Swim Lessons, Chalk artists and Riding Horses

Sorry for the delay in posts. I meant to post last week and then I received an urgent phone call from Tyler and Cynthia, our friends who were expecting twins. Cynthia developed preeclampsia and had an emergency c-section last Thursday. It was a bit scary for all involved because she was very low in platelets and despite several platelet and blood transfusions the doctors were having trouble getting control of her bleeding. To make a very long story short everyone is alive and slowly recovering. Cynthia is home and her baby girls are still in the NICU. They are healthy, but having typical premie issues with feeding, increased red blood cells, etc. Hopefully within another couple of weeks the four of them will be reunited and safely home. The extra late nights and energy helping our dear friends took me all week to recover from :) 

Now onto the little ones. I was able to capture a picture of  Phoenix eating with the "shovel" or extra large spoon. I had cooked the oatmeal with this spoon and decided to eat with it to not waste silverware. Phoenix taking my spoon and eating my breakfast has become a regular occurrence. There has been a couple of times why I can't figure out why I am so hungry at 8am and then remember that I was only able to enjoy a few bites of my breakfast before my hungry little girl finished my breakfast after eating all of her own. 

The week of June 16th Axel took his first swim lessons. Over the course of the 4 days he improved quite a bit. His kick is better, he is more comfortable keeping his face in the water and he is able to kick with his arms straight out in front of him and on his back.

He took the lessons with his friend Connor. Both of them really liked "Miss Liz" their swim instructor. They liked the swim lessons so much they have 3 more weeks scheduled. Next week they are going to Lego camp in the morning and then swim lessons in the afternoon together. They requested Miss Liz, but they will only get her one of the three more weeks they are taking lessons because she only teaches in the morning.

Last week when it was hot out we played on the driveway in the shade. Phoenix had fun being goofy.

Annika came over to say hello. Phoenix was excited to have Annika join in the fun.

Both kids got so messy making their chalk creation I had to rinse them off with the hose. If you look closely you can see the family tree with swings hanging and the four of us on top of the tree. You can also see the family Ferris wheel and Szolusha, castle.

After our chalk fun the kids enjoyed an extra long bubble bath. Often if they get really dirty or it is really hot out they request to take an early, longer bubble bath. Since Axel has started swim lessons both kids will lay down on their stomachs or backs and pretend to swim. Phoenix loves the water so much I will likely start swim lessons with her next summer.

Last weekend I was able to capture a few cute photos of Louis and the kids early in the morning.

It is moments like these that I feel extra blessed to have such a wonderful family.

Yesterday we headed to one of my patient's house/farm. It is only twenty minutes from our house in the hills. She has 13 horses and was kind enough to let the kids and I come feed, comb and ride the horses.

Easy, is a 33 year old horse who loves kids. Apparently he has had hundred of kids ride him in his time. He gave both Axel and Phoenix a little kiss.

Phoenix actually got  a little scared, but Axel thought it was cool.

The kids squealed with delight almost the entire hour and a half that we were there. They hand fed Chief, Kristin's horse, who is 26 years old.

They also brushed Chief to make sure he was clean and ready to ride.

After a nice brush, Axel and I hopped on Chief. After one time around the arena Axel said he didn't need me anymore.

 I got down and my brave animal lover proceeded to ride alone.

Of course, Phoenix got super jealous and couldn't wait to join Axel. The two of them rode together for sometime.

It is amazing how much fun they both had. It is even more amazing how much they both are such big animal lovers.

We had so much fun that we are definitely thinking about going back again sometime.

Axel being silly!

Axel and Phoenix had fun chasing around the chickens and cats around after the horse fun. Axel got to hold fresh eggs that were just laid. You can see from the picture that one of their chickens is very small and she lays very small eggs, nearly half the size of a normal egg.

Last night we had a big BBQ as our old neighbors who moved to Singapore were in town. We had the old neighborhood crew back together. Axel had so much fun playing with Max, Sophie, and Rishaan. Phoenix had fun chasing the big kids around and playing with Annika. This weekend we are headed to the beach to attend my annual work picnic tomorrow and Sunday we plan on going out to eat to celebrate another year completed for me. We are also gearing up for our 4th of July fun with Grandma Susan and Grandpa Brian and seeing the Burgess family at our first annual family reunion. We are so excited to see everyone and then have a visit from Grandma Sonia and Grandpa Bruce and celebrate Daddy's birthday. July is going to be a busy and action packed month with lots of adventures to share, so check back soon for more Szolusha fun!

Axel the graduate!

Yesterday evening Axel "walked" to receive his "diploma" for completing preschool. It was a bit over the top celebration, but we made sure to attend and give Axel our support and love without all of the pomp and circumstance.

 Here is Axel receiving his fake diploma. His real diploma was in his file so it wouldn't get wrinkled. Ms. Theresa and Ms. Salima were wonderful teachers for Axel's first experience at school.

 We were the only parents who were against the hat and tassle. They were only $7 but I didn't think graduating preschool should be made a big deal, especially because it is not even required by the state and we initially were not going to have Axel attend because we didn't think he needed to. Luckily, we did have Axel attend because he has learned and grown a lot socially. I believe he is more ready for kindergarten because of his experience at preschool.

 Keith and I are very proud of the person Axel is becoming. He actually did a great job of not caring about the graduation hat and didn't let it effect him. The classroom was packed. Keith and I were shocked at how over the top other parents were. Entire families were there. Balloons and presents were ready to be delivered to several children. Luckily, Axel was happy to receive his piece of paper and eat......

 some yummy chocolate ice cream! After the kids sang four songs and received their diploma Axel and Phoenix played hard for over an hour in the playground.

 Phoenix has no idea that she is smaller than the other kids and that she needs to be careful. She plays with the big kids like she is a big kid. I love her for that, but it is a bit nerve racking with the other kids jumping around her. Luckily, she has not gotten hurt.

 Here is Axel with Axel R and Connor, his two best buddies. Diba is also in the picture and occasionally plays with the boys.

Yes, the 20 graduates and their families slowly trickled home while the three boys closed the party. Here is there last conversation before we all headed home to bed. 

Axel and Phoenix continue to play more and more together. Phoenix likes to pretend and play inside forts and structure. I am not sure whose idea it was to eat dinner under the table, but as you can see both kids were having a blast. 

On Sunday, with the scorching heat we had the privilege of swimming in our neighbors pool. Here we are getting ready to go.

Here is Phoenix pointing to Axel still in the pool. After an hour she was done and ready to eat.

Axel and daddy still swimming away.

After swimming and all ready for bath time. Phoenix was extremely sad that her floatie couldn't come into the bath with us. We hope to have more pool fun this weekend as our neighbors our out of town and we have full access to the pool all weekend long!

Tomorrow is Axel's last day of school, June 11th. He is going to have game and movie day. He is really excited to play all day with his friends. Here is to a happy, joyous summer for everyone!

Family Time

We have been very lucky the past couple of weeks to spend more time together. One of the things we do during family time (often when Phoenix is sleeping) is play school. Axel likes to teach us. On this particular day he taught us about castles. This is Axel's first attempt at 3 dimensional drawings. We also are really into playing UNO. Axel is quite good and has picked up some sneaky strategies from daddy. 

 Phoenix and I managed to make it to the big park last Friday while Axel was at school. We had a blast watching the other kids. Phoenix is too funny. She carefully watches and then immediately copies what another child is doing, especially Axel.

 Axel and Phoenix have been enjoying a big fort the past week or so. It is Axel's first home made fort. He had tons of fun designing it and more fun playing with Phoenix in it.

 Last weekend we headed to the mall to exchange some clothes that Axel received as a gift. Keith and I haven't been to the mall for 7 years! It was both Axel's and Phoenix's first time. With the crazy crowds and lines it will likely be one of our only trips to the big mall, although we do have plans to try to make it to Gilroy outlets sometime this summer. After the mall with thought it would be fun to play in the fountains in downtown Los Gatos.

 The kids and daddy had a blast getting wet!

 Afterwards we dried off for a few minutes and then walked to dinner. Yes, those are Axel's underwear on Phoenix's head! I don't know what sparked the desire to put his underwear on her head but she didn't mind :)

 Phoenix did great for her first time out. She sat on a booster seat and ate like a champ.

 Axel was mesmerized by the 5 huge TV's going.

 We had a special story time as it was Miss Rose's last day. All of the kids received their own glasses for "these are my glasses, this is my book" song. This is the second librarian we have had to say goodbye to. Miss Cindy was the first. Luckily, it was a bit easier this time since we already went through it before. Axel gave her a hug and made her a goodbye card.

 The library has a new activity center that has been great for Phoenix. She plays here while Axel and I pick out books. We are signed up for the summer reading program so it will be fun to log how many books he reads. And yes, Axel is now reading!!!!! It is really exciting. He is getting better and better each day/week. He received these great books from his friend Connor. Hopefully, his reading will continue to improve and he will become a book worm as I was growing up! Time to get Phoenix from her nap!

Parties Galore and Phoenix at 16 months

This is a picture heavy post, but I will try to fill in the fun activities with as much detail as I can in my limited time. Phoenix has been hitting some major milestones over the past few weeks. The first big news is that two of her four first year molars have cut through the gums and one more is just about to. Keith and I both thought the frequent crying/whining throughout the night was her teething. She always puts herself back to sleep after 10-15 minutes. It must be painful to cut through the gums. Hopefully she will have more peaceful nights to come when the teething process is done.

In other news Phoenix is officially running. Her climbing skills have also improved. She is still trying to "get air" with her jumping. Her hand eye coordination is improving and she is able to stack the rings and stack different size cups quite well. 

                                        

Her vocabulary is taking off. She is working hard at repeating and using words in the correct context. Her first sentence is "sit down". She has also mastered saying blueberry, which has taken her some time. It is so much fun to see her mind blossoming. It is hard to believe that my baby is now 16 months, but at the same time when I look at her she almost seems older because she no longer looks like a baby. She looks more and more like a little girl every day. 

Phoenix has also started pretend play. When she cooks she pretends to turn the facet water on and fill her bowl. She also stirs, pours and even pretends to eat what she is cooking. 

Phoenix is also getting more and more into books. Her attention span is improving although some days it is tough getting through a book from cover to cover. She wants to do everything herself. I often put her to sleep with a book and she looks through it and then falls asleep. Keith and I feel so blessed to have such an easy going child. Her squeals of delight, light up the entire house.

Axel continues to mature physically and emotionally. Over the past few weeks it seems that he is looking older. The big news with Axel is that he decided he wants to learn to read again. We had started a few months ago and then he decided he wasn't ready. I am excited to see what this summer has in store and if he will follow through with learning to read with me. 

On May 16th Axel's preschool had an end of year picnic at one of the local parks. Here he is with his two teachers, Miss Theresa and Miss Salima. 

Almost all 30 students showed up and played non stop for nearly 2 hours. I was able to get Axel to stop long enough for a hot dog and then later on for ice cream.

The next afternoon, Axel, Phoenix and I headed to a birthday party. Phoenix took an early nap, so Axel R.'s dad picked up our Axel and headed to the party. When Phoenix woke up we then drove over to join Axel for the birthday fun. 

Phoenix checking out the birthday fun.

Phoenix joining Connor and Axel for some birthday fun in the jump house.

We were one of the last two families to close out the party, hence why the bounce house looks empty. Both Phoenix and Axel were quite brave and went into the bounce house with about 10-15 other 5 and 7 year olds when the party was in full force earlier in the day though.

On Thursday Phoenix had her first experience washing the car with me and Axel. Axel decided he needed a break from tap and ballet so we stayed home and played instead.

Axel had a blast manning the hose, while Phoenix was content playing in the bucket of water.

She did manage to scrub her wash cloth on the car a little bit, although she was more fascinated in watching the water drip from her wash cloth onto the ground.

Axel and Phoenix have really been into taking bubble baths lately. I found the all natural bubble bath Axel was given when he was baby. It has been fun to see them play with the bubbles. Daddy taught Axel how to make a beard and other facial hair.

Yesterday, we headed to another birthday party at Pump it Up. 

Axel had a blast. It is amazing to see how much he has conquered his fears over the past few months. He needed zero warm up time although I did have to help him a couple of times with climbing walls that were too difficult or getting comfortable going down this huge slide. I have to admit that is the best part of going is getting to get in on the fun with him. This particular slide Axel and I would get a bit of air and rocket down over the crash wall.

As you can see from the crowd, this was quite a party. I think there was over 30 kids. Luckily the rooms were big enough to accommodate such a big party.

After this birthday party we headed over to our neighbor's house to celebrate his retirement and birthday as well.

Phoenix and Axel had fun playing with Annika while us adults were able to socialize a bit. It was quite a long fun day.

Today we had Tyler and Cynthia over for dinner. They are gearing up for their twin girl's arrival. The girls can come any day, but they are hoping to last another few weeks. Both Axel and Phoenix have had a lot of excitement and later nights than usual. Hopefully, we can all get back on track with sleep.

I want to give a shout out to all of the May birthdays that are coming up this week. Happy birthday Mom, Kendra, Grandma Burgess and Grandma Goldstein!!!