Swimming Lessons, VBS, and Potty Training

Wow! This summer is flying by and won’t be slowing down for a least a few more weeks.  Here is a quick update since the last post (whenever that was):

Two and a half weeks ago, we found out that swimming lessons for this summer were going to be the last two weeks of June instead of July.  Bria’s time slot was at 5 pm, which usually means it is warmer outside.  However, the second week of swimming lessons would end up conflicting with VBS.  After talking with the lifeguard, we were able to do some make-up lessons in the first week so she could get all of the recommended time in.  That one-on-one time with the instructor was extremely exhausting for Bria since she had to swim the whole time without any breaks.  Also, whenever either of the girls get in a pool, they start shivering almost immediately.  Between being cold and the extra swimming, Bria took naps two days in a row.

This year for Vacation Bible School, I was responsible for the decorations, assisting the kids with their crafts, and helping with the puppets.  Prior to VBS, we also passed out invitations around the community to the kids we have had in our kids program we run during the school year.  We were rewarded with over twice as many kids compared to the past two years.  The kids had a good time and clearly heard the gospel message several times throughout the week.  The theme was focused on learning about the Bible, so the kids had to learn as many books of the Bible as the number of their age for each day.  It amazed me how many books Bria and Bentley were each able to say.

Since the beginning of June, we have been working harder on potty training Bentley.  My mom got us started by getting a little potty that plays music when she goes.  We really started making progress when we reinforced her accomplishments by only giving her a reward when she went potty and her diaper was still dry.  We immediately saw more dry diapers, and she didn’t need to go as often.  She has now been completely dry for most days, and even a couple of nights (although they haven’t been consecutive).  Bentley still doesn’t tell us when she has to poo and won’t do that on the potty, and we have to ask her most of the time if she has to go potty.  We are definitely seeing more progress, about a year after we started.

We have also been spending some extra time at the pool because the girls love it, it wears them out, and I can work on my tan!

I hope to have another post in a couple of weeks from all the activities that are coming up.

Picking Strawberries

We don’t have any places where you can pick your fruits an vegetables, but we have a very generous community.  There is a lady from our area who has a huge garden and is always sharing her produce (we have several people who share their produce).  This last weekend, we were invited to help pick strawberries.  We thought the girls would enjoy it, so we headed out to the country to pick some.  The girls enjoyed it and so did we.

As you can see from the picture, the strawberry patch has bales around it which is to protect them from the harsh winds we have.  We were able to sit on the bales and pick.

We suggested to the girls that they try some of the strawberries while they were working.  Bria ate some right away, but Bentley said they were for eating at home and didn’t try any at first.  As we were picking, I looked over at Bentley and saw that she was eating a strawberry.  After eating one, she couldn’t stop.  The strawberries were smaller than what you would get at the store, but the flavor far exceeds what you buy.

When we got home, I made a strawberry pie and strawberry sorbet.  They are so good.  We are still enjoying some of the fresh strawberries.