You can lead a Jack to water, but you can't make him jump.

By the end of last summer, Jack (just under 2 yrs old) was happily jumping into the water from the edge of the pool into my arms. He learned it by watching his fearless friend Lawton do it over and over at Aunt Tracy's pool. However, by the beginning of this summer, he had developed a new fear of the water. "That water is too big!," he would say when we tried to get him to jump. He made it very clear that he intended to stick with the baby pool this season. This was the same every time I took him, and frankly, I was getting a bit frustrated. I wasn't that thrilled about sitting in the curiously warm baby pool all summer.

I finally realized what I needed to do: Have Daddy come to the pool with us. (I will have to blog sometime about how Jeff was able to get Jack Everett into his Jack-in-the-box costume.) Sure enough, Jeff acted like he was floating away and called, "Jack! HELP me! I am floating away!" Amazingly, with no hesitation, Jack leaps into my arms yelling, "Mommy, we have to save Daddy!"

Our summer of swimming fun had officially begun.

Jack at Darin and Marilyn's pool with Daddy

Swimming at friend Ben's 7th Birthday party

Emily makes fun of me because Jack wears his water shoes in the pool. She asked me if I make him wear them in the bathtub! She will understand when her little boy (due in 11 weeks) gets to be this age and INSISTS on wearing something nerdy. Some of these wardrobe battles are worth fighting (socks with sandals), and some aren't. You cannot talk a boy into swimming barefoot when his mind is made up, so you just go with it.

On his way to swim in the Blanco River with Uncle Trey. I love this picture.

I said, "Jack, show me the big rock, but don't hide your face!"

achieving this funny awkward pose.

Action shot of Jack jumping to Mommy!

He is at SUCH a fun age!

He loves this sunhat that his Meemaw gave him. She picked it up at the dollar store to keep sun out of his eyes when they go on their walks. If we had any idea he would love it this much, I would have had her buy several. This one has flowers on the underside, but he doesn't seem to mind...

And, he's in one of his favorite shirts... because, of course, it says "Lumberjacks."