Austin has swimmers ear.  We went to the Dr. so they would give us some drops.  Poor little guy is in pain but doesn't want to tell us because he doesn't want anything to do with the drops.  We are going to take a couple days off from the pool and hopefully this will help him get better quicker.  We are pretty sure he got swimmers ear when we were on the Cedar River a couple weeks ago.  He started complaining "Mine ear hurts" last Wednesday when he was taking off his shirt.  Poor little guy . . . good news is that we have the drops and it is only supposed to take a few days to clear up. 

Last night I took the boys to the waterpark for about an hour . . . while both boys were playing in the water, Austin comes over by me, throws his arms in the air and says "Mommy, this is the best summer ever!!"  Adorable.

Great Fathers Day weekend!

Austin had his last night of swimlessons on Friday!  He passed, which was no surprise to us after the great two weeks he had there.  At the end of their last day Miss Kelsey asked if the kids would like to go down the great big waterslide.  Of course they all wanted to do that!  So, Austin led the way over to the slide . . . Colton wasn't far behind the line once he realized where they were headed.  The kids in his class all climbed the steps to the top.  Colton stepped on the first step and then I had to intervene.  Colton was sad for just a second and then he stood patiently while we waited for Ausitn to get down.  Austin was the last one to go down and he was the ONLY one who went all by himself!  He asked if he could and she said yes.  So, he was very chatty on our way home . . . telling us all about the slide.  "The waterslide there is taller than a giant!"  "I did it all by myself."  I also told him he did a great job at swimming lessons to which he replied, "I know mommy, I was awesome at swimming lessons"  So, the swim lessons were a major success.  His little certification card says that he is very strong and he should move on to the next level.  She also noted that he can do the back float he just needs to trust himself a little more while he is laid back in the water.  Great job Austin!!!  Mommy, Daddy and Colton couldn't be prouder!!

Aaron and Becca came to visit on Saturday.  They got here around 10:30.  We had some lunch and then spent most of the afternoon at the water park.  Boys had a great time playing with them.  We were there for over three hours (which wore everyone out)!  We went in the lazy river quite a few times.  The boys loved the waterfalls in the lazy river.

 This is the little elephant slide in the kid area.  It is the perfect size for Austin and Colton to really get going fast.  There is also water spraying all over at everyone and they love that as well.

 After the waterpark, we came home and had bubble baths and made dinner.  This picture is of Colton truly enjoying his chips and dip!  Once he saw the dip, he didn't want his chips to be without it and he really liked the dip!  There was always a huge scoop of dip on his chip (as you can see not all the dip made it into his mouth)!  He also sticks his entire hand in the dip and ends up with fingers full of it!  Colton must have inherited the family addiction to chips and dip.  We are so proud. So cute and such a great Saturday!!

Sunday morning, after Aaron and Becca went home, we drove over to Clear Lake to go boating with Sarah, Jake, Zoey and Charlee.  Such a fun day!  We got up there and went swimming in the pool.  It was really nice because all the kids wore life jackts.  Austin and Zoey could pretty much play with eachother and life jackets made it really fun for them.  They could jump in over and over and over and swim over to the side to get back out all by themselves!  Colton loved the water but again he didn't love the life jacket!  Charlee loved her life jacket but didn't want anything to do with the water!  She is such a doll . . . they call her "Lifeguard Charlee" because she is content just walking the side of the pool with no interest of getting in! 

Brian and Jake went jet skiing and then we all went on a boat ride. This was the boys' first time on a speed boat.  They liked it!  Austin got really comfortable on one of the chairs and fell asleep.  Charlee and Colton enjoyed pointing out at all the other boats that they could see.  The two little ones wanted to sit right by eachother, which we found out soon enough that Charlee had ulterior motives . . . she moved in for a couple of kisses!  At first Colton and her just stared eachother down but then that turned into smiles and giggles and they had a great time.

Brian requested OP Pizza for Fathers Day so that was what we had!  It was a great weekend with some great family and friends.

Dinner with friends!

 Last night we went over to Zoey and Charlee's for dinner and play time!  Charlee and Colton sat outside at Charlee's little table.  They were adorable together . . . again!  As soon as we got there Colton walked right over to Charlee and they grinned "ear to ear" at eachother.  They did a pretty good job eating dinner but they were in a hurry to start playing in the back yard.

 This is the homemade water slide in their backyard!  The kids love it because it goes super fast.  At the bottom Zoey would jump up and run, Austin would slide on his bottom about 2 feet in the grass and Colton had help from daddy so he would always land safely.  All three of them loved the water slide.  Charlee decided to spend the entire time swinging . . . that little lady sure loves to swing!

 Here is Colton testing the temperature when he first sat down and then trying to get a drink out of the hose!  He figured out he could try to spray daddy too!

 After we got done with the water slide we all went inside to watch a cartoon and have popcorn.  Sarah added some m&m's to the popcorn so they were very happy when they got to the bottom of their bowls.  Austin, however, dug to the bottom of his bowl immediately and ate those first! 

 Colton has been walking around at home in mommy's shoes and here he found some of Zoey's dress up shoes.  He gets them on all by himself (most times) and walks around the house!  Super cute because he is so proud of himself for figuring it out!! 

 This picture I'm including only because Austin wanted to take some pictures too.  The below self portait is one that Austin took all by himself!  Obviously his photography skills leave something to be desired but he did manage to center it fairly well!  The evening was really fun and the boys were completely EXHAUSTED when we got home.  Austin didn't want to leave Zoey's house of course but both of them fell asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows. 

 These pictures are from last night at swim lessons.  Above is Colton and his friend Berkley.  They both paid close attention to what their siblings were learning last night.  She is a few months older than Colton and she likes to call Colton "the baby".  Colton just likes to chase her around . . . so he doesn't seem to mind the title!

 Austin is doing so great at his lessons.  The below picture is him being a goofball while he is waiting for his turn.

 He is learning to use his arms while he kicks.  And he loves going under water too. His favorite part of swim lessons last night was the hot tub again.  They only get to sit in it for 2-3 minutes at the end, but it seems to have become the highlight of his day!

Bedtime buddies

Colton has always had a special place in his heart for his light blue puppy dog.  He received this puppy dog as a gift from Jamie and Jeff when he was just a baby.  Now this "baby" as Colton calls him has to be with him for story time and bed time.  This started a few months back and he has continued to add to his collection of "babies".  He has been known to rotate out one baby for another baby but lately he has just been adding on.  He also has to have a blanket with him, preferably his green one but any blanket seems to work just fine.  So last night Brian was going to lay Colton down for the night and they walked in to say good night to Austin and I.  Brian is carrying Colton.  Colton is carrying his blue puppy, his green blanket, 'Ellie' his stuffed elephant, his stuffed owl, his stuffed monkey and his new stuffed bald eagle!  Colton sleeps soundly but he sure likes a cozy crib! 

Colton went to swim lessons last night to watch Austin and did a great job!  He sits patiently watching everything that Austin is doing.  He also likes to play with the drinking fountain and he has a new little friend that he chases around as well!  So, at least the jealousy has died down.  Colton is very observant and always has one eye on whatever Austin is doing!

Austin's blessings last night:  "My first favorite blessing is going in the hot tub at swim lessons.  My next favorite blessing is jumping on my bed before dinner.  My next favorite blessings is the two sandwiches that mommy and daddy made me for dinner.  My fourth blessing is Colton."  Very sweet.