Water and wet seem to be key components to our low-key summer holidays. If it's not raining outside, a daily occurrence for much of the month of July, we've been in and around water a lot of our days.
A new pool from Costco means surfing and body-boarding right in your own backyard. And water balloons from Costco meant a few water fights. Even the Nipawin parade - which we voted far superior to our own town parade with awesome floats and lots of horses - involved Joseph getting soaked with some water balloons thrown from the pool float - and trying to get the thrower back with another balloon!
The boys have been fishing at a couple locally stocked trout ponds on a few occasions, but so far haven't figured out how to outsmart the smart fish. Even though we haven't had any fresh fish for supper, Dan has been trying his luck at BBQ pizza. Mmmm! One day, we'll build a real pizza oven. We even hosted some relatives for pizza and decided it's a lot of work to do pizza for a crowd!
Joseph enjoyed a few days away from the rest of us, hanging out with cousins at Grandpa and Grandma's. From what we heard, it was a blast of busy activity, swimming, and late-night movie-watching. He just informed us casually that he hadn't showered or bathed for almost 3 weeks! But apparently it's ok because he was swimming a lot. We cleaned him up with a hair-cut and good scrubbing session.
Despite our best laid plans to get to the lake on a hot day between thunderstorm warnings, we have yet to make it. Heat warnings for pregnant women kept us home last week, so we did a backyard campfire and got wet in our own pool. Later in the day, when the thunderstorms delayed their arrival, we went swimming in town where brave Emilie took on the big water slide solo.
The boys finished a successful week of swimming lessons. With two-a-day lessons every morning, they came home totally beat and have been ready for bed early. John Paul was especially pushed - having lessons in the deeper section where he could only stand on tip-toe. He didn't give himself any rest either, but grew into a tree and chopped himself down between each of his one-on-one practices with his teacher.
We're slowly doing fun things on our summer bucket list, but have also been working on a few necessary home changes. With a new baby due in a matter of weeks (4!), we've been rearranging rooms and doing a little painting. Said new baby has also been weighing a little heavy on me and keeping us more local than usual. Emilie has been preparing for the arrival of our baby by taking out all the baby clothes and playing with them, plus practicing nursing, swaddling, and sleeping techniques on her doll and bear. Now we have only to await his or her arrival!
