Look, Mom! No floaties!!!

Luke has officially retired his floaties (aka swimmies, floatation devices, etc.).  He's treading water like a champ, retrieving dive sticks from the bottom of the pool, and swimming around like a little fish.  It's just a doggie paddle for now, but he's taking lessons which will hopefully teach him some proper strokes.  I'm just happy he won't sink. :)  As the mother of small children, the pool causes me a tremendous amount of fear, so the way I see it, it's one down (Luke), one to go (Zach).  Phewww!

And it is absolutely filling me pride and excitement. Is that cheesy? It's the same feeling I had when I received my driver's license and when he potty trained. Completely unrelated, but whatever. That's the feeling.

Until we purchased dive sticks, Luke used a paint can opener.  Aren't we resourceful?

Zach is also getting more confident in the pool.  He can swim around in his floaties without assistance and is even jumping in, allowing his head to go under water.

Looks like we're that much closer to Steve and I kicking back on the deck while the kids swim on their own.  After all, that is the goal. :)

I honestly don't remember what was so funny, but I thought this was a cute picture.

This shot was taken before the floaties were retired.  I'm pretty sure we won't be able to squeeze him into them ever again.

In other random news, the boys are obsessed with the song "Yellow Submarine".  They first heard it on YouTube (a great time-suck for little kids, by the way).  Luke knows just about the entire first verse, and the boys love singing the refrain (or chorus?) over and over and over and over and over again. 

We all live in a yellow submarine, a yellow submarine, a yellow submarine...

In the tub, the pool, at the dinner table, in their beds, while getting in the car, while sitting in the car, while getting out of the car.  Over and over again.  I suppose it could be worse.  It could be a Bob the Builder song (been there, done that) or Barney's "I love you, you love me..." (cringe), but there's something weird about a toddler belting out Beatles songs, no?  And as a note, one must be very careful when leaving a four-year-old alone at the computer.  I walked up just in time to stop a clip entitled "Breaking Footage:  Man with Knife".  Um, no thank you. 

xo,

Jess