Floatie-Free Zone

Greetings friends and family,

Hello from the land of heat and waterlogged swimmers. 105 degree high, 85 degree low, repeat for 3 months or until you dehydrate and collapse.

Waterlogged, for those of you unfamiliar with the term, is a condition where your fingers look like prunes due to overexposure to water. We get to that point almost every day and sometimes twice.

Easton and Layla usually start with floaties then badger me until I agree to let them "practice". That means we remove the floaties for a few minutes so they can swim a few feet from the step to me, then back to the step. This past week the term practice is no longer applicable. They swam the entire day with no floaties for the first time.


Wearing goggles helped them get more comfortable in the water. After a few days they preferred to swim floatie free all of the time. Neither of them tread water yet, but they can swim unassisted for 10 feet or so. That means floaties are just encumbering them.

The most fun they have is touching the bottom and pushing off towards the surface. Also, I throw Easton in the air and he swims to the steps. He's more of a daredevil in the water than Layla, but as long as they are able to swim I'm happy. We're seeing great progress!


Other than the pool we have zero outdoor activities. Ouma is joining in for indoor fun to make the most of her time with the twins. Pretend makeup is a big hit with Layla.


Layla played dressup with Ouma to show all the new dresses since Ouma's last visit. Here's her Ariel (i think) wedding dress complete with veil... and Bolt stuffed animal. She is a beautiful princess with or without the outfit. That being said, seeing her in a wedding dress freaks me out. I'm barely (and I mean bbbbbarely) able to send her off to pre-school in a few weeks. The thought of her leaving and cleaving through marriage is inconceivable.


Unlike Vizzini in The Princess Bride, I DO know what that word means.


I spent the entire day Saturday with Easton and Layla while Kendra and Ouma went out together. On the way to Daniel's birthday party the twins took a power nap. The significance of the double power nap is that Layla hasn't napped in months and she never falls asleep during the day in the car. Today they were already tired even before we arrived at the party.


The party was a swim/play party at an indoor aquatic center. The temperature was cooler than an outdoor pool and we didn't leave with a sunburn as a party favor. I was one of two dads who joined the kids and moms in the pool. I'm shameless when it comes to spending quality time with Easton and Layla.


The kids received a cupcake as is the standard "birthday cake fad" this year. Even the adults were offered a cupcake and of course I couldn't say no.


Thanks for sharing your cupcakes, Daniel! Here's the birthday boy with remnants of the frosted goodness.


Katelyn is Daniel's sister and she held her own very well as the mob of 4 year olds swarmed the playground. Those two are definitely related...


Easton played with Zander, but only after I convinced him I'm too small to fit in the small openings in the playground structure. He wanted me to play because he's so used to me actively participating in his playtime. This was a sad kind of moment for me even though it is necessary. While Layla was off playing with her girlfriends Easton needed encouragement to find some boys to befriend. He understood and found Zander as I hung back in the parental section.


On the way out of the aquatic center complex the birthday boy was available for pictures. Layla took advantage of the moment to share a big hug and smile.


Layla wore her ballerina tutu to the party and then for the rest of the evening. We stopped by the store to buy flowers for Kendra and Ouma. Layla noticed the fairy statue on top of the fountain. Easton noticed the fairy was drinking the water. I had to intervene before he attempted to copy the slurping fairy. Layla gladly posed for a picture with the statue.


Kendra's surgery is Tuesday, Ouma leaves on Thursday, and my Mom arrives on Thursday. Next week promises to be eventful. I'm already sad for Ouma to leave, but excited for my Mom to arrive. My feelings about Kendra's surgery are mixed. I'm believing her knee will be fully restored and she won't be in anymore pain. However, going under the knife is not a fun process no matter how great the end results.

See you soon!