What a Difference a Summer Makes!

I am totally stealing the theme for this post from my good friend Janet, who posted something very similar about her son a few weeks ago on her family blog.  We are so amazed by the advances in swimming that Elizabeth has made over this summer.  In June, she was wearing a bubble that was several layers thick, scolded Lee every time he horsed around with her in the pool and was petrified to jump in the pool, even when she was holding our hands.  Now, with four weeks of camp, a week at the beach, and many hours logged in the ocean, lake and pool, Elizabeth barely resembles that timid little girl from the beginning of the summer.  She jumps in by herself over and over again; she rarely wears a bubble, and when she does, it is only one layer and serves as more of a safety net than a PFD; she wears her goggles and swims underwater all of the time; and she loves it when Lee throws her around the pool - the higher, the better!

Here she is jumping in at Peter and Lisa's...

  

  

"Mommy, did you get that?  Because I can jump in again"  And she did, over and over and over...

  

  

  

Not only does she love being thrown around, she loves to look at the pictures afterwards!

Elizabeth and Ethan

Here are more pictures from our day in Wells, Maine - these are all of Elizabeth and Ethan, who were seriously in the water all day long!  They are such great little friends (and are together often enough that Ethan is the only non-family member to have his own blog label).

The hand holding was Elizabeth's idea - poor Ethan probably wanted no part of it.

  

  

Playing in the mud.

seriously...no fear.

  

  

Boogie boarding.

Maine for a Day

A few weeks ago, the girls and I went to Wells, Maine for the day to visit my friend Janet and her family, who were vacationing there for the week.  Elizabeth and Ethan were thrilled to be reunited again and spent the entire day enjoying the balmy (truly) Atlantic Ocean.  The girls had more fun than can possibly be covered in one post, so this is the first of two.

Ethan, diving in the waves - no fear!

Elizabeth and Ethan in the water.

These two have so much fun together!

Emily

Ethan, Emily and Elizabeth making castles in the sand.

so serious.....

Owen

Kevin, Owen and Janet (somehow, I didn't get a family picture, not sure how that happened!)

Annual Family BBQ

Last weekend (after Bryan's graduation party), we headed to Grammy and Grandpa's house for our annual family bar-be-que.  We were a little low on numbers this year - missing Uncle Mike, Auntie Sandra and Uncle Joe - and while we missed them, their absence really just meant more good food for us!!  The food was great and we all had a great time hanging out.  Great cooking once again Grammy and Grandpa.  We are already looking forward to next year!!!  Click here for more pictures.

Katie and Elizabeth running around.

Ribs....it's what's for dinner.  This one is for you, Uncle Mike!

The annual cousins picture - for the first time, there wasn't enough room on the swing, so Meghan (the teenager!) had to stand.

Picking blueberries with Grandpa.

Elizabeth and Emily picked a ton of blueberries - here are the remnants of what Elizabeth was quickly shoveling into her mouth....

mmm....blueberries and ice cream for dessert...can't beat it!

An Excuse to Party

Last weekend, we went to New Hampshire for a graduation/farewell party for Lee's cousin Bryan, who is moving to California (and recently graduated from college).  Normally, we go from Easter to Christmas without seeing Lee's extended family, so this was a great excuse for us to go up for a visit.  There was a pool, which was a fabulous way to beat the heat - for the girls especially.  Almost the entire family was there - even cousins Nolan and Lucia - and we had such a great time, even though our visit was relatively short.  More pictures here.

Aunt Denise gets Elizabeth with the first of many kisses!

Emily hangs out at her usual spot - the stairs/ladder.

Nice hair.....

Elizabeth and Grammy

Cousin Nolan

Cousin Lucia

At least Emily got her feet wet....

Elizabeth and Jessa

Dancing Queen

This morning, when were getting breakfast, Emily only wanted to dance.  Usually, it is Elizabeth that dances to the radio, but this morning, she and I just watched and laughed as Emily cut a rug....sort of.  Her genetics don't really provide any natural talent - good thing she's so cute!!

Bonjour Butterfly*

For her birthday, Elizabeth received a butterfly kit from Uncle Mike and Auntie Kelly.  We immediately mailed away for the larvae and ever since they arrived, having been closely following their transformation from caterpillar to cocoon.  Once they became cocoons, Lee transferred them into the butterfly net.  On Tuesday morning, two Painted Ladies emerged and on Wednesday morning, there were two more.  The excitement at our house may very well have surpassed Christmas morning, especially when the girls released the butterflies.  We are already looking forward to getting more.

* Bonjour Butterfly is the title of one of Elizabeth's favorite books.

One of the Painted Ladies - you can see the other cocoons in the background.

As soon as they emerged, Elizabeth excitedly ran outside to pick flowers for their temporary home and prepared sugar water for them.

The girls were completely fascinated.

Releasing the last two butterflies on Wednesday night.

This might have been Elizabeth's favorite part - because they climbed right on to her finger.

  

Each butterfly was released on a plant chosen carefully by Elizabeth.

Sunset Lake

On Wednesday, the LeBlanc Girls made the trek up to Sunset Lake in Alton, New Hampshire to meet up with some old friends - the Boucher, Findlen, Crawford and Bragg families.  Jen, Janet, Sheila and I have been friends for more than twenty years (gulp!) and although we can only all get together once or twice a year (the Braggs live in Arizona), we do our best to make up for lost time whenever we are together.  Ethan and Elizabeth, who are such great little friends, basically had to be dragged out of the water at the end of the day, they just had so much fun swimming in the crystal clear lake - the fact that they are both champion swimmers certainly helped!  Sunset Lake was simply perfect - hardly any boat traffic, so we didn't have to worry about "rough seas" near the shore, and just the right size for kayaking and other water fun.  We are looking forward to our next visit (hopefully around Thanksgiving), when there will be one more child in the group (Jen is expecting a little girl in early October).  Below are two of my favorite shots from the day and a photo video of just some of the fun we had.

Maureen, Janet, Sheila and Jen; and the next generation - Emily, Elizabeth, Ethan, Owen, Travis and Juliet

Elizabeth and Ethan

Click the four arrows to enlarge the video to full screen size; turn up volume.