June Swimming Lessons

Sarah and Phoebe have been in swimming lessons for the last two weeks.  They both have done very well, improving skills that they learned last year and learning new skills.  Phoebe is in the Tiny Tots class.  She has been reviewing how to go underwater and hold her breath, swim using "big arms", make "spoons" with her hands and fingers, and how to float.  Sarah was started in Level 1, but moved up to Level 2 on the first day because there were so many children in her Level 1 class.  The teachers did a quick skills test to see who were their strongest swimmers in the Level 1 class, and Sarah was one of the two strongest.  So, she was moved up to the Level 2 group.  She has done well learning to hold her breath longer, swim longer distances by herself, float, dive, and swim to the edge after jumping in the deep end by herself.

~Day One~

Phoebe

Sarah

 ~Day Two~

Phoebe

Phoebe wasn't sure about the yellow tube slide.  On her first time down it she went fast and flew right out of it into the water.  On her second time down she was able to slow herself down and stopped at the end of it, then just easily slid off the end into the water to one of her teachers.

Sarah

Sarah jumping off the low diving board...

 ~Day Three~

Phoebe

Phoebe jumping off the low diving board with a life jacket on...

Sarah

Sarah waiting in line to go down the big blue slide, then relaxing on the way down.

My cousin, Jess, came over to our house and played with Silas while the girls were at swimming lessons.  He got very excited each day for Jess to come and play with him.  He liked to play out back with her and play with cars and trains with her.  When she got ready to leave each day he would stand at the front door and wave while he yelled "bye" until he couldn't see her anymore.

~Day Four~

Phoebe
Playing Red Light/Green Light and Ring Around the Rosie.

Sarah
Floating on her back and jumping in off the low dive.

Sarah - Diving practice off the side of the pool.

On day 4 Nanee and Popee came to watch Sarah and Phoebe swim, so Silas came to the pool too.  He had a good time swimming and walking around in the 1 foot deep baby pool while the girl's were in their lessons.

~Day Five~

Phoebe
Swimming in the deep end with a life jacket on and jumping off the low diving board.

Sarah

~Day Six~
Phoebe

Phoebe jumping off the low diving board.

Sarah

Sarah jumping in off the low diving board and swimming to the side of the pool all by herself!

~Day Seven~
Phoebe

Sarah

~Day Eight - Last Day~
Phoebe, Sarah, and Silas

On day 8 we had Nanee and Popee with us again.  All three kids and myself had been in the pools for about five minutes when it started to thunder and rain.  Everyone had to get out.  Each swimming lesson participant was given a popsicle and told they could each come back for a free day of swimming with their families sometime this summer due to the rain.

Great job learning and practicing your swimming skills girls!  You both did fantastic.

Dads And Ice Cream - Two Of My Favorite Things And People

We were able to be at my parent's house on Father's Day this year.  We all got to go to church together that morning.  Then when we got home we ordered some pizza and made some homemade vanilla ice cream.  MMmmm, so delicious!  My Mom has the BEST homemade vanilla ice cream recipe.  It was her Grandma's recipe (Vera Grant Jarvis).  During the summer time, when I was young, I remember helping my parents make this ice cream many times each summer.  Sometimes we added strawberries into it, or other fruit, but it was always good.  And, when I was young my Dad and Mom still had the large old crank style ice cream makers.  My siblings and I would each take turns helping Dad put the ice and salt into the wooden barrel and turning the handle to freeze the ice cream.

Mom and I mixed up the ingredients on Father's Day.  Dad had us add in some extra vanilla.

Then we poured the mix into the tall metal canister, and filled it to the fill line with a little extra whole milk. 

Next, two dads and all the kids headed outside to start the freezing process.

Sarah, Phoebe, and Silas were in charge of adding more ice as it melted around the metal canister in the wooden barrel.  Eric added the salt, and my Dad supervised and gave directions.

Happy Father's Day, Popee!

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Happy Father's Day, Eric/Daddy!

And, we have ICE CREAM!

4 Dad hands, working together to make something that will create smiles on faces of people they love ~ Love!

Time for a small taste test... So DELICIOUS!

In between making the ice cream and eating the pizza we had time to check out Popee's garden....It looks good, as usual, and is growing a lot of vegetables.

Sarah wrote Popee a short note on the envelope of his Father's Day card.  It went like this, "Do not laf you teach me to fish on a berle I hope when you go fishing with Doctor Camble I hope you fall into the lake and Doctor Camble lafs Please wear your life jacket But Don't get hurt."  The story behind this note goes like this, one day two summers ago, Popee took Sarah fishing at a small pond.  He flipped a barrel over for her to sit on at the edge of the pond on a slight incline.  When she sat on the barrel it fell over and she and the barrel fell into the pond.  Popee immediately ran down the incline to the pond, reached in and pulled Sarah out of the water, all the while laughing outloud.  She was wet, cold, and muddy, and done fishing!  Since then she has brought up this story many times, and likes to remind Popee about the day he laughed at her falling into the pond.

Popee really liked the envelope and what Sarah wrote on it for him!

He couldn't stop smiling and laughing again!

Both Popee AND Sarah can now LAUGH about the pond incident!

Phoebe drew a picture on the back of Popee's card for him.  Then she told me what to write about it..."This is a house and the puppy got out of him cage. From Phoebe"

When we got back to our house late that afternoon, the kids gave Eric their gifts and cards they had made for him.

Below is Sarah's card, front on left and inside on the right.

Below is Phoebe's card, front on left and inside on the right.

Below is Silas's card, front on left and inside on the right .

We love you Eric and Popee!  You are the two BEST Dad's I know, and my favorites!