Lifeguard to the Rescue

I wish I had taken my camera to the pool today...more than most days! Deacon and I thought it would be so fun to have the kids jump off of the diving board. It was every bit as much fun as we had anticipated with a little extra drama. Madeline took a little convincing but quickly conquered her fears.

Ivan took a running start and leaped into an amazing belly flop that earned himself an obvious "ooh," and "ahh," from the crowd that had quickly become his biggest fans. There were many, many jumps this afternoon. The belly flop was definitely the funniest, but second to that (maybe first depending on who you ask) was the moment that the lifeguard whistle blew. It was not from a lifeguard that was not on duty, but one standing near the office. I was wondering what was going on when I next noticed and amazingly fast running lifeguard diving in to save my crazy three year old swimmer. Ivan was baffled and we were fairly confused too. Ivan was pulled safely to the side (instead of swimming like he had 10 previous times). The lifeguard was completely embarrassed to say the least. It did not help that Ivan had won quite an audience by this time and many were watching. We had Ivan thank the guard later for watching out for him. I really am happy to know that lifeguards get to kids quickly. I had never seen a rescue...even if it was unnecessary. It made me feel better.

Monster Toast

The kids loved making this monster toast for breakfast. The idea came from an old children' s cookbook. All you do is get a paintbrush and add some food coloring to milk. Then paint away. Fortunately, Madeline and Ivan enjoyed their blue and green faced toast so much that they didn't mind the sogginess.

Who does Fiona look like?

(Ivan)
(Fiona)
Fiona definitely has her own look. However, being the third child, she can't help but be compared. The pictures of the girls were easy to match up, of course, they are wearing the same outfit. This is what I think makes them look more alike in the match up of pictures. Deacon and I actually think Ivan and Fiona look a lot more alike, so naturally I thought finding a picture where they looked alike as babies would be simple. Unfortunately, Ivan didn't get so many pictures as a baby (sad!) and Fiona hardly opened her eyes at the beginning, so this was the best I could do. It is always interesting to hear who other people think your children look like. This is just my take on it. The bottom line is that our kids all look alike. I have been told that it may be more so than some other siblings.
(Fiona)
(Madeline)

Fiona's Baptism

We are blessed to have a third little one baptized. On Sunday, July 6th, Fiona Grace was baptized at Christ Church by our pastor Doug Wilson. As we were walking up to the front of the church, Ivan said, "Mom, this is going to be really fun!" On the way back to our chairs, he said, "That was pretty fun, right?" The kids seemed to share in the excitement of the event. We celebrated with Fiona that afternoon with a barbecue and a special toast to our daughter. The Hoefts, Jacksons, Grandma Green and Aunt Lisa all ate together and then Madsons stopped by a little later.

Ivan's Mug Shot

Ivan was just meant to have short hair. We are encouraging bravery in the hard task of getting a haircut. Deacon gave Ivan a brief and mini mohawk to lighten Ivan's mood during the haircut.