Mad Memory Skills

Avery and Zachary have been displaying some incredible memory skills. There is a show that they watch on TV (yes, I know, TV bad) called Little Einsteins. Each episode has a story that revolves around a famous artist and classical composer. The music is played throughout the show and the art usually shows up somewhere in the middle.

They have seen most of the episodes a couple of times now, but what i find to be very cool is that they can tell me the name of the episode from the snippet of classical music that is played. They can also repeat the tune and sing the song that the Little Einsteins sometimes make up. So impressive!

Cookie Crooks

Avery and Zachary got up just after 6 this morning. They decided that since Mommy and Daddy were still in bed they'd go downstairs and help themselves to breakfast. As many Americans often do, they chose to have healthy cookies for the most important meal of the day.

I should stop here and mention that we don't normally like it when the boys go downstairs before us because inevitably they do something like this.

So I called them back upstairs, cookie still in their mouths, and gave them each a time out and no juice. They were very apologetic, and then proceeded to explain the teamwork behind their snack procurement effort: Avery opened the pantry and found the cookies. Zachary climbed up to get them. Avery got one cookie out and split it, while Zach put the rest of the package back. Impressive for two hungry children.

Kayaking on the Potomac

On Sunday we went to West Virginia to see the grandparents. We met up with them in Sheperdstown and went to the Farmer's Market, then for a walk on the C&O canal. After our walk we went back to their house and had lunch and took a dip in the Potomac. The boys had a great time with Grandpa in the kayak. Avery even did some kayaking himself.

The Week of July 4th

Last week was a busy one. On Sunday the 1st we went to see Ratatouille with Seth, Rob, Bryan and Logan. The kids, surprisingly, sat through the entire movie. This was Zachary's first movie, and he did get antsy near the end, but stayed in his seat. Compare that to Avery who tried to leave the the theater in the middle of his first movie.

On Monday I took the boys to get a haircut. Next we went to the toy store, then to the coffee place to get a drink and a muffin, and finally to the park. It was a breezy day so I didn't think the pool would be fun, but the park sure was.

Tuesday through Thursday we had more swim lessons for the boys. It was so cold in the pool that Zach was even less cooperative than last week. Avery almost refused to go in the water on Wednesday because he was so cold; luckily Eli was there to watch Zach so I could sit with Avery and get him warmed up to the water.

Lessons aside, the boys are coming along nicely. Zachary will voluntarily put his head under water and with water wings on he'll swim a short distance unaided. Avery can swim under water for as long as he can hold his breath, but he doesn't yet have the buoyancy or technique to keep his head above water.

On Tuesday we also had Leslie, Logan, and Kaylee came over to swim, and to watch Avery while Zachary and I had our swim lesson.

On Wednesday my family came over in the evening for dinner and fireworks. Eli set off "South Carolina" fireworks for an hour or so while we watched. He drew quite a crowd of our neighbors as well. The kids enjoyed the fireworks and doing sparklers, although Avery and Zach did not like the loud booming salutes.

On Thursday we had Jessica, Matt, and Annabelle over for dinner and to light off leftover fireworks. Eli said at the end that he was plenty tired and that his inner pyro would be sated for quite a while.

Friday was our shopping day and I had my 18 week prenatal appointment. So far so good!

On Saturday we ended the week with Logan's third birthday party. The kids played with toys, and each other, the whole time. This was great for Eli and I because we didn't have to watch them constantly.

Pizza Night

Tonight as a family we made pizza. The kids were fascinated by the pizza dough and helped push it flat onto a cookie sheet (after washing their hands, of course). We let the dough cook for a few minutes and then pulled it back out so they could add sauce, cheese, and pepperoni. Avery and Zach gobbled down more dinner than ever before! Next time maybe we will get more creative and add some vegetables :)

Swim Lessons

Avery and Zachary had their first swim lesson yesterday. I was worried about whether Avery would listen to his teacher for his class, and figured that Zach would do fine since we were in a parent/child class together.

As it turned out, Zachary clung to me the entire time and didn't crack a smile until it was time to say goodbye to the instructor. Avery, on the other hand, did great! I was with Zach, so I was watching from afar, but from what I could see he listened really well to the instructor. His class didn't spend much time in the water swimming, but the teacher had them sitting on the steps kicking their legs and blowing bubbles. They also had to hold onto the wall and walk around the pool in the water.

[Update]

Today was our third day of swim lessons. Avery is getting exponentially better at swimming. He will go under for a while now and swim towards someone. He has a bit too much confidence when it comes to how long he can stay under; he's come up a couple of times spitting up water.

Zachary is still very clingy during class, which I don't understand. He is able to do everything the teacher asks, but when it isn't his turn to try something he gloms back on me. I think Eli and I will have to work with him in the big pool outside of his lessons. And I think I understand the techniques from swim class well enough that we can cancel his second session and have Mommy / Zachary tutoring while Avery has his lesson.

Family Breakfast

This morning we had a big family breakfast, courtesy of Robin, Todd, Jeff, and Robbie. Whole wheat pancakes, egg and sausage casserole, bacon, and coffee cake were just a few of the dishes on the menu. It was so good, I think I ate enough food for the entire day.

Breakfast was also somewhat melancholy, as it marked the end of the week; time for people to start leaving the island. We went to the beach shortly after breakfast and stayed for almost four hours. One final glorious Hurrah! to end the week.