swimming lessons, golden gardens, portland visitors

the only "official" thing we had on the calendar this week was swimming lessons for the kids. i put them in the same class (30 min group instruction) at blue ridge pool, which is a really nice private pool a couple miles from us that opens to the public for lessons in the summer. the staff are so enthusiastic and good with the kids. the process of learning how to swim has been slow, but they are making progress. it doesn't help that we only do 1-2 sessions of swimming each year, so they don't get a lot of practice. but they'll get there! 

the first lesson started off a bit rough for ashford. he was terrified of letting go of the wall (he could technically touch the bottom, but it went up to his mouth). i was really worried that he wouldn't let the teachers hold him away from the wall, but he finally did in the last 4 minutes of class. ha!  

i call this my 30 minute vacation. ha!

they love climbing the tree after class that's right outside. 

in the afternoon on monday we went to golden gardens with one of azalea's friends from school, her mom, and her brother (who will be in kindergarten with ashford). it was hot there. the sand was scorching our bare feet, so the normally freezing cold water actually felt good ;) the kids had a blast (golden gardens is a magical place where they always get along). we also got ice creams from "little coney". yum! 

tuesday was swimming (it went much better the second day). 

and then we went to mcdonald's for lunch with our friends beth, audrey, and eliza. the playland is always a hit! the kids had a lot of energy to burn and it was nice outside, so we decided to all go to gilman park a couple blocks away. it was a fun afternoon. 

wednesday was swimming again and then in the afternoon i took the kids to "playdate seattle" indoor playground so i could get some invoicing done for work while they played. it worked out well. they got along there (it's another magical place). i'll take it! 

thursday was packed full! we had the second kindergarten play date meet up at the kids school. we met some new families and caught up with friends, which was fun. then we had swimming lessons. after lunch, we went to the subaru dealer for some car maintenance. i actually really enjoy going and taking the kids. they have toys and snacks and we brought the tablets. i got some work done, so it was a win-win. 

friday was the last day of swimming lessons. also known as "diving board day". my kids had no interest in doing it (though azalea has done it before), but that's ok. overall they had a great week of lessons. i wish we could do more at that pool, but we usually can only fit in one session in the summer because of the times offered. 

in the afternoon we met vanessa and ewan at the loyal heights community center and the kids played for a bit before we headed up to northgate to see "angry birds 2". the kids love the first one and they were so excited to see it. it was not a cinematic masterpiece but it had plenty of funny moments :) we hung out with thatcher when he got home from work in the evening. 

saturday morning azalea and i had a date to target to get her school supplies and some new clothes. i decided to take the kids separately so it wouldn't be too overwhelming. we had a lot of fun. i can't believe how grown up she is. we mostly agreed on everything she picked out. i try to give her free reign (within a budget and staying away from character stuff that she might only like in this moment).

 thatcher stayed home with ashford an his buddy alden who came over for a play date. in the afternoon, our friends ian, joanna, and kyla came up from portland to stay with us for the night on their way north to vancouver. we hung out at our house for the evening - grilled dinner and the kids played. 

then ian and thatcher left to go to a concert and joanna and i watched "working moms" on netflix after the kids went to sleep. it was a fun night. 

sunday morning we made a big breakfast for every one and then thatcher needed to head out for a community engagement event for work. ian, joanna, and kyla hit the road and then ashford went to a play date at his friend alden's and azalea and i went to get her soccer apparel for her league that starts this week! in the afternoon, i went to the gym and got groceries. we grilled burgers for dinner and all went to bed super early! 

today is the first day of "jump start kindergarten" for ashford! it's a one-week morning camp at the school for incoming kindergartners to help them feel ready for the big day on september 9th. azalea did it too and it's an amazing program. ashford says he's feeling scared, but i know he will do great. azalea will be next door at the community center doing a cheerleading camp each morning :)