know that car is really far ahead of us." I said "John you have to have some fun." He shook his head and said "Mom, that car." I reassured him and said "John it's okay, I'm going the speed limit and the car is ahead of us. You don't need to be so serious." He said "Well Mom, I'm 7 now. I need to be serious-er."

Underwater

John's camp is not far from my office and I get the pleasure of dropping and picking him up everyday. Most days when I pick up he gives me the run down of what happened at camp. Today, I asked "How was camp today?" He said "I don't want to talk now. I'll tell you at dinner." I said "Okay. Just tell me, was it a good day or a bad day?" He said "Good." He was really quiet for about half the car ride. I couldn't take it. So I asked him about a blow up dome that they had a camp today. He said "It was for color wars. We had to get all the balls on the other side of the dome. And you had to throw them. You couldn't cross a line." And that's all it took. So he started to tell me about his day. He said "Mom. You know what? I can spin underwater!" Let me sidetrack for a moment, swimming lessons are included in John's camp. At the beginning of the summer he was afraid to put his face underwater. When we met his swim instructor at the camp barbecue, he said the same thing. John has been getting more and more comfortable putting his head underwater over the past few weeks. So when he says he can spin underwater, I was very impressed. He then followed it up with, "I opened my eyes underwater today! I couldn't see good." I am so proud. Not only is he getting over his fear of putting his face in the water, but he opened his eyes too!

Kisses and squeezies

I sent the kids upstairs to the bathroom for bathtime. I found them sitting on the floor waiting for me. Gillian was hugging John. John looked at me and said "What it's her? She's doing it." Gillian said "What? I just love my brother." They are so sweet to each other. Before bed they made sure to give each other kisses and squeezies. 

I am one lucky Mommy!

K-cups

This morning John helped me by filling up our K-cup carousel. He said "I'm going to fill the middle row in a pattern!" And he did. He filled up the entire carousel and said "Do you know what? If I spin it really fast the cups fly out!" I laughed and said "Are you sure?" He said "Well I've never tried it. But I bet it happens!" It's hard to argue with that. So I said "Go for it!" He spun the carousel really fast. And two of the cups went flying out. He shouted "I knew it!"

My mat

I just went to check on Gillian. She was still awake and on top of a pile of blankets and stuffed animals. I asked "Why are you still awake?" She said "My mat is messed up." I laughed. "Your what?" She again said "My mat. Someone messed up my mat." I pulled all the blankets and animals off her bed and remade it for her. She thanked me and gave me a kiss and a squeezie. Hopefully she will fall asleep quickly now that her mat is fixed.  

Questions

We put on a movie tonight for the kids. Daddy thought they would like to see "Dunston checks in." They had never seen this movie before, so John had a lot of questions. 

What's this about?

Do you know that this is a grown up show?

Have you ever seen this?

Are you sure we are going to like it?

Why do the kids live there?

What's in the box?

By this point, Daddy and I just said "Please stop talking and watch the movie." It didn't stop. He would wait a few minutes and then the questions would start again. If he just focused on the movie he wouldn't have so many questions. 

Cartooning

John's camp elective last week was cartooning. I have to say that I am really impressed with his drawings. The picture below is my favorite. 

 

He also made a whole series about a pig and a cow. He says "The cow is the good guy. And the pig is bad. The pig is driving a tractor. He is going to rob a bank. You know why?" "No John. Why is the pig going to rob a bank?" He giggled and said "Becaue he wants to make a piggy bank!" Check out the pictures below.

The belly

Tonight we went to Mimi's for dinner. The kids played nicely in the backyard until we heard "Someone's here!" I asked "Who Aunt Missy?" Gillian said "No! Uncle T and Aunt Missy!" Aunt Missy is due to have the baby any day now. I jokingly said to Gillian "Tell the baby it's time to come out!" Gillian actually hit Aunt Missy's belly and said "Get out baby!" Luckily Aunt Missy laughed it off. Poor baby. 

As we were leaving, Gillian said goodbye to Aunt Missy. Again she said "Baby you gotta get out!" We showed her how to put her hands on Aunt Missy's belly so she could "talk" to the baby. But she was a little too aggressive and she pushed on the belly. It's a good thing that the baby is coming soon.