Splashes, Sunsets and Monkeys!

That pretty much sums up our weekend: swimming pools, monkeys (at the zoo) and the sunset (on Sunday night).  Saturday we had swim lessons, as usual.  Except Ms. Stacy was out sick and somehow the swimming pool managed to not have a substitute.  Finally they found someone to take the lesson and she was great.  We've had her as a substitute before, but only in the Parent & Me class.  In the semi-private she was really great and she really worked hard with Jayden.  He was a lot more focused.  After we got home and he napped, we went back in to the swimming pool.  And multiple times he swam several strokes on his own and actually moved himself in the water, by himself.  It was so incredibly awesome.  He also LOVED jumping off the side, in what was essentially a belly flop.  It didn't seem to bother him, so he just kept doing it.

Goggles!!!

Checking out the Goofy toy underwater.  It was pretty cool that he is so comfortable that he just sticks his head underwater and is completely comfortable (and holding his breath).

Mid-belly flop!

Swimming on his own!

And finally, the full belly flop and a few strokes:

And that was pretty much our day.  We were all waterlogged by the end of it, but also exhausted in a good way.

Sunday morning we got up and played.  And then we painted a little bit, had lunch, took a nap and played some more!

I finally found his orange goggles, after we got out of the pool on Saturday night.  He was so excited that he wore them on the walk Sunday morning.  I was running, but Carmen said people kept looking at him and Jayden and smiling.  So awesome.

Some serious painting.

Then, finally, after an apparently maddening USMNT World Cup game, we were off to the zoo.  The local little zoo near us has Sunsets at the Zoo a few times during the summer.  After the zoo closes, they reopen it for an evening concert.  You can bring in a picnic or they have food and beer for purchase.  We did half and half - we brought in some snacks and some wine, and then decided to buy food there.  Next time we'll definitely pack a picnic dinner too.  We went with a friend of mine from her work, her husband, her four year old son ("Oll-wee" according to Jayden) and her friend from college.  We had a great time.  It was so relaxing, there were so many kids that the boys could run all over the place without annoying too many people.  We also could walk and check out the monkeys in the zoo.  We could have taken a ride on the choo-choo train too, but we actually ran out of time.  It was just a lovely evening.  Unfortunately we'll miss the next one (we'll be in Seattle), but we're definitely going to the next one, which also happens to be the last one of the summer.  Jayden was excited about the monkeys but also couldn't stop talking about the "zee-bwas" at the "big zoo."  So eventually we'll have to get him down to the San Diego Zoo.  It's a little overwhelming, because I know it's so big and it'll be hard for Jayden to take it all in, but we'll have to be patient and if we only make it to a few exhibits, that'll be fine.

Chillin' in our chairs at the zoo.

A close up of our main man.  He wore his sticker to bed he was so excited.

He did not want to smile anymore.  So instead we stuck our tongues out.

He went to bed late, but he was so cheerful it wasn't a big deal.

Until this morning.  He was clearly tired when he woke up.  He didn't want to go to Juju's, he wanted to stay home, etc.  I had the day off so I felt even more guilty, but I really wanted to get to my yoga class (which I just rediscovered and I'm loving it).  I told him on Saturday that I was going to a class and he got all kinds of distressed and wanted to go wif' me.  I explained that this class was only for grown ups, but that I would see if I could find a class where he could go with me (I'd heard there were some kid yoga classes in Orange County so I wasn't totally making this up).  So this morning when I told him I was going to a class, he looked at me all hopeful and said "one I can go to also Mommy?!???"  And then I felt all kinds of guilty all over again.  Ugh.  I explained that I hadn't found that class yet but that I was still looking.

I also taught him some yoga yesterday while we were waiting to go to the zoo.  I taught him cobra, downward dog, tree and child's pose.  It was so cool.  He was so cute in downward dog and in tree pose.  He tried so hard to balance, but I finally had to place his right foot leaning against his left ankle so he had a little kickstand and then he got his arms up in the air.  He got such a kick out of it.  It's nice that the names of the poses have animals and other things that he recognizes in them - makes it a lot easier to get kids interested in it!

I tried to get him to bed early tonight, but Carmen didn't make it home until after bedtime, so I of course was late.  And then he had a hard time falling asleep, of course.  I hope he's not getting sick, but he's kind of due, so we'll see.

And now it's back to work tomorrow.  Carmen has a crazy week, which means my week will end up crazy too.  Happy Birthday week to me!!!