wrapping up summer....

The boys had a great swimming summer this year. We had a pool pass that we took full advantage of and both took lessons and made improvements! In addition to learning some strokes, Xavier learned to do a handstand...



and to dive at Grandma and Grandpa Noe's pool...


and to go off the high dive!!
 

He has been going off the low dive for 3 summers now but I could not believe it when he said he wanted to try the high dive. I said OK, thinking that he would get up there and pretty much chicken out but he proved me wrong. Once he went off, there was no stopping. He is just jumping though since he just learned how to dive...I put my foot down on that one for this year:)

Dax went from being really uncomfortable putting his face into the water, to this
   
And he will now go all the way under.

He really thinks he is swimming when he does this patented move...
 

Even if he can't really swim, who can resist this face??


The best thing to come out of the garden this year has definitely been the flowers.







The sunflowers were short lived but pretty and the zinnias have done especially well.



A big shout out to my friend Sallie, her husband Charles and their daughter Sophie for letting us have a plot of land at their house and for putting up with my crew traipsing over there under the pretense of gardening. The boys do not share in the same interest in gardening as their mother...they mostly just stepped on things!  So much so that Xavier asked to have his own plot at the house next year so that he could grow his own things and not worry about stepping on them:)