Summer Swimming Lessons- 2011

The kids and I have enjoyed our swimming lessons this summer much more than before.  Both boys are really improving their skills and love the water.  James is now even wearing a bubble belt and will float on his back with his ears in the water.  Noah did a fantastic job in his last class and even "jumped" into the water and went underwater holding his breath! He can swim the entire length of the pool and back with only his bubble belt and noodle... he has come a long way from being afraid to get into the pool a year ago! James has little fear and would run off the end of the diving board if we would let him, he is also great at blowing bubbles in the water and kicking his feet.  Gabe was able to come to the last class and see how much fun James is to swim with and how well Noah does now:)

Sweet Brotherly Moments

Noah and James have come to a really cool time in their relationship of being brothers.  They have definitely started to roughhouse more and more, which inevitably leads to actual fighting, crying, biting, etc.  James usually will knock Noah over and Noah takes offense, of James gets frustrated and bites Noah... they haven't yet figured out to interpret the social cues or the communication necessary to tell with the other is just playing or really mad.  Anyhow, despite the increase in "boy play" at our house (I use the term boy play lightly b/c I can totally remember doing these same things to my sister;)) they have also really shown more  and more how much they love each other and enjoy the other's company.  This summer James has gone to daycare and Noah to a day camp. I have been struck by how much they seem to really miss each other.  The other day while driving James to drop him off Noah said to him, "James, I wish you were bigger to come to summer camp with me".  Other times that the two are separated to have "special time" with either parent I notice that they don't actually know what to do- James seems to be lost and uninterested in playing at the playground and Noah will talk about missing James... It is very sweet.  This is how I found them the other day when I walked into the living room... hopefully this will continue when the new baby arrives... only a few more weeks!

Another Cake Creation by Noah

 This is Noah's latest cake creation.  My parents were here this week and it happened to by my mom's birthday, so we made a cake.  The $1 bag of American flags seems to be never ending, but they are a staple in Noah's cake decorating.  The letters on top do spell "Happy Birthday, Nanny", but he insisted in putting them in a more abstract and carefully planned out arrangement despite me offering to spell it in the right order for him.  He also discovered the umbrellas in the drawer... James was pretty proud of the apple he was eating and insisted on having his picture taken with it:)

Haircuts and Daddy Time:)

We returned from our fun weekend up north exhausted, but excited to be home since we hadn't really seen Gabe for several weeks for more than a few hours because of a rotation he did in Vermont.  As is often the case, the chores had piled up on me (it is way more fun to play during the day;)) and one thing I had neglected were haircuts... to be honest this is largely due to the cost and frequency that boys seem to need them:)  Gabe was so busy with work and so desperate for a haircut a few months ago he made me go buy a pair of clippers and cut his hair.  It was really funny at the time since I had never cut hair before and I had never seen him with a buzz cut, but once we adjusted to it we realized that it was fast and cheap;)  SO, this time around Noah insisted on his hair being cut like daddy's.  I thought for sure that the loud sound of the clippers would scare him and he would chicken out after I cut the first swath, so I tried negotiating with him every way possible to wait until the next day and we would go to get a real haircut... I lost that negotiation and he too got a buzz cut.  He is very proud of his haircut and insists on telling everyone that "mommy cut it". His hair is really funny because it is so blond at the roots that it is almost white, but it always grows out red... Initially I thought he looked more like a bald cancer patient, but I am getting used to it and it was free!  James, you will notice did Not get any kind of haircut... We tried to get him to watch Gabe get his haircut with Noah, but he got upset and went into a bit of a rage.  I had never seen anything like it, he was not just crying, but screaming and throwing anything he could get his hands on... so, James spent the entire time watching a show in the living room.... maybe in a few years:)   

Civiello Family Reunion 2011- Smith Pond

 Last weekend we had a great opportunity to have some fun and relaxing family time with gorgeous weather!  We traveled north to Millinocket for the Civiello Family reunion at Smith Pond.  We were able to spend the day visiting with and meeting cousins and family members we only get to see every few years.  The kids really enjoyed playing in the sand, water, and of course, riding the tractor:) 

Glidden Family Vacation Day #3- Storyland (part 2)

Our day at Storyland turned out to be perfect!  It was a Monday, so less people than on the weekend, and it was threatening rain, so the heat was much more tolerable than previously, and no one wanted to go on the water rides;)  Our first stop was the antique cars, Trey had a much better ride this time around, since these cars were not nearly as "jerky" as the ones at Santa's village despite that Uncle Gabe and Noah were the drivers.  We next hopped to the water raft ride with zero line.  No preggos, James was too small, and grampa and nanny wouldn't go... that left Aunt Amy and Gabe to take Noah... he tried to change his mind, but they thankfully wouldn't let him and he had a blast... he was too smart to be fooled onto the flume ride:)  We just had a ton of fun playing, riding rides, and watching shows.  We had all had a fantastic time and it was a welcome break for everyone!  Thanks Nanny and Grampa (maybe by next year you will be recovered enough to do it again;))!!