Sunday Swim

She knew I got this picture and wanted to check it out right away.

It was one of those days for K

Glamorous glasses!

E spends most of her time floating and spinning in the swim-ring.

E had SO much fun dumping water on Uncle Tom.

Turtle ride with Uncle Tom.

We were able to get back to the pool today with the kiddos.  It was a tough call because our Tennessee Aquarium and our Creative Discovery Museum passes expired after today so we considered taking another trip to Chattanooga.  But we decided that none of us were really up for the car ride.
Luckily Uncle Tom wasn't working today and he and Auntie Karen met us at the pool so he could swim with the kids.  They LOVED it!  Emma spent a lot of time at first just trying to dump water on his head.  She remains very fascinated that "Uncle Tom doesn't have any hair!" so it was fun pouring water on his head. : )
Mommy, Daddy and Uncle Tom took the kids for a swim in the "big pool", but soon we were all ready to get back to the kiddie pool.  They really are getting comfortable in the water while still retaining just a hint of fear (which we think is probably a good thing).  We are working on blowing bubbles and getting them to attempt to hold their breath under water.
It's fun for us to pack up a picnic, drinks, water toys and just head to the pool and spend a few hours.  We don't have the distractions of laundry, dishes, yard work, etc, so we can focus on relaxing a little and just hanging out.
I need to shut things down because I've got an early morning tomorrow.  We can't forget to say "Happy Clean Sheet Sunday" though.

The Boy and a Truck

We did a little one-on-one time today.  Auntie Karen and Uncle Tom took Clark for an outing which included truck shopping.  They aren't necessarily buying a truck, but Clark is always fascinated by trucks and where people put their trucks, etc.  It looks like he was having fun "test-driving" this one.  Note that he buckled his seat belt. :)  That's my boy!
For some reason the picture got cut off when I downloaded it, but I just don't have the energy to fix it right now.
Nightie-night.

Another Sunday Shout Out

Once again, we spent the majority of our Sunday at the pool.  The kids loved it and the time flew by for us.  Auntie Karen surprised the kids with a visit and was able to see them in action (though we were all still a little slow).  While it was a little overcast at first, we all managed to get just a little pink and burn off some energy.

 And I had to post the picture above because it's the end-of-the-movie dance party.  Kendall went looking for her guitar so that she could play along with the music (we watched "Tangled" for our Saturday Family Movie Night and it was pretty cute).  All three seem to enjoy dancing to the music that runs during most of the credits after the movies.  Poo Pa stayed for the movie, so he was able to experience the dance party first-hand.

Mommy is a little nervous as the kids start attending a new preschool tomorrow morning.  They will be there Monday, Wednesday and Friday all day.  Of course, there are things to tend to for the first day (extra clothes, another set of clothes and food items in case of an emergency, some "security" items for naptime, etc).  We were able to get just about everything ready this evening so that the morning should involve feeding, dressing and then loading the kids into the van.  I even got dinner ready to throw in the oven when we get home tomorrow evening so that I can spend some time talking about their first day.

I'm going to try to call it a day and get some sleep.  The morning will be crazy enough so I've decided to skip Operation Boot Camp and focus on getting them to school.  Hopefully they will settle in quickly and enjoy meeting new friends.

Happy Clean Sheet Sunday.

Disappointed in Our Local District Attorney General, Randy Nichols

This is not a post about my children.  I've been following a local blogger/mom/citizen for over a year now as she dealt with the horrific injuries her son suffered at the hands of people who prey on young men and women in Knox County.  Her son, Henry, died later as a result of those injuries and a drug overdose (which was provided to him by adults he erroneously trusted).  She has blogged about her grief, her family, her quest to find justice for Henry. 
I felt sick as I read her post on Facebook (and then the details on the blog - see this link here) that "our" District Attorney General, Randy Nichols, has decided to close the case surrounding the death of Henry Granju.  I feel like I need to post a link to her post so that anyone locally who might have some influence might feel compelled to pound on the door of our District Attorney and tell him that this is NOT acceptable. 
As a mother of three young children, I worry that these people will continue to prey on the local children and continue to cause deaths that are preventable.  Preventable if we could just get these criminals off of the streets and away from our children!
DO SOMETHING KNOXVILLE!!! 

Chattanooga Baby!

We decided that since we got a fair amount done on Saturday, we should just go ahead and have some fun and go to Chattanooga and use what 's already paid for. Our Childrens Discovery Museum and Tennessee Aquarium passes have served us well and we have gotten our money's worth I am sure.

Happy Clean Sheet Sunday! - Daddy posting so that Mommy can get a shower

Pokie's New Place

Pokie's Place BEFORE.....

Pokie's Place/Penthouse AFTER



Pokie is like George Jefferson and "movin' on up!"  We have read about goldfish since he has survived almost three months in our home and decided that he needed more space (don't we all?).  While there appeared to be some apprehension about the move at first, Pokie was soon swimming laps in his new super-sized home.  OK, it's just about 10 gallons, but compared to the goldfish bowl we had, this must seem like a palace to him, right? 
We have some decorating to do as it looks pretty boring and we'd like something across the back so we don't have to see the plugs.  Right now, he remains at home on the island/peninsula in our kitchen because the kids can't access it quite as easily as most other tables in the house.  Hopefully we can find some sort of table or shelf that is sturdy and a little higher off the ground so that Pokie is safe from toddler invasions.

Rainy Day Play

Making macaroni.

Alicia is gonna miss craft time.:)

That hairy thing is the "meatball" (brown yarn ball).

Chef Kendall playing with a little cutie pie.

Check out Chef Kendall.

Making snack mix.

Chef Clark.

Shots above from Mornings with Mommy at Shepherd of the Hills Church.  Shots below from Kindermusik class this evening at Smart Toys & Books.

Belly bells

Jingle bell run!

Clark lovin' the Bilibo!

Today was a rainy day.  But there is always something to do in K'town.  You just have to keep your eyes and ears open.  I have mentioned more than once how much we love the Mornings with Mommy program at Shepherd of the Hills church.  They are offering this program every week during the summer months and have also added additional days.  I haven't been able to make it for the last few visits, but was able to run over and enjoy some time with the kids.  Alicia was babysitting, so she was in charge, but Auntie Karen showed up as well.  Today's theme had something to do with cooking, so they made chef's hats, played with macaroni noodles and "meatballs" (the brown yarn balls) and even prepared their own snack mixes. 
And this evening, I signed them up for a Kindermusik class and took them on my own though Auntie Karen was able to make it, despite the monsoon rainstorm that we had going on at the time.  Daddy came towards the end and had fun looking around Smart Toys & Books with the kids.  It is a 45 minute program, but was running a little behind waiting for people who were stuck in traffic.  The kids wanted to cut-out early once they saw Daddy, but I think they really enjoyed the playtime.  I think that the Bilibo (see pic & link) was a big hit, though I am not sure that it is a toy we would own, it was pretty cool.  Apparently, this particular model is appropriate for children up to age 7.  I'd like to learn more about them, but thought they deserved a mention.

I am ready to call it a day, but just wanted to post something about the events of the day.  I'm hoping to get some pics from their trip to Dollywood on Wednesday with Alicia, her sister and her mom.  They LOVED it and I think that photos do exist to prove that fun was had by all.

Nightie-night.

Just trying to wear them out.....

Sunday Splashin'