UPS store and Pool Play

Ok, so all I have to say about the UPS store is...Don't go if you are as cheap as I am! I had these forms that I needed to fax and they needed to be done like, oh some time last week...but anyway, I decided that Tuesday I really needed to get them in and I also needed to get stamps and mail a few letters so I thought I could kill two birds with one stone. Well, I thought that the convenience of the UPS store would be the easiest way to get the forms faxed, buy stamps (way to easy to keep stamps on hand - would rather have to work for them each and every time I need them...uggh), and mail the letters. It is literally a mile from the house, no lines, parking is really close, there is a "kiddy play table" and just overall very convenient. I had been there a couple of times to mail a few packages and been very pleased, so I figured why not use them to get all of my "to do" list tasks done. Well, can I just tell you that I had one document (2 pages front and back) that needed to be faxed to two different places - one local and one long distance. Do you know what they charged for this "FINE SERVICE"... $10.60!!! Can you BELIEVE that? I was shocked! Not only did they charge to first copy the document since it was front and back, but they charged $4 for the local fax and $6 for the long distance fax! Now I understand that they are a "specialty" store and they offer "exceptional service" blah, blah, blah...but really $10.60 to fax something. Never mind the fact that Kevin has a fax machine at the office and I could have had him fax it for FREE, or the fact that I even have a fax maching IN MY HOUSE but don't know how to hook it us/use it and was a little to lazy to try and figure it out! Had I known it would have cost this much to fax something, I would have probably tried to figure it out though. And one last thing about the UPS store, they charged me 55 cents for stamps! I thought that was illegal! Ugghh! What I thought would have been about a 3 or 4 dollar trip turned into a $14.65 "experience." And there is something about that store, every time we go in there Drew has to use the bathroom. While there is a lovely "kiddy play table" there is NO BATHROOM! Thankfully, there is a grocery store in the shopping center that we can all walk to! Needless to say, I will not be faxing with UPS anymore! But hey, on the brighter side, they are fabulous to use to mail packages!

So I was recently inspired by my friend Adrienne who also has a new baby, Bennett, who is just three days older than Emmy. Adrienne braved taking all three of her children to the pool yesterday and inspired me to try and get mine in the water for the first time this year! Check out her blog and see how she describes the whole experience HERE. In fact, she does is so perfectly that I will only say that my experience was nearly IDENTICAL to hers (the getting ready process, friends helping at the pool, babies sleeping). Thanks for the inspiration Adrienne!

Here are Drew and Ellie all ready to go (note the sword in Ellie's hand...she walks around pointing it at people and making this sound like she is getting you with it, so funny) also (note Drew's expression - he was actually much more excited to go to the pool than he looks in this picutre and just didn't want to stand still long enough to take a picture).


The kids did a GREAT job at the pool! Last year Ellie was too small to really do anything, in fact I remember he napping in the stroller - not so lucky this year! But she was like a little fish and loved "floating," doing Motor Boat, and kicking her legs in the water! Hopefully we will get her in swimming lessons with Drew and she will continue to love the water!


Last year Drew was very "uneasy" in the water and was not at all a fan of going in the deeper water, putting his face in the water, getting splashed, or pretty much anything other than playing in the baby pool. Well this year, he is a completely different child! He talked about taking swimming lessons all the way to the pool and he LOVED playing around in the "big pool" with his friends today! Don't get me wrong, his "swimming skills" are no different this year than they were last, BUT he is much more interested in learning to swim and actually likes the water this year! I was SO very proud of him today! He even put his head under water all on his on (a MAJOR accomplishment for him!). Here is a picture of him on the steps, I couldn't get one with him playing around in the deeper (the 2 foot area, so not really "deep") because I was trying to snap a picture really quick so that I could get back in the pool with them!



I was very lucky that Emmy slept the entire time that we were there, thankfully! I am not sure how things would have gone if she had gotten up!


We reall did have a great time, it was not nearly as stressful as I had anticipated and the kids did great! Although, I could not have done it without Robin and Michelle! It is always nice to have a friend with helping hands when you are chasing around three little ones! Thanks guys!

So the only minor hiccup of the day was that Ellie was determined to do "that" and wanted to throw a little fit when I told her no. I heard the word "that" a hundred times, I swear! No maybe it was a thousand! Can you guess what "that" was?

I am telling you, the child has NO FEAR!

Hope everyone is enjoying their week! We sure are! My how I love summer and being with my little ones :)

Love to all!