Swim Lessons- Final Recap

This past Saturday Ethan completed his final swim lesson. It was an 8 week course, and well worth every penny. If I didn't mention before, he took lessons at Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary near the Cary Towne Center mall.

It was amazing to me how much he learned and developed in his swim skills in the 8 week period. He went from basically splashing around to jumping in, going under, blowing bubbles, learning the basic swim skills (kicking and using your arms), and much more. I have seen a huge difference even when we visit the pool during the week. He is SO comfortable in the water....maybe sometimes too comfortable! :) He is walking around on the bottom of the baby pool (2 ft) with no problems and balancing well, asking me to jump in, and saying "mommy let's go swim!"...which is Ethan language for take me in the deep end. I have been very impressed and proud of him for his willingness to learn new things!

Now that we have our Saturday mornings back.... I get my time back to sleep in, which is something I have desperately missed.  As mentioned in an earlier post, Ethan and Evan do father & son breakfast as a tradition together every Saturday morning. Since swim lessons have been at 9:30am, there hasn't been any extra time for father & son breakfast. That is something I look forward to every Saturday without fail. I love my sleep.

We will definitely keep up with the swim lessons- and maybe even some private lessons come fall. I really don't want Ethan to forget what he has learned.

Here are some snap shots of our final two classes.

 

Getting ready to jump in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Playing "London Bridges"- when the noodle closes in on you, you have to float on your back.

 

 

After their final class, all the kids got lollypops and cute little certificates.

 

 

 

 

We will look forward to our next session! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Field Trip

Today we ventured to Durham with our friends Sam and Izzy to the Life and Science Museum.  My friend Sam got season passes and is able to bring guests with her for free. How perfect is that?! She even drove us there, which made the day even more perfect.

Since she has season passes, we were able to arrive at 9am before it was open to the general public. It was wonderful being able to avoid large crowds in the most popular areas of the museum.

I have never been there before, but it was fantastic for toddler age kids. There was plenty to do outdoors and indoors. Since we arrived early, and because it was supposed to be 98 degrees later in the day, we hit the outdoor exhibits first.  Here is a look at the fun we had...

 

That is mist being sprayed up from the ground.

 

 

They had a cute little farm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They loved the train table.

 

 

 

Ethan got a kick out of watching the balls come down the shoot.

 

 

...And putting them in the shoot.

 

 

In the space ship.

 

 

Now onto their favorite part...all the animals. I think they could have spent the entire day in there.

 

 

 

This little guy (a Woodchuck I think) really interacted with the kids.

 

 

And our last part of the museum was a very cool wood block station.

 

 

 

 



 

After a fun few hours at the museum, we hit the Chickfila on the way home. Yup, you guessed it. Ethan and Izzy enjoyed an ice cream together after eating their meals. Lord help me, we cannot visit a Chick without Ethan having an ice cream. It is an essential part of his life!

 

 

We were excited for something new and exciting to do. This was a great change of pace. Thank you Sam and Izzy for a great day!!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fathers Day

I want to start this blog post by honoring the two main men in my life who are pretty awesome fathers. I use the word "awesome" but, truthfully, there isn't a word good enough to describe how great they are.

To start, let's talk about my dad. A daughter's love for her dad- there are no words. I'm guessing it's much like a mother's love for her son. That's the only real thing I have to compare it to.

If you don't know him, your missing out. He appears gruff on the outside, but on the inside his heart is bigger than his chest can hold. "Giving" is one word I like to use when describing my dad. All you have to do is call, and he is there. Willing to help anyone, always going the extra mile, and putting others needs before his own. That is something I've always admired about my dad. We have always been really close. The kind of closeness that is hard to explain. When he is with me, I always feel protected, and safe. When he hugs me, in that moment, everything in the world is good. I don't have to worry because my dad is there, and dad's fix everything. I could go on and on, but I don't have enough room. So, instead I will share some pictures I found of us. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Now, onto the other man in my life. My husband, Evan. Who also happens to be an amazing father. Ethan and I are so lucky. We have a man who works so hard for us every day without ever a complaint. One thing I have always admired about Evan is his happy, care free out look on life. I swear I can count on one hand the amount of times he has complained. He wakes up happy, comes home happy, and does everything with a smile on his face. That is something that I hope Ethan will learn from his dad. He is amazing with Ethan. So patient. Evan is the kind of dad that has always been 100% hands on. Always. Even when Ethan was a newborn, Evan would get up in the middle of the night never missing his turn. Evan is the kind of dad that I can trust. I never have to worry when I leave them. He always takes the best care of Ethan. He is devoted and dedicated. He is the perfect example for our son to learn and grow from.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Fathers Day in the Boutwell home was a busy day, but a good one. Evan got to sleep in until about 9am while I fed Ethan breakfast and entertained him for a bit. Once Evan got up, Ethan and I gave him his cards, and his gift. We got him some landscape lighting for the front yard, which he was excited about.  Then, we all got ready and headed over to my parents house to spend some time with my dad. We went to Wendy's for lunch (because we figured it would be the only NON crowded place on Father's Day) and it was nice and quiet. Just how we like it. Until Ethan gets there. :) You know that no day is complete without ice cream...so here is Ethan and his Papa enjoying a frosty together.

 

More got on his shirt than actually in his mouth! But he had a great time doing it!

 

 

Later that afternoon, Evan's dad and stepmom Karen came over. (GiGi and Grandad as Ethan calls them)  We had a nice time visiting while Ethan played outside in the sprinklers. Hints why my child is soaked in the picture below. I swear I can't keep him out of the water!

 

 

 

We grilled out, and finished the evening with cup cakes (because it was GiGi's birthday!). The boys tried to watch a little golf, but it was hard with the little one running around. :) All in all, a great day and one very tired little boy.

 

Happy Fathers Day to all you Fathers out there!

 

 





 

 

Luke Bryan

I haven't had much to blog on recently, so sorry for my long gap of time in between posts. May was so crazy, and so far, June hasn't been quite so busy (thank goodness).

About the only thing exciting that has happened so far this month is that Evan and I went to the Luke Bryan concert at "The Creek" as they like to call it last weekend. To be honest, I wasn't really super excited about going- I've just never been one of those people who goes crazy over concerts. We are both country music lovers, but Evan is a HUGE country music fan. He waited online for tickets to this show, and much to our surprise we actually were able to get tickets. The poor guy has tried to get tickets for Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean for 2 years now with no such luck (unless you want to spend big bucks on the mega ticket). That's A LOT of babysitters. So, anywho you can imagine how excited he was.

A pair of cowgirl boots, lawn chairs, a blanket, a cooler of beer, and 2 subs later...we were on our way. Thankfully just as we were going, it started to cloud up. There was a nice cool breeze, and it was very comfortable. Perfect if you ask me. When we got there, we ate our dinner on the tail gate of the truck while taking in the sights.

 I could talk all day about "the sights" at a concert. You see, this is one of the reasons I don't like going to concerts at Walnut Creek. The drunk, stupid idiots who ruin it for everyone. I am NOT trying to sound like I don't like to have a good time- because I do. However, there is a fine line. When you are so drunk that you are vomiting on the lawn right in front of me- I'm probably going to be really pissed. That is SO disgusting. If you are so drunk that you feel the need to have a full blown fist fight with your friend thus causing the police, EMT, ALE, or whoever to get involved and ruin my concert experience, I'm going to be pissed. I could go on, but I'll stop there. Maybe this is a sign that I'm getting old! :)

Thankfully, we did not have to experience any of that. Just as we were walking in, this mother with her daughter turned to us and said "do you guys have lawn tickets?" "Do you want seats under the roof?" I wish you could have seen Evan's face. It was Christmas. We were in the right place at the right time, and we were SO thankful. It was wonderful. We had great seats and Evan was so happy- which makes me happy, too. Just when you think the night couldn't get any better, then comes the free beer. (Well actually 25oz Lime-a-rita, but who cares, it was good!)

And you know what's even better than that? Looking at Luke Bryan. I mean, I knew the man was good looking, but phew! How does he wife keep her hands off of that man?! :)

I have been to many a concert in my lifetime, but I am here to tell you that Luke Bryan knows how to put on a show. It was awesome. Great energy, and great performance. We knew every word to every song, and danced the night away. He played for an hour and a half straight with no breaks. It certainly helps that he has got some good moves, too! He has a natural knack for entertaining. As compared to the Kenny Chesney concert 2 summers ago, Luke takes winner.

We didn't get in bed that night until 1am- ears ringing so hard I couldn't sleep. They rang for 2 days straight. Yet again, maybe another sign I'm getting old? It was all worth it, and we had a great time.

Now...if anyone has 2 extra Jason Aldean tickets for this summers show, please let me know! They are coming with FGL, another one of our favorites. We saw them in October at the fair and they were awesome.

So, I would have had some pictures to show you...but Evan wasn't into the selfies, and wasn't really into the pictures all together. However, I might have something better for you up my sleeve....

 

 

A little "Country Girl Shake it for Me"....

 

...And I think that ends it on a good note.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beachin' It

We just got back Monday evening from our first beach trip of the season. We are lucky that my parents have a place in Pine Knoll Shores, NC, which is directly in between Atlantic Beach and Emerald Isle. AND it's directly ocean front. Just a few steps to the beach, and a few steps to the pool. With small children, this is quite the set up. We stayed 4 days, which I have come to learn is a perfect amount of time when you are with kids. Not too short, and not too long. Chasing a 2 year old around all day on the beach and at the pool is very exhausting. Gone are the days of parking your behind on the beach with a drink and a good book. But, as parents, we suck it up because we enjoy watching our kids have fun.

Do you remember in my latest post my comment about Ethan not loving long car rides? Well, he did great going. Coming back he only screamed for the last hour. I guess this is pretty good considering he used to scream the entire time. I think the only reason he was upset on the way home was because he was SO overtired from all the fresh air.

Ethan slept in a double bed all by himself. We did have a bed rail up just incase, but he did great. No tears, and no falling out. However, he did decide the very first morning to wake up at 5:50am. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. I learned over the course of our trip that if I told him to go back to bed, he actually did! This shocked me. He woke up every morning between 6 and 6:15am. First thing out of his mouth "mommy I want to go to the ocean!". He was so excited he could hardly stand it.

 

Boys and their toys. The dump trucks go everywhere we go.

 

 

 

Ethan with Papa. They have a blast playing together. Ethan and my dad are both February babies. Their horoscope sign is Aquarius for a reason- you can't get them out of the water.

 

 

Ethan and his Nana.

 

 

 

I think daddy was having fun playing in the sand too!

 

 

 

 

 

Love these two! Buddies!

 

 

Do you see all that stuff? That wasn't even half of it. I swear you need 6,542 items just for a few hours down on the beach with a child. Oh wait! I forgot something else!

 

 

One afternoon we went into Beaufort to show Ethan all of the boats docked off the pier. And of course, no day is complete without ice cream!

 

We had fun on our little mini vacation. We will definitely be back for Labor Day!