Pruney Fingers & Rosy Cheeks

We are loving our water-filled summer.  After a crazy first couple of weeks, we are settling into a new routine.  While Josh spends his days at class and work Ava and I slave away at the water park.  It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.

Half the fun of swimming lessons is chatting with your new friends.

Practicing her back float

Wonder if this little boy realizes how lucky he is?

Kicking and blowing bubbles

Supposed to have her head underwater, yeah...good luck with that.

 Working on her stroke

I learned to bring a picnic lunch after our first day of lessons.  Two starving, swim-exhausted kiddos in the backseat is NOT how I choose to spend my summer.

They are much happier travelers when their tummies are full.

After I shamelessly begged on FB, the Waggoners offered to let us come along on their Saturday boating adventure.   

Abby and Ava waiting on the boat to arrive.

It's just not summer until you've been out on the lake.  

(I'm still waiting on my hot dog at a baseball game to OFFICIALLY ring in the season.  Anyone want to go?)

 Jennifer and Ava chatting about boat safety I'm sure.

Beautiful Abby and her HIYM (hunky interim youth minister, duh).

Trying to talk Priss into the lake.

We knew she'd love it once she got in.

Jennifer, Abby, Ava and HIYM having a good ol' time.

We felt a little like Eeyore when the only cloud in the sky settled right above us, 

and began sputtering raindrops.  No lightning or thunder, so we just kept on having fun.

Back on the boat

Ready for skiers 

Water Ski Barbie JJ

Josh decided to try to ski.

 Game face

 

We all enjoyed this a little too much.

 

Then he got it!

JJ looks on as Kade, Jennifer, Abby and Madison prepare to jump.

1

2

3!

Watching Kade and Abby tube

Watching Abby and Maddison, the daredevils, tube

All smiles all day

Madison  and Jennifer were up next

Too cool for school

Other than our 5-minute rain shower the weather was gorgeous.

My favorite shot of the day

 

Soaking up some rays with my best girl

After watching all of the Waggoners survive tubing, cautious Ava was ready to give it a try.

Tony was very kind, and drove slowly for the two of us.

This was not the case when I traded Ava for Josh.  I'm pretty sure Tony was trying to kill us.  I drank enough lake water to hydrate me for the entire 100-degree week.  On Sunday morning Josh and I could barely move our arms.

The kids enjoying our torture

Taking one last swim before heading to the dock

Kade is cautious like Ava.  When the boat started moving quickly, he made sure Ava was completely seated and held her hand.

What a sweet friend

 On Sunday at church we celebrated Pentecost with a birthday party for the church.  The kiddos made a birthday cake out of the peg board and then played an enthusiastic, rhythmic version of Happy Birthday.

Sweetest little Sunday School group ever.

I spent my Sunday afternoon with Julia, baking  Galettes au Roqufort and Galettes au Camembert.

Not gorgeous, but they tasted pretty good.  I'm still way intimidated by this cookbook.  Hoping to master the art of French cooking by 2013!

What do you do after a week full of water fun and friends?  Take a 2-hour Sunday nap in you Cinderella dress of course.

Hoping your summer is as Sparkly splendid as ours.  Hot days in the pool, quiet nights on the patio, continuing to fall further in love with this town and its ridiculously fantastic people.

Not so much lazy or hazy

So far our summer has been just plain CRAZY.  We prepared ourselves for Rich and Stacy to leave the country on Sunday (May 29).  During lunch on Sunday they received a call from the airport delaying their flight to Tuesday.  We were thrilled to have a few more days with them.

Ava enjoyed playing with Stacy's parents in the backyard.

Peek-a-boo

Climbing with a spotter is way more fun.

This picture makes me a little teary.  Ava is working her way around the table, giving everyone goodnight hugs.  I just happened to catch her hugging Stacy's mom goodnight.  Something in Renee's embrace tells me she's not only hugging Ava, but a little girl version of her Stacy too.

Funny Ava moment:

Josh was putting Ava to bed a few nights before Rich and Stacy left for Turkey.  Ava asked Josh, "I wonder where Rich and Stacy will go to church when they move to Chicken?"

We now refer to Turkey as Chicken most of the time.

Don't you wish your hubby was this fancy?

When you have:

• an entire afternoon to avoid being sad about an approaching flight
• two youth ministers 'on staff' for one more day
• a pastor's family out of town
• 1200 forks

 

You've got to fork the yard.

Empty already?

See how nice we were?  We left the handles.

 

The finished product

Chilling on the Randall's patio, because why not.

Josh suffered a minor forking accident.  I'm pleased to say he lived to see Tuesday, though it was touch and go there for awhile.

On Tuesday (May 31) I started nannying for M.  Ava and I spend our days in a whirl of parks, zoos, pools, swimming lessons, museums, Mommy school, movies and more.

Adjusting to an 8:00 - 6:00 schedule has been more difficult than I anticipated.  Luckily Ms. Ava is extremely portable and flexible.  She is loving all the opportunities nannying affords us.

She adores her time in the pool

All these pictures were taken on different days.  I think she's okay with trading her sleeping in for this.

This weekend we hosted two international students.  The girls are at OU's Gaylord College New Media Institute on a scholarship from the State Department.  Sukriti is from India, and Umme is from Bangladesh, (pronounced to rhyme with Songladesh, not Sangladesh...ahem, Josh Lockett).  Of course we took them to Sara Sara Cupcake.

Ava started out our weekend together her usual shy self, but by the end of the visit she was blowing them both 'kiss clouds'.

Chocolate face

Our trip to Sara Sara also marked Josh's first event as youth minister at OWC.  We met up with a few youth and their families for Meet the Locketts...though we already know and love these kiddos.

The whole group

Later that night Sukriti prepared a traditional Indian dinner,

and Umme made a dessert inspired from Bangladesh.

 

Of course I had to get in the kitchen too.  The girls spoke perfect, beautiful English.  However, when it came to some of the ingredients they needed from my spice cabinet things got tricky.  We had the most fun trying to figure out the English names.  Sukriti would ask me for something, I'd have no clue what she needed.  She'd ask Umme and they'd both try and decide what it was called in English.  Eventually I would Google it while they patiently spelled out the Hindi word for it.  Finally we'd arrive at the familiar word - cumin, coriander, gram flower.  Not sure I've ever laughed so much in the kitchen.

While our sweet new friends prepared dinner

Ava played in the sprinklers.

We took advantage of the gorgeous evening and ate our meal outside.

It was spicy and delicious!

On Monday of this week Ava and M started swimming lessons at a small water park.

The best part is that our lessons run from 10:20 - 10:50, and then from 11:00 - 12:00 the park opens for members only.  It's not crowded, and the kiddos can safely play until lunchtime.

This week we've also been helping out with our church's version of VBS (Mission Madness).  It has been a joy, but we are definitely "draggin' our wagons" as my grandmother used to say.  Mission Madness runs from 6:00 - 8:00.  By the time we get home, have dinner, make Daddy's lunch and lay out our clothes for the next day it's time to start another one. 

This mama is hoping for some Lazy and Hazy days of summer soon.