Mermaid in training!

Last year I got Elena a fun mermaid fin because she loves to pretend to be a mermaid (and I always wanted one as a kid - ha!) Well she used the heck out of it and it cracked and was being held together with duct tape!

 So this summer we decided to give her a little mermaid upgrade!!

Yup a full tail made out of swimsuit material! She is obsessed (and frankly so am I!) It works great, she loves it and I found it for a pretty reasonable price compared to what some tails sell for! Apparently she is not the only one obsessed with wanting to be a mermaid!  

Oh, and did I mention they have them in American girl doll sizes too? Sold.

I ended up purchasing a Shimmertail - in case you have a mini mermaid in your pool too! ;)

Lifeproof.

This year I got a new phone and as the summer started I decided to get a lifeproof case - it is very sturdy, drop proof (which lord knows my clumsy hands needs) and also waterproof! Perfect for our many days/nights at the pool in the summer!! Here are some of my favorites from the summer.

It was so nice to have my phone near (or in!) the water and not worry about it!!

 

I must say the case is worth every penny and I am so glad I got some great pics from the pool this year with it! :) I also took numerous videos but I will save those for another time! ;)

Swimming Lessons!

We decided it was time to start Dominic up in swimming lessons this year to get ready for all the summer fun we have at the pool. We did some lessons last year but they were parent involved so this time it was much different as he was by himself with the instructor! You might remember when Elena took swimming lessons a couple years ago -- she was not a happy camper the first week. But then she finally warmed up and loved it! Well the same thing happened with Dom - he literally screamed the entire first class! Ugh! :( But then he kept doing better and better each time! This was one of the first classes when he still wasn't too sure about it but was finally not crying!

  

The pics aren't that great because I had to stay away and was peeking through a window! So stressful to see your baby not be 100% comfortable in any situation!

So proud of him for doing so much better each time!!

Most days grandma takes him to swim, but every so often I get to sneak away and watch him too!

The goggles crack me up! But he finally got used to them and does so much better with them on!

He's been going for about 2 months now and check him out now!!!!!! Amazing! Now he begs to go to swimming lessons!

 

 So proud of my little swimmer!

Bring on the pool this summer!!!

Spring Break {2015}

I tried to make Elena's first ever spring break a memorable one. With Daddy out of town for work and no trip or anything exciting planned I decided to have Elena make a ''Spring Break Bucket List" of things she would like to do during the week. I still had to work this week but was able to take a couple days off to really enjoy it with her (and Dominic!) It turned out to be really fun week!

First on the list: Swimming!

 

 Spring Break Bucket List: Library

We decided to head for preschool story time which my Mom occasionally takes Dominic too -

 I think E ended up enjoying it even more than Dom!

 Both of my kids adore the library - I am going to do my best to make sure this doesn't change!

 They even had a little make your own fortune cookie craft for the bigger kids on this day - perfect!

 Then we took the kids to a yummy burger place we hadn't been to in forever - TJ's burger house. So delicious! Elena could not get over this phone on the wall with the cord attached! Oh my how times have changed!

 Next up on the list: Cinderella! After Dom went down for his nap we knocked out two items on the list this day!

 Spring Break Bucket List: Pedicures! I threw in a Sonic happy hour drink for bonus points! ;)

We are ready for spring with these bright fun colors!  

Spring Break Bucket List: Roller Skating!

I can't believe I hadn't taken her skating yet - #mommyfail!  

It was tough but she slowly got the hang of it!  

 

This dude on the other hand...was a whole different story! Lets just say I had to call in the reinforcements (my mom) for help! HA!  

 We ate some pizza which contrary to the looks on their faces they loved!

 Then my mom took Dom home for a nap so Elena and I could have some one-on-one skating time. Thanks Mom!

 Not trying to brag - but Elena was impressed with my moves - Mama's still got it! ;)

 That weekend we hit up a delicious donut spot for breakfast - you could tell how good a place is where there is a line going out the door! Good thing this kept the munchkins entertained! 

Delicious! We handled these 6 donuts! Woah!

 Right around the corner from the donut shop is a new trampoline park that we hadn't been to so we decided to give it a shot!

Wristbands on and ready!

 The kids loved it! I was so glad there was a smaller area for little ones!

Luckily we got there early enough it wasn't too crowded in the big kid area either!

Later that day we decided to let Dom have a choice of something he would like to do since Elena had been picking all week (not that he wasn't having a blast too though)! So of course, he picked Stearman! What can I say, the boy loves his planes!

Finally it was time for the last item on the bucket list - Orange Leaf! We pulled into the parking lot at the one closest to our house and to our horror --- there was a for sale sign up! What?!?! Elena was crushed. :( But we settled for Braums instead and all was right again. :) 

 It was a beautiful ending to a beautiful week - and lots of fun memories made with my kiddos!!

I'm looking forward to spring break 2016! (and I know the kids are too!) ;)