Lake Clementine

My sister-in-law Rachel

coordinated a stolen day at Lake Clementine.

It's a beautiful stretch of water that is super family-friendly

and has a little bit of something for everyone!

Mr. Gabriel

Ava braving the shark!

It's a crazy inflatable toy that successfully flipped

just about everyone!

Ava's got it in the bag though!

Iris Luciana

So, so beautiful!

 Owen Joseph

He dug around the picnic basket and found

-what else?-

 chocolate!

Samuel,

trying to coax our little guy into the water.

He's not falling for it!

Owen & Meggers

Water Biologists/Recreational Enthusiasts



I borrowed the Greens scuba gear for a turn in the water.

Yes, I did finally go UNDER the water!

...

All in all,

it was a super-hot day at the lake,

not helped by the fact that we drove out of our way

to borrow my mother-in-law's shade canapy-

and then left it at home!

Luckily we spent most of our time in the water,

and when we needed a break we squeezed in with Rachel!

Isabella's not to be found in a single pic,

but she was there,

happily frolicking with Abby

to their hearts content!

Thanks for the invite, Rach!

We had a great, great time!

Love,

Us

2010 Swim Lessons: My Duck, Seal, & Marlin

Because our summer was packed with so many camping trips,

finding time for swim lessons was a trick!

We squeaked into one of the last summer sessions,

and as you can see by Iris's smile below,

the girls were happy to be back in th water again!

Iris Luciana, Duck

The cutest one in the pond, at that!

Ava Grace, Seal

Our natural born athlete. 

She takes to the water so easily,

and becomes this bronzed goddess

within minutes of being under the sun!

The Spectators

Me  & my little sis, Julia.

...

Samuel made it out a few times with the boys,

but they're at the age where all they want to do is

launch themselves into the pool at every turn,

so most often than not they stayed home!

Next year, boys.

Next year!

Isabella Rose, Marlin

She surprised us all by advancing from Seal to Marlin

only minutes into the first lesson! 

Where have you been secretly taking lessons, girl?

Way to go Bella-Boo!

The Diving Board

This was the first year Isabella & Ava

flopped off the diving board!

They did so great,

and I was happy to capture the fantastic splash

they made as they hit the water!

Samuel,

The King of the Tidal Wave, 

was proud!

Nice one, Bella!

Ava's turn!

I love her arm form!

Beautiful!

Graduation Day

These past two weeks flew by so quickly,

and this year the girls learned so much!

Everything just clicked!

Congratulations, on another great season, girls!

We can't wait to get you out on the water again!

...

Introducing...

Iris,

The Alligator

&

Ava Grace AND Isabella Rose,

The Dolphins

...

Way to go, skipping Marlin Ava!

Tres Hermanas

I love getting together with my sisters,

and unfortunately,

it's not often enough.

Thankfully,

with the leisure of summer,

there's a little more flexibility in the schedule

for getting together.

Today,

we traveled to Marysville for
a little fun in the sun!

{I love how Ava begins and ends this journey...}

 We ate some snacks on the lawn before we hit the water...

Ava & Taylor

We took a break for lunch...

...and Taylor made me laugh!

I was teasing her for having sleepy eyes...

...so she obliged me with opening up those beautiful peepers!

{How do I have blond-haired and blue-eyed nieces?!?}

Owen's up on his water consumption!

And Gabriel's down with keeping the bod protected from the sun!

{Such health-conscious boys!}

Now we just have to work on keeping your food IN your mouth...

Beautiful girls:

Isabella and my younger sister,
Julia Maria Sabrina!

Gabe's a total baby about getting in the water.

When it was almost time to go,

that's when he wanted to
mosey on over to the water.



Water-fun was short-lived.

This boy thrives on a different kind of liquid...

We had a great time, Sophia!

Thanks for having us out,

and we definitely need to do this again!

{Sweet dreams, Ava!}

Front Yard Pool Party

After the camping trips,

the van's right up there with the rest of us

in terms of needing a good scrub down.

Dad's little helper...

 

...or is she?



Bella loved the spray...

...and Owen pouted...

...and pouted some more,

when it came his way.

Whose brave enough to face the firing squad?

Gabriel's no dummy!

He stayed out of the fray...

...but the fray came to him!