ava went in green pond today. and she did not just dip her feet in. she jumped in. not over her head (that is where i drew the line), but deep enough that when she hit the water, she was thoroughly wet. she paused, sucked in her breath and then said "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" and she swam/walked as fast as she could to the steps to get back on the dock. i laughed and said "i TOLD you so!"

carter put his legs in, and got his pants wet, and promptly decided this was the dumbest idea his big sister had ever had. smart kid. the water is probably 50 degrees.

to her credit, she laughed all the way back to the house, teeth chattering, and waited patiently while i stripped both of them before allowing them to traipse water and mud everywhere, and then called everyone she could think of to let them know that she had won. she was the first.

the remarkable part about it is that this is the 3rd year in a row that she has attained that particular distinction.