Gills in Two Weeks...or Your Money Back!

The last two weeks of June meant Swimming Lessons for our two fish.  This was our 2nd year with Ms. Leslie and Ms. Cindy over in Indian Trail.  It actually rained for many of the days, but that didn't stop them from being in the warm, salt-water pool.

 Joshy singing "The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish..." during warm-ups.

And bubbles!  Josh was pretty adamant this year about not getting his face wet.  He was bribed with candy a couple of times, but he wasn't so sure about being brave...

But silly he has down.  So cute.  I could eat him up.

Gracie flourished this year!  She was comfortable floating, and was even taught how to flip from a front float to a back float.

She loved being underwater.  She even went to the deep end and used a pole to descend into the water hand-over-hand.  (Right before the thunder got us out of the pool!)

 She loved the "Torpedo" and kept practicing even when her teachers were working with other kids.

Racing to the deep end to jump in...

 Thinking about jumping in...

 ...thinking some more...

 ...and she did it!  :)

 And then she swam to the edge!

Could this be the kid that kept saying, "I wish I didn't have swimming lessons," and..."I don't want to put my face in."  It's so hard to be THREE.  :)  I remember Gracie was unsure the year she was three...

Eight Pictures...Eight Years

Two teachers get married in JUNE = exhausted anniversaries!

Love this guy!  And I always laugh at how worn-out we feel each year when we celebrate our anniversary, on June 18!  :)  

This year marked EIGHT years...so on our date night I insisted on EIGHT pictures to commemorate the EIGHT years.  We were determined to have fun, dang it!

Picture #1--Parking garage at Sacred Heart...started off the hot date with a doctor appointment!  :)

Picture #2--Returning clothes to Nordstrom Rack (hey--when you drive through the valley you have to take advantage of these things!)

Picture #3--Coffees at Dutch Bros...in Spokane, but we forgot to take a picture, so this is us posing at the CDA Dutch Bros with drinks almost gone.  :)

Picture #4--Meltz!  Gourmet grilled cheese for dinner!  I remember having our wedding reception caterers sneak grilled cheese and tomato soup to Jeff's plate on this day eight years earlier...

Picture #4b--just to show off the food

Picture #5--Walking around the boardwalk at the CDA Resort.

Picture #6--The park near the resort that we played catch in on our first date...fences and awnings up for the Ironman competition being held later that week.

Picture #7--Oops, we almost forgot to take a picture at DIDIER'S!  It was Tuesday night...need we say more?

And Picture #8--Back home to our amazing friend Linnea, who watched the kids that night!

Gracie was so cute.  Earlier that day she made a picture for us on our anniversary:  Our Family.

J is for Jeff, G is for Gracie, E is for Ellie, J is for Joshy (not sure why he's the only one in yellow...) and S is for Sophie...the name she wants to give our soon-to-come baby!  We've been keeping a little secret for awhile...Lochhead #3 expected to arrive November 20!

How's that for eight years?!  They've been GR8!!

Happy Birthday, G'ma Caroline!

Remembered sweet G'ma Caroline today by making potato soup for dinner AND, I attempted my first apple pie.  Not up to snuff with G'ma yet, but the smells brought her sweet presence to my kitchen.  A fun afternoon remembering her in the kitchen.  "Ack--I'm such a good cook, anyway..." and the phrase that came out when she needed perspective:  "What does that have to do with eternity, anyway?"

"A Return Home...and A New Beginning..." -Jeff Lochhead

We figured out how to download Jeff's phone pics to our computer--here's Daddy's record of Daddy and Me Camp!

"My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it." -Clarence B. Kelland

  

The Friday that school (aka teacher meetings!) were out, we hustled out of Dodge.  Jeff and Gracie went overnight to Camp Spaulding for "Daddy/Me Camp" and Josh and I had a movie night with toaster waffles for dinner.  We then met the next day up at Indian Creek Campground to celebrate the Lochhead men.

Granny and Pappy even made it for the day.  Pappy was having a great day--he even drove all the way home that night.  He must be recovering!

We kept talking about how last year we kept passing Oden around in his blanket...and this year he is camping it up!  Our favorite was when he started looking under the camp trailer with the eyes of a mechanic..."How does this thing work? Does it need some fixing?"

Gracie loved Camp with Daddy--was the 2nd one in the water and the last one out!  She and her Daddy are fish!

Drew spearheaded getting this panoramic canvas done for Pappy--it's the view of Mt. Spokane from their deck at the Edencrest house.  It meant a lot to Pappy!  (And does our son have a rope around his neck?  Nah...just a stick.  He's a stick addict.)

The Lochhead dads and boys...

The Lochhead moms and daughters.  (Gracie:  "Everyone in these pictures has the same last name!!!")

Buds.  Soon to start wrecking havoc together...

Our Daddy...the kids finished sentences about their daddy...my favorites:

Josh:  My daddy loves it when I..."WRESTLE!"  My favorite thing to do with Daddy is..."WRESTLE!"  My daddy is funny when he..."WRESTLES!"

Gracie:  My daddy loves to eat..."with me."  :)  My daddy always says..."GO TO SLEEP!"

How long will she believe that squirrels and hummingbirds make the best pets?  Good thing we can always borrow Brodie and Swede!  :)

On Saturday night, we walked down to the lake.  This is the only picture of the kids CLOTHED.  The lake was calling them, and their clothes were soon shed like sins at a tent revival.

THIS boy was completely into it!  I hope they got a video!  (Sand to be found EVERYWHERE, for DAYS...)

Swimming in underooskies?!?   Unheard of!  It must be summer!

And the mommy who was wondering how in the world they'd ever get back to camp in one piece shouldn't have worried--Daddy the Adventurer always has a plan.  He must've done this before...he had them in a de-sanding assembly line in no time at all.

It was such a wonderful way to kick off our summer--with the lake, the forest, great food, and our family--especially those adventuresome dads!  (Pappy and Papa Scott totally explain this adventure-loving dad of ours!  He "learned it by watching you!")