What's going on?

Swanny and I are so guilty of blog-neglecting this summer. My excuse, I'm working way more than I normally do during the summer. (I hear the collective feeling of pity from those of you who do not get your summers off). I think we're both trying to spend as much time enjoying the kids and the summer on our days off and we just haven't made time for blogging.

So randomly, here are few updates on the kiddos and some of the shenanigans we've been able to get up to during my time off.

Despite the mild temps this summer, we have found bursts of sunshine and periods of heat during which to enjoy the sprinkler and our mini backyard pool.

Swanny Jr. has learned how to climb out of the pool all on his own--the big boy.

Since he can climb out, he figured he may as well climb in too.

He's also decided to generalize this climbing skill to the bathtub, his sister's rocking chair (where I found him standing today) and attempts at getting up on the couch on his own...I think he'd climb up on top of the dog's kennels if he could.

Peanut is getting just too grown up to be allowed.



Just look at her--I remember when......

Now she's traded in the spoon for a float belt and twice weekly swimming lessons that are teaching her the front crawl, knee diving and the all important boat safety.

We have discovered another member of the family who really enjoys the sprinkler, or the hose when I'm watering the garden...she's not picky at all.

I love that you can still see the specks of water on her face in this picture. Penny's lovin' summer for sure!

Swanny Jr. would spend every waking minute outside if it were up to him. He doesn't even care if he hasn't gotten out of his pajamas yet.

Peanut has been practicing her hairstyling skills. I tend to be the one she experiments on. Today, she put nearly every single clip from her hair box on me while I read my newspaper. Here are the pics she took of me when she finished her masterpiece:

Okay, I took that last one and forgive me for not making sure my daughter's hair was swept out of her eyes. When your hair looks as gorgeous as mine did, you don't tend to worry about what everyone else's looks like--Sorry Peanut, but thanks for the glamorous do you gave me.

And finally in recap, yesterday the Swanny clan made its way up to the Shedd for our summer visit to the aquarium.

Peanut is always eager to see Nickel the sea turtle and talked about her non-stop on the way up there. She even took a picture of Nickel from her room to have in the car on the ride up. Though happy to see Nickel, she was also pretty thrilled to see that he Beluga Whales and Dolphins are home once again.

Swanny Jr. pointed at EVERYTHING and seemed to love looking at all of the creatures. He REALLY loved the popcorn snack we had near the end of the visit. The child eats non-stop.

Summer's flying by but I think we're having a pretty good time making the most of it! Next adventure, I head out west with the 2 kids (without Swanny, booo!) to visit the family in Idaho. Can't wait to share those moments!