Happy 4th of July!

I love today. I love this holiday and all that it brings- patriotism, hot dogs, hamburgers, flags, snow cones, swimming, fireworks, picnics, and the smell of sunblock.

Sorry the blog has been a little slow the past week. Honestly, I’ve had the time to write but I’ve just chosen not to.

I’ve concentrated on a few more important things. Like watching my kid be fearless at the pool.

I’ll be back to blogging after I soak all the fun out of this weekend that I can.

In Search of Frisbee Dan

No, I haven’t run out of things to say or photos to share. We’ve been out of town.

Austin was calling our name so we went and spent some time with Matt’s family. Their beautiful pool was completed the night before we arrived. Coincidence? Nope.

Abby could not get enough of swimming and playing with her cousins. She loves them so much that she was willing to wear water wing floaties in the pool and swim underwater if they asked her to.

She was doing great- paddling, kicking, blowing bubbles, and going underwater. The only problem is that she can’t seem to stop talking and close her mouth when she’s swimming. I’m guessing that comes from my side of the family.

She had so much fun that she only slept from 11:30pm to 7:00am. Except for the late bedtime, it was a welcome break for us. Who knew that 8 and 5 year old girls made such great babysitters?

Since the kiddo was so happy that she didn’t want anything to do with us, we headed out to San Marcos in search of a river to float in and someone to play frisbee with. Not anyone though, we were looking for a town legend. A guy in short shorts with a wicked wrist flick by the name of Frisbee Dan. He was there. And he was ready to play.

That part of Texas is in a crazy drought. The river was so low that tubing wasn’t possible in areas and plants that you shouldn’t be able to touch were skimming the surface.

But we found a deep enough area and jumped into the natural ice bath. The water was crazy cold but it felt nice… once my whole body went numb.

And no matter how low the water level, it was beautiful.

We really do love that area of the state. If it weren’t for the stupid traffic in Austin, and everything we adore about Denton, we would consider moving.

The Littlest Phelps Phan

We think Abby has a future in swimming.

Here is her reenactment of Phelps’ warmup routine:

And her cheering for the relay team!

Phelps Phan

I know a few of you out there are with me on watching the Olympics. I also know a few of you (squish) are completely unpassionate about them. I love that the Olympics brings people and countries together, but even more I love that every person has that one favorite event. Swimming is why I watch the Olympics. Gymnastics make me wish I were short and flexible, volleyball makes me wish I were tall and muscular, but swimming just makes me wish I were in the pool. It’s the only team sport I ever played. The only sport that I feel comes naturally. And I can not get enough of watching it. Especially when Michael Phelps is in the water. Anyone else just see him win the 200 freestyle? I mean, when you touch the wall, turn around to check the clock, and 2nd place is still swimming towards you- you know you demolished the competition. So far for Phelps- 3 golds, 3 new world records.

Digging for Dinosaurs

Today Abby and I had a playdate with the Souders and the Vanderveers. It was such a great time. I’m amazed by both the kids and the moms. The kids: here are these little people whom I distinctly remember as babies. Where did the time go? The moms: Kristin and Heather are just the most incredibly calm, patient, effective moms I have ever seen. Although Heather is 30 weeks pregnant herself, I watched her sprint, and I mean sprint when Shep started swimming without his arm floaties. Kristin- she just handles 3 boys without even breaking a sweat and it amazes me. I love having women like these around me. They’re the type of mom I want to be: beautiful, fun, smart, and obviously loved by their kids.

As the moms had fun, so did the kids. Macy and Abby dug for dinosaurs while Logan, Ian, and Shep made a mess out of sand and water. Five kids between the ages of 2 and 5 and not one temper tantrum, tear, or scream. I’d say that’s a successful playdate, wouldn’t you?