this week {from my phone}

Our first week of summer at home and we’re still doing school work! Boo! Turns out school gets a little real after 4K. Thanks goodness she really enjoys her ‘table work’. We’ve also been starting chores. There aren’t many of these things that she wasn’t already having to do, but now we’re trying to institute a system of her knowing all of the things she’s responsible for each day, and then realizing that her allowance will only be given if she can accomplish those each day of the week. We had a few good days of getting the system down pat, then we left for the beach, so we’ll see how long it takes to get back on track!Swimming lessons wrapped up and I was VERY impressed with what the kids had accomplished! Neither would even get in the pool at the start of the week, but were both swimming underwater by the end! Watson got a lollipop at the end of his last lesson, and his current justification for having candy is ‘this is makin’ me strong, mommy!’. Emory surprised me by swimming half the length of the pool on her own! Now to just keep up with the practicing. We celebrated the end of swim lessons with a naked dinner on the deck…And some slip-n-sliding…Only Boland must’ve thought I said ‘sip-n-sliding’ because that’s all he did.We went over to swim with friends Saturday to practice some of our skills. Pink goggles and all. And then we had some pizza poolside. My chunky monkey has never frowned in the face of a good meal. Watson drove us home. And the kids crashed by evening. Too bad Emory looks like she’s passed out after a long night of partying. We had baths before church and ended up with a gun and tool goggles. His staple accessories these days. Then I, foolishly, packed the kids and the car up to head to the beach alone. I’m not sure what I was thinking as A) it was pouring rain, B) we’re in the middle of potty-training Watson and C) my pregnant self has to stop for a bathroom break every .6 seconds.

We made it to the house, but barely.We started fresh the next morning with doughnuts for breakfast. Even Shrek joined us. Then we hit the beach. Another crazy undertaking on my part. Three kids and one adult does not a happy beach moment make. But we lasted for a couple of hours and headed back up to the house for naps. And to watch the Gamecocks make their way to Omaha! Watson has now simultaneously made and broke the game-watching experience, as he wants to know where each and every player is at all times. We’d be better off just handing him a roster. But to say he was on the edge of seat that last inning would be a major understatement. The boy loves him some Gamecock baseball! {And this is his ‘Mommy, I’m Christian Walker!’ outfit. That he begs to wear every. single. day.}We were cooped up in the house a whole day because of rain, so we planted the boys in front of the tv and Emory and I did our table work. School work for her, sewing for me. And the best part of a long beach day is the long beach nap. And the bitty beach nails. But not the major beach tantrums. And I love a good tan line on my little man’s backside. And we still love her too, despite her crazy mouse-smile phase!After lunch and a costume change we headed back down to the beach without the little napper. A beach trip is never complete without a trip to Target. We played in the toy aisle for a while since Grandmama was offering to buy treats. And long after we had purchased our treats, taken them to dinner, taken them to get ice cream, played with them some more, they were still close by as we tucked the kiddos into bed.

It’s been a crazy but fun week and we don’t want to go home!