Summa, summa, summa time

We finally (finally!) made it to the pool yesterday, just as Back to School sales are starting. It's crazy. And hot. Just TOO hot to do much of anything, even going to the pool.

Ellen loved her new puddle jumper and declared yesterday "the best day ever!" because she got to swim. Cue: mother guilt. She did sit kind of low in the water and swallow quite a bit of the pool and obviously had no idea what to do with her body to even attempt to swim. Again, cue: mother guilt about the lack of swimming lessons this summer. Oh well, there's always next year.

These little pool toys that Betsy got about 2 years ago are still the biggest hit.

 

 Please excuse my big belly - seems like something that shouldn't be on the internet - but small children in goggles are just too cute to pass up.

Otherwise we visited the library yesterday (previous talk  of going to the zoo first thing in the a.m. turned to conversations about how the animals would probably be sleeping and too hot in their fur coats and we should try another time). Then, Ellen had decent rest time, but no nap, and shortly after threatened to move out and live with someone else. I encouraged her to give it a try.

A few other funnies:

Ellen has had a cold and has been up during the nights and sleeping in our bed this week off and on, resulting in an exhausted me. Yesterday morning she was up and raring to go at about 6:15am and Erik was getting ready for work, so she just played in her room while I closed my eyes for "a little bit". I woke up at 7:30am to a quiet house and was surrounded by very tiny stuffed animals that she must have snuck in and placed around me. I came downstairs and she was watching a show quietly and Erik was long gone. Later she said, "Hey mom - this morning when Dad was at work and you were sleeping and no one was watching me, I just sat on the couch and I didn't do anything." In case you were wondering, this is what good parenting looks like. 

**jabber jabber jabber jabber** - "Mom, that's a lot words. I NEVER STOP TALKING, RIGHT?? That's what Dad says." (yes, that's about right)

"Mom, remember that time that Belle fell in love with the Beast and then he turned into a handsome prince and then they got married? That is a crazy story."
Yes, it is kind of a crazy story. What happens when people fall in love? 
"Well, they kiss and get married."
Well, yes, but how do people fall in love?
"Oh, I don't know about that."

I followed with a conversation about people being friends first for a long time and then deciding that they like the same things and have fun together and then they fall in love and maybe get married ... she seemed totally un-interested, but you have to start somewhere!