We know how to beat the heat

Phew, it is getting H-O-T here the past 2 weeks.  The other day our car temp read 117 after coming out of the mall.  It obviously went down some, to 109, but still, seeing 117 is crazy!  We have been trying to stay out of the sun as much as possible while still having some good old summer fun, so Edith Ball is our destination nearly every day right now.  You can't beat a covered pool with beach entry with a 3 year-old.

Hayden is such a fish and it cracks me up.  He can balance his 2 fingers on the bottom of the pool and kick in a perfect belly position for learning to swim.  I am so glad he likes the water so much because he starts his swim classes on Tuesday at the YMCA.  I met his instructor while I was there yesterday and he is wonderful.  He works with only children 3-5 and also teaches preschool one morning a week.  I explained that Hayden doesn't really like to leave us very much and he said he guarantees he won't want to get out of the pool when he sees all of the cool stuff he has planned.  I am so glad to get him learning to swim because he is still SO short and can't touch the bottom of any pools, so I think it's very important for him to be safe.

Today we visited Edith Ball with our usual group of friends and the kiddos had a great time together.  We attempted about 20 minutes of walking the zoo after, but at 107 it was just too brutal.  I promised Hayden we would go back tomorrow morning when they first open to try to see some animals.

After swimming, we came home to MeeMaw who was waiting to take us all out to ice cream at Baskin Robbins down the street.  Unfortunately, they only carry one dairy-free flavor but they also have waffle cones and rainbow sprinkles which Hayden loves, so he gets a big giant waffle bowl that he never even makes a dent in.

There ya go...the only way to beat this heat...swimming at the covered pool and gallons of ice cream!

My Skating walk

Hayden was walking down the hallway last night to go to bed and he started dragging his feet.  I asked him, "Hayden, what are you doing?"  His response, "It's a new walk I'm trying out called my skating walk!"    He cracks me up...I swear he's going to be an actor or something!

Hanging out at home

We have had such a relaxing weekend and it feel so good!  We have spent the whole entire weekend hanging out at home (except for an hour for Hayden's t-ball game).  There's been lots of coloring, painting, cooking, games and something very special that Matt's been waiting to do with Hayden since the day he knew Hayden was a boy.  He took out one of his boxes of Transformers from the 1980's and they currently have them spread from pillar to post in the house.  I can't even tell who's more excited at this point, but they are so happy with these toys.  Here's a few pictures of the fun and some of Hayden painting yesterday.

 

Ball Game

Hayden had a blast at the Toros game last night.  To my surprise, he actually sat and watched a lot of the game and got really into the excitement.  We had tickets to a buffet before the game where we had the traditional ballpark foods before heading to the stands for the game.  While in the buffet area, Hayden found a stray baseball and got to meet the Toros catcher, who was so sweet to come over and give Hayden and his friend Zach high-fives.  We also let Hayden choose a treat, so of course he chose the world's largest snow cone and spilled it EVERYWHERE.  I just let him go crazy and I figured the cherry dye would come out eventually.  :)

We actually made it to the 7th inning with no restlessness or anything, then Hayden turned to Matt and said, "I'm ready for a bath and my bed.  Let's go home now."  I love this age so much.  Hayden knows when he's tired now and there's no toddler fussiness or mischief, he just decides he's tired and asks to go to bed.  Here's a few pictures of the fun!

Big boy bike

This bike is AWESOME!  We just recently gave away our big boy's 12" bike and when I go back to work in August, we are planning to purchase this:

http://www.fujibikes.com/Kids/Lil--Kids/Fazer-16.aspx

These retail for $199 and Matt can get it for around $80, the same price as a bike from Wal-Mart but it will have a warranty and will grow with him for a few years.

I thought you would like to see what he will be riding in style in the next month or two!

We are going to the Tucson Toros this evening and there is a huge firework show after the game.  Hayden is VERY excited and I will take tons of pictures.  He's even going to wear his baseball jersey and bring his glove!  Lots of love to all!

Lots of pictures

Wow, I realized today that I am several days behind on pictures so I will catch up by showing them to you all at once and give you a quick recap.

Monday we went to the Green Valley Fire Station and got a private tour, thanks to our friend Jeff, a Firefighter there. The pictures you see of the kiddos in the station and also in the living quarters are only about 1/2 of what we saw.  The kids got to play in an ambulance and on the new $1,000,000 fire truck.  It was awesome and Hayden LOVED it!

Today, Hayden and I met our friends Deb and Scott at Breakers (Matt was a work  :(  and I wish he could have been there!).  We had a blast swimming, floating on rafts, doing the small slides, and YES, the HUGE tube slide that sucks you down faster than a toilet.  When Hayden asked me if he could ride on that one, I was not too sure he would actually do it, but Mr. Bravery went down with me and actually didn't cry.  He was a little scared at the bottom because you catch a little air before you splash down, but he had fun for sure.  I only took a few pictures for fear my camera wouldn't survive a hundred children splashing in the water.  I am burnt to a crisp right now and can't lift my arms over my head, so I'm off to take an aloe bath.

Enjoy the pictures!

Happy Birthday, Grandad!

Happy Birthday, Grandad!

We all hope you have a wonderful day full of relaxation and fun!

Love ya lots!

Matt, Jane, Renee and Hayden
(and Buster, too!)

Father's Day wrap-up

Matt had an awesome Father's Day and I was so glad I could do that for him.  We started our morning with Mommy's home made egg sandwiches and some super cute gifts made by Hayden.  He made Matt a wooden picture frame with his finger prints on it, an Awesome coffee mug (Mommy helped a little), a sweet card and he also painted Matt a wooden Lobster that he chose himself at the craft store.  Matt loved all of his gifts and I am so proud of Hayden for choosing to make them.

After we relaxed a bit in the morning, we went to the mall to see Toy Story 3. It was a great movie and Hayden never even moved during the whole thing.  He was absolutely enthralled.  That's what happens when your child doesn't watch TV or movies often, lol.  We took Daddy out for lunch AND ice cream, then headed home.

Matt and Hayden played and played all afternoon.  I was in the back of the house doing laundry and came back to see them playing some sort of game where the Transformers and Buzz Lightyear and Woody are being attacked by the DVDs on the shelf.  They were having a blast.  Afterwards, I made Matt's favorite meal of Chicken Parmesan with pasta and steamed veggies.

It was a really nice day and Matt loved everything we did.  Father's Day=Success!

Today we are doing something very special...We are going to the Green Valley Fire Station to get a private tour of the new station and their brand new Ladder truck.  Our friend is a Firefighter there and invited us for the tour.  The kiddos are all going to love it and I cant wait to see Hayden's excited face!