Swim Buddy

I would like to take this moment to thank Nathan and Janelle who, I am told, are responsible for teaching Buddy that Golden Retrievers belong in the water. Everyone is so very grateful.

If you want to swim at my parents house but you don't like to swim alone, then you are in luck! You want to swim alone? And in peace? Too bad. Whenever Buddy sees anyone so much as put on a swimsuit, he goes nuts. You have to make a run for it to even get out the door. Make sure he doesn't catch up to you at the door while you're trying to squeeze your way out. He can jam his head at the bottom crack of the door and ram his way through, leaving you flat on your back, towel still in hand as he sits in the pool, waiting for you to get up. If you're smart enough to evade him, then he just goes from room to room whining, barking, and scratching at the doors. Really want to drive him nuts? Do a cannonball. The sound of splashing water that he cannot reach is torture to this poor animal. So eventually you give in and let him swim with you:

It's not too bad if you don't mind sharing your raft and smelling like wet dog.

CHARLIE!!!

Some highlights of our Florida trip:

Maya's first order of business was to find Charlie and harass him our entire visit. This provided bonding opportunities for Maya and her Aunt Bob since Charlie liked to hide in her room. Mission Accomplished.

Maya was taken to play her first round of mini golf and adored it! She paid attention and knew when it was her turn and became very impatient if anyone was holding her up. She did, however, play terribly. Her awful performance was second only to my own. In my defence, I was apparently playing the role of pack mule that day and was expected to carry everything. As for Maya, there isn't anything to justify that kind of play. Come on kid, you're 3, if you're going to have a Nike sponsorship by kindergarten you're going to have to step it up a notch.

She loved the water and playing in the sand. As soon as she got out of the water she sat down and started building her sandcastle like it was her job.

I'm about 75% sure those are screams of joy.

Best. Idea. Ever.

By the end of July, Maya had been thrown 4 birthday parties. And there was still one more to go. It's not as bad as it sounds, one was at school for all the summer birthdays, one was the giant banana split, and the other two were family parties in completely different states. So that just left a party for the friends. I was kind of over the whole party thing at this point. I was afraid that Maya was going to start expecting cake and presents every other week...or maybe I just didn't want to plan a party.

So I'm lazy. Luckily for my lazy self, Maya's Very Best Friend In The Whole World has a birthday a few weeks after hers and they suggested that we combine parties. Brilliant! By the end of it I didn't feel like I did a thing. I started to suspect that I hadn't actually done anything but I was told that I had, so I won't argue. I strongly encourage combining parties. It's cheaper, easier, and you have more fun. I never would have come up with having a pinata, or water guns:

It was the best way to break the ice with the kids. Maya would rather die than talk to people right away, but this had her running around, laughing, and squirting anyone in her way. By the end of it, all of the kids were soaked and most of the adults had wet shins.

Another perk was cool cupcake ideas, check it out:

It's the beach! You know you love it!

Maya attempting to remove every last bit of icing from her fingers.