Summertime!

There is something about summer that makes the days feel more fun and carefree.  

Our family is not apart of the school calendar yet, so summer shouldn't feel any different then spring or fall.  And with the oppressive heat of the season, all we should want to do is stay inside in the AC.  

But there is something about summer that makes us love being out playing in the sun!

From playing in the sand and the water at the beach,

to the pools,

to all the splash pads around town,

and just backyard fun,

we are having a blast in the summer heat.

Most days the kids just wake up,  put on their suits and we head out to find water.

The kids play hard,

snack hard,

laugh hard,

and nap hard.

And when they wake up, we do it all again.

Ethan does nothing but run and jump off things

and Kels is doing her best to keep up.

I love how comfortable both kids are in the water.  

Ethan can jump in and get back to the wall on his own without help, which means he is convinced he can do anything in the water.

Kels sees her brother being so independent, which means she is convinced she can do anything in the water as well.

In the ocean, Ethan loves 'attacking' the waves and is fearless as they crash over him.  

Kelsey loves to sprawl out like a whale and let the surf roll over her.  

I wish I had pictures of how much fun these two have in the big pools together.  Kels will just float under water with her eyes open, smiling and looking up at you while E is swimming around everywhere. 

Kels' adventurous spirit in the water is both fun to see and a little scary.  I wish she could swim as well as she thinks she can!

Until they are both off swimming on their own, I am loving spending every minute of the summer with them!

Kels, 18 Months

Happy half birthday to baby Kels!  She isn't much of a baby these days, but a happy, busy little toddler. 

It has been so fun to watch Kels' personality develop over the last few months.  She is spunky, opinionated, silly and loving.  

When you first meet her she is shy and reserved, but once she gets comfortable she loves to be the center of the show.  

She loves music, books, blocks.  Her favorite song is Skinamarinky Dinky Dink, her favorite book is Lullaby Little One.  She loves all food and has no favorite.  

She throws, attempts to jump, colors and paints and thinks she can swim on her own. 

She is very vocal and seems to be always talking.  She uses her English words to let us know what she wants and uses her baby babble to talk to herself.  I always know where she is in the house by listening for her chatter.

She is still the best sleeper.  She goes and gets her blanky and nini to tell me when she's ready to go down.  I think naptime and bedtime are two of her favorite times of the day!

Playing with her brother is another favorite.  She loves to follow him around and try to do what he does.

She is also figuring out it is a lot of fun to mess with him.  She gets a lot of joy in stealing his toys and wrecking his buildings.

And she loves hats of all kinds:

Our silly girl: