The 4t of July has come and gone, and boy was it a fun one! Every year we get together at my brother's house for a family celebration, and although my other brother and his family were away on vacation this year, the rest of our clan had a blast as usual. As this was Piper's first fourth, we of course wanted to make it a memorable one. What better way than to make things special than to gather the family to witness Piper's introduction to swimming.
With her cousin Haven and Sam, the puppy.
With her cousin Larkin
With her funny Papa! No, he didn't really giver her beer!
My parents taught me and my brothers to swim at very early ages. I was swimming fully underwater, sometimes upside down underwater with my eyes open, before I could walk. We never used water wings or other safety devices, my parents just simply tossed us in the pool and we did what came naturally to us. I know that tossing one's child into the water without a floatation device is frowned upon these days, but none of us drowned so it can't be all that bad of a method for learning to swim, right? Well don't worry or freak out, I didn't do that to Piper at only 12 weeks old. This swimming lesson was more an introduction to the pool rather than an all out swim-or-drown party. Mostly I wanted her to get comfortable being in a body of water larger than her bathtub. Fear of water is completely unacceptable in our family, so I guess it's a good thing she took to the water like a pro, just as I had expected she would. Yay!
Not only did she love the pool, she also went all day without any complaining. She splashed in the water, played with her cousins, sucked pickle juice off her papa's fingers, wore her new sunglasses like a superstar, got licked by her first puppy, and just had a damn good day all the way around. Unfortunately, by the time it got dark enough for fireworks, she was smooth worn out. In all her revelry, she forgot to take a nap...wait, she never naps! Anyway, she oohed and aahed at the initial sparkler I lit, tried to cry a bit when the first loud fireworks went off, and then settled in for some comfort nursing during the rest of the show. Hopefully next year she will be old enough to really appreciate the fireworks, but this year it was all about the pre-show party.
Getting her sea legs!
Meeting Sam the puppy
Fun with her uncle Christian
Center of attention, as usual!
Surfin' USA!
More surfing
Speaking of pool parties, you probably noticed the man in the pool pictures with Piper, that is her uncle Christian, the younger of my two older brothers. He is probably one of the most amazing fathers I have ever encountered, including my own. The two other girls in the pics are his daughters and they are the most stable, adorable, well-behaved, level-headed, thoughtful, outgoing, funny, and kind young women despite going through a divorce and all that a divorce entails. My brother has full custody of them, which speaks volumes for how much they are loved and adored by their father. I hope to be half the parent he is and raise Piper to be at least half as lovely as they are. I'm glad to have both my brothers as part of Piper's life. They will both contribute to her understanding of what real men are supposed to be and how real men are supposed to treat women...of course my dad is another prime example for her to have around. So although she may not have a father living in the household, she does have strong male role models in her life. We are extremely close, so there is no shortage on her witnessing these men in action on a daily basis, especially her Papa who is part of her immediate household.
Before the dunk...
...after the dunk!
Cuddles after swimming
On Nana's lap for her first fireworks.
I'm bringing this up because I know a lot of people are curious as to how the "father" figure will be represented in her life. I couldn't think of a better way than through her two uncles and Papa. They may not be her father, but they are some of the best dads in the world. I feel much more confident in them sharing this role than in one of my lousy choices in men having such a great responsibility placed upon them, lol. I'm really bad at not picking scum sucker losers to date, so I'm very thankful and gracious that good men came with the family I was born into. I honestly think she is getting the best of the best in this regard, what a lucky little girl!
Too finish off this segment, I'll show the pics from our fist in the mouth contest. Piper is teething and constantly has her entire fist in her mouth. My niece Haven challenged us girls to see which of us could also accomplish this feat. Here goes...
Piper started it...
Haven challenged us...
Larkin's attempt...
Not my most flattering look!
Nana's turn!
The challenger wins by one-upping us all!
Yes, we are a goofy bunch!!! Wouldn't have us any other way :)
Now here comes the spiel, again, cause it's easier to copy paste it than rewrite it every time!
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