Boating

As I said last week, we rented a boat on Labor Day weekend. Maggie wasn't digging it for the first hour and we all wondered how long we were going to actually enjoy our time on the lake. After lunch, however, and after we took off her life jacket, her mood changed and she enjoyed herself. She also loved playing in the water so we made sure she got time to do that. The rest of, and the majority of, the afternoon on the boat was great.

Wild Water Adventures

This month my mom, Maggie and I went to Wild Water Adventures twice. My dad came with us once. All summer my friends have been taking their kids there and I wasn't convinced it was an age-appropriate place to take Maggie. In high school (when it was called Clovis Lakes) I went a number of times and then Chad and I hit it up once pre-Maggie. I didn't remember it being particularly toddler-friendly. Wrong! The park has a huge section of water slides and play areas for the toddler and younger kid set, complete with a shallow 1-foot deep pool. Lots of squirty, bubbly, wet entertainment for the kids. To say that Maggie has a blast there is an understatement--I think right now it's her favorite place to be. Too bad her mom didn't realize this earlier in the summer...

San Diego

Chad, Maggie and I went to San Diego last week and had such a fun time. A beautiful city to visit, for sure. We spent time with family and friends, ate good food, hit the beach, shopped, napped, enjoyed Chad's 20-year high school reunion, and overall had a great vacation. Here are some shots of Maggie playing at the beach. I don't see any particularly wonderful photos here, but a fun morning so I figured I'd document it on the blog anyway.

Happy Birthday, Maggie (again)

Last week we visited our family up in Northern California. They threw Maggie a birthday party filled with swimming, food, cake, music and presents. She had a blast. It was super fun seeing our family and the only way it could have been better is if Chad and my dad were there with us. Hopefully next time.

Birthday Party Videos

As promised, here are a few little videos from Maggie's party. As I mentioned before, there were 8 kids there to help her celebrate. A few of them are shown in this video. 

Winter Swimming

Maggie and I went to Swim America this morning for a little play time in the pool. While outside it was cold, foggy and dreary, the pool we went to was indoors and heated so we were plenty warm. Maggie had a ball splashing around with the other 11 toddlers and played with the many floating toys they had for her to use. She held onto me a good part of the time because the center of the pool was 2.5 feet deep--just slightly too deep for her to stand and still be able to breathe. The edges were shorter and she could play on her own there, but of course I stayed near her to make sure she was safe.

Mags did forget a couple of the skills she learned from last summer's swimming lessons, so we'll need to work on those again. We can't be too hard on her though because she hasn't been swimming since August! A few moms in the group said that 18-24 months is a tough age for swimming, so we'll see if that holds true for Maggie.

Anyway, the above photo shows Maggie in one of her new swimsuits just before we got in the pool.

Happy Weekend!

Last week Maggie was having a particularly good time in her pool so I decided to grab my camera and get a few shots. As you can see she's having a blast and couldn't stop hamming it up for the camera.

Family Reunion

Last Thursday Chad's folks came for the weekend to visit. We had a great time and are so glad they were here. They took Maggie swimming and watched her on Friday so Chad and I could have dinner at Slates (yum!). Saturday we all went to the cabin. We had lunch with my parents before they headed back down the hill. That afternoon we went for a nice hike and enjoyed the gorgeous weather and clean mountain air. All in all it was a great visit and Maggie loved playing with and getting to know her grandparents from sunny San Diego. I'm pretty sure they felt the same way about her. Unfortunately we didn't get many photos of the weekend because video seemed to take priority. Maybe someday I'll learn video editing and get something interesting here on the blog.

Swim Party People

Saturday we were lucky enough to help celebrate our cousin Bailey's 13th birthday. She actually turned 13 last month, but this past weekend was the first time we could all get together. We ate lots of good food, played in the pool, competed in a ping-pong tournament, played water volleyball, jumped on the trampoline, spent time with family and listened to great music. Maggie enjoyed swimming with everyone (including with her water polo cousin, Chris, as you see here). And below is another four-generations photo with me, Mags, Mom and GG.

Holiday Weekend

Maggie has now experienced every holiday we celebrate throughout the year. Yay for her! This past weekend we had ten family members visit us for a couple of nights. Even though it was a quick visit, it was great and we enjoyed spending time with them. We packed in lots of eating, swimming, fireworking and fun. Unfortunately I didn't get nearly as many photos as I had hoped to get, but here are a few...

Group Photo

Fourth of July Cake




















Waiting for the fireworks show. Maggie didn't want her photo taken. We aren't sure why.









Not everyone, but a good number of us swimming.

Miss Congeniality

Thursday was the last day of swim lessons for Maggie. It's a little disappointing because we had such a great time, but I know there will be more swimming in store this summer and we'll definitely do lessons again next year. Here is a photo from her gold medal ceremony. Thankfully she didn't try to jump off the podium as I expected she would. Also, here's a photo of her crawling on the floating duck. Notice how Maggie's the only one on it? Well, all the other kids jumped off and swam to their moms. Maggie decided she wasn't quite ready for the lessons to end (it was the very last thing we did that day) so she decided to stay on and play. It was hilarious and everyone in (and out of) the pool was laughing. You're not? I guess you had to be there...

Nevermind

Here's a photo a swim instructor took of Maggie underwater last week. Hard to tell that she's enjoying herself because she's not wearing her usual smile, but she really did like it. Promise.

They Call Her Flipper

Maggie had a great first week of swim lessons. Tuesday of this week, however, was a bit of a struggle. She loved playing in and splashing the water but hated being forced to go under. There were intermittent cries and by the end of the lesson that day she was over it. Thursday, on the other hand, was a different story. My parents came to watch (and cheer her on) and she did really well. She waved and smiled at my dad between each swim and seemed to enjoy herself again. In fact, she wore flippers for the whole lesson! (Not everyone in the class has graduated to wearing flippers yet so let me brag a little, OK?) Next week she tries out the snorkel and soon after that we're looking forward to a class field-trip to the Great Barrier Reef.

Carboat

A few weeks back Maggie received an inflatable carboat floatie and this week we've gotten lots of use out of it. Sunday we went swimming with some friends who have a pool, and for a little while now we've been house-sitting for some neighbors who also have a pool. With the weather warming like it has been we thought it was the perfect opportunity to get a little swimming in. Or in Maggie's case, floating. She definitely likes the carboat, as you can tell by her newest super happy face in the photo. I like it because it keeps her entertained and the top keeps her shaded and sunburn-free.

Like a Fish

For Mother's Day I was given Mommy and Me swimming lessons at a local swim school. They are scheduled for twice a week through June and today was our first day. Fortunately Chad was able to come by and watch Maggie during his lunch break this afternoon.

Each lesson is 30 minutes and already Maggie is doing well. She didn't cry when I put her under the water for a few seconds, but did look a bit shocked and surprised each time she came up for air. She gleefully kicked her legs during the entire lesson (Maggie's tell-tale sign of happiness) and smiled for most of it. It's going to be a fun month!