Swim Lessons

I thought it would be fun for Levi to take swim lessons this summer.  He is also completely fearless when it comes to water, so I thought it'd be good to start giving him some training on how to play safely.  Let's just say swim lessons were a challenge...

The first day as we were learning how to get in and out of the pool, Levi told me to scoot back so he could jump in and go deep!  He didn't particularly like having to do what everyone else was doing or what the teachers asked, but after some bribing coaxing from Mom, he did.   

Levi's favorite part of our 30 minutes were the last 5 minutes- play time.  We went down to the "beach" area and played with water toys for a few minutes.  Levi was a little hoarder and collected all of the thermometers (dive sticks) to throw in and watch them stand up on the bottom.  

Even though it was a struggle, I'm glad we did it.  Since it was a mom and tot class, this is the only picture I got.  Each morning, Levi loved sitting on the bleachers while we waited on our class and got ready to get in the pool.  What a cute little fish!

I'm a Shark!

The other night we met some friends for dinner at a local Mexican food restaurant.  On Monday nights kids eat free and Kiwi the clown entertains with (really impressive) face painting and balloon animals.  

I didn't think Levi would want to (or be able to) sit still long enough for her to paint, but he did.  He loved being with the big kids and doing the things they were doing!

The Aquarium

Mat came to spend the weekend with us in Kingwood, so on Saturday night we headed downtown to eat at the Aquarium.  My mom knew Levi would LOVE it, and she was right!  (Grammy even bought him a new shark hat for the occasion!)

She got lots of good "therapy" walking around and around and around the large aquarium in the center of the restaurant.  After one of our laps, the manager saw us and commented on the amount of laps we had already done!

Levi enjoyed his chicken strips and popcorn shrimp and was even able to order a "build your own sundae" dessert!  (I'm not sure who was more excited about the ice cream...Levi or me!)

After dinner, we enjoyed some of the rides around the restaurant.  We went on the train ride and saw some pretty cool sharks.  Levi loved the train but did not like having to stop in the shark tunnel- and not because he was scared but because he wanted to "go faster!!"

He rode the carousel and spotted the Lighthouse Drop.  He told Pops that he was big enough and brave enough to ride it.  He wasn't quite tall enough for that ride, so he insisted on riding the ferris wheel.  I wasn't sure what he would think about it once he got up to the top, but apparently he loved it! My little daredevil!

On our way back to the car, we stopped by the water fountain to let Levi run around and get wet.  We let him go, and he managed to run in between the fountains and hardly got wet at all.  Mat took it upon himself to get Levi wet and everyone enjoyed it...including the random family next to us!  They laughed and laughed at Mat and Levi.

Kingwood

After our quick trip to Nashville, Levi and I went to visit Pops and Grammy.  Grammy had a hip replacement just a few weeks ago, so we went to entertain and take care of her.  It was such a fun week!  We watered flowers and enjoyed the new deck,

played with some new toys

including a US map puzzle (and if you know Mat at all, you'll know how appropriate this puzzle is!!)

and went to the mall to build a bear (or puppy) and burn off some energy.

The first animal he was drawn to was a rainbow striped teddy bear, but Grammy and I quickly averted his attention to this soft puppy.

Giving his new puppy a fluff bath

One day we drove over to see Pops at his office so he could show off introduce Levi to all of his co-workers.  Levi even picked out his yellow tie shirt to wear to work.  He had a blast at Pops' office!  He got a cookie that he loved (even though he described it as crumbly) and spun in circles in Pops' chair.  I'm kicking myself for not taking a single picture while we were there!  The other day as we were driving around, Levi pointed to a random office building and said, "There's Pops' office!"  I told him that Pops works in Houston, and we live in Austin.  Levi's response: "No Mommy.  Pops' works in the WOODLANDS!"  Little stinker!

 We ate at several of my favorite restaurants, and Grammy and I were even able to go get pedicures.  Isn't it funny how pretty toes can make you feel so much better?!  Levi and I were so glad to get to spend the week with Pops and Grammy.  On our way home Levi made this face and said in the most pitiful voice, "I miss my grandparents!"

So Our Kids Can Be Friends

Every summer since we graduated from college, we've had the chance to get together with our friends and catch up.  It's called our "So Our Kids Can Be Friends" weekend.  Levi was the only kid there this year, but next year he'll have some friends (and a brother!) joining in on the fun!


We spent our time together in Nashville this year where Matt and Chrissy, Jeff, and Traci live.  We were able to go on a tour of homes which even included Traci's brother and sister in law's house.  Brad, Rachel, and their kids Bryce and Avery were so nice to open up their home (and toys) to us for the day on Saturday.  We played with the chickens, swam, grilled some delicious food and even had a campfire with s'mores down by the pond.  We did a lot of talking, a lot of eating, and a lot of laughing!    

The guys almost always spend some time throwing the ball around.  

I love seeing Levi's little glove included with all the big guys' gloves!

Grumpy boy...

Delicious, sticky s'mores!

I say this every time we have the chance to spend time with our friends, but we are so truly blessed with these friendships!  I love that we've been added a few new friends to the mix, and I can't wait for us to add some more little friends for Levi.  Already looking forward to next year...

Future Picasso?

Another one of Levi's new favorite things are watercolors!  I tried to teach him to dip his paintbrush in water, then paint, and then put it on the paper, but my little independent guy has his own ideas about what to do.  Most of the time, he dips his paintbrush in every single color, then the water, and THEN his paper which result in some very watery, very brown pictures.  But they are his beautiful pictures, and we love them!  :)

The other day, I was in need of something that would keep him entertained while I packed, so I stuck him in the empty bathtub to paint. (Thank you, Pinterest!)  He was so focused on his pictures, and he had a blast!

Summer Time

I love just about everything about the summer (I could do without the heat), but one of my favorite things from when I was little was running through the sprinkler.  Last year Levi was too nervous to enjoy the fun, but this year he L-O-V-E-S it!

It took him a minute to warm up to it, but once he did, he had so much fun!  He chased Dad, pretended to drive his race car through the "drive wash" and had fun watching his footprints on the driveway.

I'm so thankful for my summers and to have some time at home with my little guy!