A Day in the Life....

I've seen these on other blogs and thought they were interesting to read.   So, here goes.  This is how our day yesterday (Wednesday) went down..


7:20 a.m.- Henry woke me up.  He says, "Boo Boo's here Mom.  Door is locked."  I thought it was strange but got up to check and as I thought, no one was here!  That stinker.  I guess Mom visits us so much he just expects it. 
 Henry and I snuggle on the couch with his bottle and blankie and watch some Max & Ruby. 

8:00 a.m.-Twins wake up.  I dress everyone for the day and give Emilynn her stomach meds. 
8:30 a.m.-Breakfast.  Cheese and grapes-kids' pick. 

9:30 a.m.- I put a show on for the kids (the "rat movie"-Ratatouille) while I try to grab a shower.  I am interrupted by all 3 kids, and Mom calls while I'm in the shower, so Emmy brought me the phone in the shower.  Nice.  She actually pulled back the curtain and stuck the phone in.  A shower by myself is a luxury these days! 

11:00 a.m.- We are finally all dressed and ready to head out to run some errands and collect stew money from stew we sold over the weekend for Dustin's Dad's church.  I load everyone up in the car, get the movie going, and realize I left my cell phone behind.  I hop out and go to grab the spare house key and get it so I don't have to turn the movie and car off.  The spare key's not there.  I go back to the car and ask the kids if they know what happened.  Emilynn says she buried it so they could look for it like buried treasure.  Like on Jake and the Neverland Pirates.  Sigh.  I get her out the car to show me where....she can't find them.  I rebuckle her and cut the car off, grab the phone, and we are finally off. 

We drop a paper off at my cousin's house in town, then head to my sister's work to drop off a book order and some clothes for my nephew.  As it turns out, my mom, step-mom, and sister are all there so we have an impromptu meeting about a benefit dinner we are having next month for a man in our community who just got diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma.  My mom collected $300 that morning to help with the dinner!  Our community is awesome! 

12:15 p.m.-I finally get to my grandma's.  She wanted to do lunch, which I thought meant take out.  Nope, she wanted to go to a restaurant.  We gave the kids a talk about what we expected of them, my mom joined us, and off we headed.  The kids were great in the restaurant!  They ate a ton of food and got ice cream cones with my grandma.  It was really enjoyable and fun! 

2:15 p.m.-We are back at Nanny's and we visit/play for a bit.  Then we head home because Wednesday is dance night.

3:15 p.m.-We get home and visit my father-in-law and uncle-in-law for a few minutes, then play outside until Dustin gets home.  I work a while in my storage shed while the kids play.  It's in a perpetual state of chaos, so there is always stuff to do in there.  I also collected all the trash from the house and car so it was ready for Dustin to throw in the truck when he got home. 

4:30 p.m.- D is home and I get ready to start dinner.  Carson asks if we can get Happy Meals for dinner since we are going to dance.  I decide to scrap dinner plans and instead clean out the fridge while the kids play with Daddy. 

5:30 p.m.- The mad dash begins to get everyone out the door for dance.  Yes, the whole family goes. That's pretty much how my family has always been, if someone has something, the whole entire gang shows up.  It's just how we roll around here.  We arrive with 3 minutes to spare. Success! 
I drop Emmy off, talk to a few moms, then head out to grab dinner and run more errands with the guys. 

6:15 -7:15 p.m.- Dance.  We head to Rite Aid, Food Lion, McDonald's, and Subway.  We have just enough time to eat dinner, then I pick Emmy back up from dance. 

8:00 p.m.- We leave dance.  We always stay after and talk to Dustin's Cousin's wife.   Their little girl is in class with Em and they are good friends.  So cute!  I'm glad Emmy has a few girls to play with, she is surrounded by boys around here! 

8:15 p.m.- We are home after pulling over once on the way home to adjust a seatbelt that was apparently "hurting".  We begin putting PJs and pull-ups on everyone and start bedtime shows.  The kids get 1 show at bedtime. 

During all this I am excited because my stuff I ordered to make homemade shampoo arrived.  I decide to mix it up, and end up having the twins both in the kitchen helping me.  Daddy says he's sticking to his regular suds.  Ha!  I will post the recipe if it's good. 

I also load and start the dishwasher, take clothes out the dryer and re-load it, and gather clothes for another washer load of clothes.  Then I pack Dustin's lunch, and make bedtime cups for everyone.  Oh, and I take my medicine and vitamin. 

9:38 p.m.-  It's finally time to lay everyone down.  I rock Henry and get him down.  Then I lay with the twins.  Carson is not sleepy.  Emmy goes right to sleep.  Carson talks, and talks....and talks.  He finally, finally gives in to sleep about 10:55 p.m.  I hear a rustling next door and wonder if Henry is up.  I head to check and he meets me in the hallway.  I head back to his room and rock him till he's sleep again.  It takes about 10 minutes. 

11:05 p.m.-Head to bed and am met by Carson.  Up again.  The kids are like whack-a-mole.  I get one down and two more pop up.  Some nights they are asleep by 9, some nights are like this. 
Carson and I head to our room for a bit.   Dustin is looking at trucks on the computer, so Carson joins him and I read for a spell. 

12:00 a.m.- Lights out.  Again.  I lay with Carson again in his room.  He finally falls asleep for good. 

12:22 a.m.- I hit the bed and am awake for only about 0.2 seconds.  What an exhausting day! 


A few notes about the day:

• We had approximately 37 bathroom trips throughout the day (or that's what it felt like!), and several diaper changes.
• I never once had a spare moment to get on the computer.  That's why I don't always blog! 
• I normally have to vacuum every single day.  I just didn't have time yesterday.  Nor did we pick up the living room.  Today will be quieter I think so we can get that done. 
• I also actually got to call and make Emilynn's specialist appointment (more on this later).  I've been meaning to do that for over a week now. 

Birthday gifts for kids that are NOT toys!

Has anyone else had a ton of birthday parties to go to lately?  It seems like we have at least 2 or 3 a weekend right now.  Emilynn came out of dance Wednesday night with yet another invitation and she was thrilled.  All of these parties can get pricey, and also I know from personal experience how overwhelming a ton of toys can be.  Here are some of my favorite non-toy gifts for kids to give and receive! 

1. Clothes-of course!  What parent doesn't appreciate not having to buy clothes?  I always ask though to see what the needs are and what the current size is.  I find nothing more frustrating than having to exchange or return stuff.  I just don't have the time for it, and I assume most other moms don't either.
2. PJs-yes, they are clothes but get a whole separate category.  Is anything more fun than PJs?  Walmart has some great PJs that are cheap and hold up well.  Plus they have character ones, so you can buy whatever kind to match the party theme if you want. 
3. Art supplies- crayons, markers, stampers, new coloring books, paint (if you dare!), and even the Color Wonder or fancier Crayola stuff makes a nice, inexpensive gift.  If you get some of this stuff during back to school time, you can get it super-cheap and set them aside for later.  Pair the new crayons or markers with a new coloring book and you are good to go!  Who doesn't love a new box of Crayola crayons???  And if you give my kids a roll of scotch tape, they will love you forever. I don't know what it is about kids and tape.....I really don't. 
4. Books-my kids are big readers, so we love to get new books.  Our books also take a beating at times since we use them so much, so it is nice to get fresh ones. 
5. Learning books- I love all the activity books out there-and my kids do too.  We are working through Preschool workbooks now (the big ones that are about 3 inches thick.)  They think these are fun!
6. Blocks- we love to build things around here.  I guess these can technically be considered toys, but I think they are really educational and imaginative.  I like that you can get megablocks for the itty bitties, right on up to the super complicated Lego sets for older kids. 
7. Beach towels/bathing suits- I have given beach towels as gifts several times.  They have the character ones at Walmart that are pretty cheap.  I also always buy my cousins' kids a bathing suit every year for their March birthdays, and my cousin loves this.  She doesn't have to buy them a new suit each year and they don't get one more toy to add to an already overflowing toy room.  It's a win-win. 
8. Bird feeder/feed- Okay, this may sound strange but hear me out.  The twins' got a bird feeder for their 3rd birthday and they love it.  It is hanging outside their bedroom window and with all of the snow we've had, we've spent a lot of time in their room "bird watching".  It is very educational and a great gift idea I think!  They were given the feeder, shepherd's hook to hang it on, and some food. 
9. Blankets- We have a blanket obsession at our house for some reason.  My kids love blankets.  They each have a bunch and love to get new ones.  Can you have too many?  I think not! 
10. Bath stuff- My mom always gives the kids bath stuff for different occasions.  It helps out so much and they love it.  Carson always gets Jake and the Neverland Pirates Soap, Emmy gets Princess.  It works.  I can't remember what Henry gets....? 
11. For a girl.-Nail polish, chapstick, play makeup, etc.   Emilynn LOVES this stuff!  She is always "fixing herself up."  Let's not forget hair stuff too!  I can't tell you how much we've spent on hair stuff.  It just disappears. 
12. Sleeping bags- Sleeping bags are just fun.  I've never know a kid that didn't like sleeping bags!   There's something appealing about the idea of camping when you're a kid!  The kids got sleeping bags for Christmas and a flashlight to go with them-the flashlights are a huge hit too! 
13. Kites- Now that it's spring-kites are a lot of fun. 
14. Bubble stuff- I don't buy bubbles a lot because my kids would use them every day and it just gets pricey.  I have been to parties where kids got the bubble guns or machines as gifts and they look like fun. 
15. Games-I guess these are kind of toy-ish, but more educational I think.  We try to get each of our kids one game for Christmas every year.  This year Emmy got Doc McStuffins Operation and Carson got "Who Shook Hook?"  which is from Jake and the Neverland Pirates.  Memory is also a fun one around here.
16. Puzzles- My kids have always liked puzzles.  I assume all kids do?  It is hard to keep puzzle and game pieces together though, so I've started keeping them in my room and bringing them out for special times.  This keeps my sanity in check. 
17. Gift cards for experiences- We have given gift cards and they went over well.  We did a movie gift card, and a ticket to a play for kids' birthdays.  I like the idea of a Children's Museum gift card, or zoo pass.  This way they get to enjoy something later and no clutter. 
18. Bags, backpacks, etc.- Emilynn loves to get new bags-she is her Momma's child!  The kids got personalized duffles for Christmas.  They have gotten backpacks personalized as gifts, lunch bags, etc.  You always need a bag for something!  (in my opinion, but I am a bag lover!)
19. Pop up tents/playhouses-These are so much fun!  And fold up for storage!  Great for those long winter days stuck indoors. 
20. Cups/dishes-You know those cute character sets of dishes at the store?  The ones with Thomas, Princesses, etc.?  My kids always ask for those but they just aren't something I will just buy them.  I have seen them given as gifts at parties and thought it was a good idea.  I have given sippy cups as a gift to kids (my sister told me I had to buy my nephew new cups cause we apparently are cup thieves!-ha!).  It is a good idea though cause those things are pricey! 
21. Ice Cream Magic or other "As Seen on TV" items- this one is kind of a joke, but not really.  My nephew loves his ice cream magic.  The twins got them for their birthday.  There are many other As Seen on TV items that have been a hit around here-dream lites, pillow pets, stuffies, seat pets, stompeez, and now they all want the snack cup that holds your drink and snack together!  It does seem like these items are actually nice and work.  It used to be all of that stuff was junk and didn't work. 
22. Scooters- Scooters are fun for kids and not too pricey.  My kids love their scooters.  Just beware- I ran over Emilynn's scooter and the long handle got lodged under my car.  My father-in-law had to use a hacksaw to get it out!  Ooops!  That was a bad day.  Make sure the scooter is NOT under your car or near it when backing up.  Just a tip.....
23. Kid's cameras-  This one depends on how much you are spending.  This would probably be more for a family member's b-day, not a school/friend invitation.  We did get our kids those kid-tough cameras for around $25 for their birthdays last year and they love them!  It is apparently a lot of fun to take your own pictures!  It is funny to see what they have pictures of.  I should post some of those sometime! 
24. Dress up stuff- I guess technically a toy, but so not really.  My kids LOVE to dress up!  They have gotten dress up stuff the last two years for Christmas.   I always try to hit the day after Halloween sale to get this stuff.  This is good for two reasons- one, you can get them for 50% off because they are considered a Halloween item.  Secondly- they have the stuff in bigger sizes.  Any other time of year, you can only get the Disney princess stuff in the one little size they sell in the toy section.  At Halloween, all sizes are available!  This is great for my four year old who wants to be a princess but is a size 6.  We got Ariel last year, and Buzz Lightyear for Carson.  Don't forget boys like to dress up too!  I have seen capes and swords all year long in Walmart and Target for the boys.  Carson has Buzz, Woody, and Captain Hook.  He also has a generic knight outfit.  Dressing up can be so much fun! 
25. If all else fails- the old stand-by- money!  My kids actually like to get money and know that we take it to the bank and put in it their account.  They also like the sticker they get in exchange for it!  :-) 

Anyway, that's all I can think of for now!  Of course the older kids get, the more they just want money or gift cards anyway! 

Another tip-if you buy something that requires batteries, it is always appreciated by the parents if you enclose the needed batteries.  Take it from someone who has had to call her father-in-law for a certain battery "emergency" that could NOT wait.  Just a thought.....

Some random things my kids have wanted/received that are not toys that went over well- bean bags to sit on and watch t.v., binoculars-real ones, sand toys (I'm not counting as a toy because they don't have to be inside!), kitchen/cooking stuff (aprons, kid-size whisk, mixing spoons, etc.), kid-sized gardening tools, garden growing kits, coupons for free stuff from Wendy's or McDonald's, nightlights (the really neat projector ones are $10, so not something a parent might necessarily buy), stuff for their bedroom re-decorating project, and probably more I'm not remembering. 

My kids want alarm clocks but we vetoed that idea for now!  Something to wake them up if they are still sleeping?  I think not!!!!  :-) 

The Olympics

Is anyone else bummed that the Olympics are over?  Yes, it was a month ago that they went off, but I am still bummed!  Ha!  Actually I am finally coming to grips with it.  :-)  I have to say, my kids LOVED watching the Olympics on t.v. with me!  Dustin did not share our enthusiasm, but he's not all that into sports. 
I don't know why I'm thinking of this now, except for the fact that the kids are STILL making up games to play like they are in Olympics.  Case in point, yesterday they used their Step 2 wagon to fly down our driveway as a makeshift "bobsled".  It was cute and had me laughing right along with them. 
They also used the benches from our school table as "snowboards".  I love how much they use their imaginations.  In fact, our toys don't get played with near as much as dirt, rocks, wood, etc.  

When the games first came on- Carson at dinner asked Dustin, "Dad, did you know the Lump-ics are on?"  
When I explained to them that they were games for adults to play, they asked if Dustin and I were going to be in them.  Not this year kids, ha!  They also wanted to know who watched the kids while the adults played.  Ummm....I have no idea!  Emmy suggested maybe Brandy watched them.  Brandy is my cousin who does most of our babysitting these days. 

Anyway, this post is totally random I guess....but I forgot how much the kids loved the Olympics until they started having competitions again.  There is educational value in everything I think, and the Olympics were a great learning experience for the kids.  We will be counting down to 2016 I think!  :-) 

Frozen

It is finally here!  My kids have been waiting for Frozen to come out on DVD for FOREVER it seems.  They were thrilled when I told them this was finally the week!  Was there anything else for us to do other than rush right to the store to get it on Tuesday?  Nope, there wasn't!  Actually I needed a few things anyway, so it just worked out that way and my super-thoughtful husband thought I needed a night off from cooking.  Have I mentioned how much I love that man?  Anyway, we have watched this movie all the way through twice already and the kids are singing the songs all around the house.  Even Henry is singing- "yet it go, yet it goooo."  So cute! 
It is really a cute movie.  You should buy it now while it's cheap.  Well, cheap-er!  It is $15 at Walmart for a DVD, and Disney movies always go up to around $20-25 for their normal price. 

I must admit I was pretty excited about the movie too.  We saw it as a family of 5 back in December.  It was Henry's very first movie.  Well, he and Dustin saw half then skipped out and went to Bojangles!  Stinkers!  I think he would have made it through the whole movie if there weren't 37 minutes of previews first.  Ok, so it wasn't that long but it was a lot!  He was so adorable in his big boy theater chair with his popcorn and drink in his lap.  And nope, I'm not biased AT ALL!  :-) 

Carson is a little bummed it's about girls-but he still likes it.  I explained that he got to see the Planes "boy" movie last summer. 

I will say this is one of my favorite Disney movies.  I like them all, but some more than others.  Carson is all about Toy Story right now, but I cringe when it gets to the "You idiot" part....can't remember exactly where it is.  Emilynn actually used that on Dustin one night and it did NOT go well, as you can imagine.  I am not a fan of things like "stupid", "dumb", and "idiot" and not sure why they have to use them in some of the movies for kids, even Disney ones!  I guess it just goes to show you have to monitor every single thing your kids watch. 

Anyway, Frozen is great-well worth the money to own it!  We've watched it twice through already and can only watch DVDs in the car right now.  Maybe that means we spend too much time in our car?  That's what happens when you have kids in extra-curricular activities and have to wait a lot! 

Monday Musings

• I've been told I don't blog enough!  I decided a realistic goal for me will be at least 3 times a week.  I would love to do more, but let's face it....I am busy with these kids!  :-) 
• We are having winter weather-again!  Today just seems to be ice though, so maybe that's better?  I doubt it, but I'm trying to stay optimistic.  This means another day of being stuck indoors.  That makes things so much harder because my kids are outside kids.  When they are playing outside I can get so much more done as far as cleaning goes.  Oh well, we'll be complaining about the heat soon enough.  I would rather it be cold than hot. 
• We had birthday parties all weekend.  I am tired!  I just realized that I put on my "I love more birthdays" Relay for Life shirt today.  Ha!  It does seem that our family is all about birthdays. 
• It is consignment week.   Amanda and I participate in a semi-annual consignment sale.  It is a lot of fun and I make more money each time I do it.  I have been getting stuff together for a few weeks now as I've had spare time.  Now I have to price everything.  That is what I'll be doing for two nights!  It is fun to get extra cash though for stuff that was just sitting around the house.  It is also fun to shop at the sale.  I get so much stuff for Emmy there, there doesn't seem to be as much boy stuff for some reason.   Let's be honest-Emmy doesn't really need more stuff, but I can't pass up Gymboree! Plus my kids are so rough on clothes-their favorite thing to do it jump in muddy puddles like Peppa Pig.  Clothes don't always survive this!  Also, it is fun to get out with my Mom & sister and have some girl time.  We've taken different varieties of the kids at times-hers and mine, but it is so much easier to go without them. 
• Which reminds me we had a girls' night out last week.  It was a lot of fun!  Except my kids wouldn't go to sleep for Dustin and were up at midnight when I got home.  I had so much fun though and got a few things at Hobby Lobby (love that store!) and we had a nice meal at Outback, plus I got my two weeks' grocery shopping done. 
• Another reason I don't blog anymore-Henry likes to push the computer buttons now.  Makes it take so much longer!  I am having to block him as I do this.  He is in full terrible 2 mode and it is rough.  How did I make it with 2 terrible two year olds and a newborn?  There is a reason that time is somewhat of a blur!  LOL! 
• The swimming pool is up and running again-yay!  We will get back into lessons sometime this week.  I haven't figured out the day yet, but that is the thing that is so nice about private lessons.  They are super-flexible and the teacher and I can just coordinate it whenever. 
• I am debating on starting tumbling class with the kids at the Y.  They could all 3 actually do it.  Emilynn has been asking to go to "flip school" for a while.  It is only $20 for a month, and I'm pretty sure each extra child would only be $10.  Not too much of an investment to see if any/all of them like it.  We are NOT doing t-ball, so we will have a bit of free time to do something else.  I had thought we would, but after soccer I said NO WAY!  Ha!  We are not ready for team sports, apparently.  Our family is a softball family, so it is weird to go against that.  I just always assumed my kids would do that, but it is really fun to try all this other stuff that we didn't do, like swimming.  I think we mainly did softball because back then (cause I'm so old y'all!) that was really all that was around here to do in our rural community.  I am slowly realizing it is okay not to do baseball/softball, we can do other stuff and be fine.  I am sure we will eventually do softball at least, but I am fine with waiting a while.  I want my kids to each find their niche.  I have a feeling Carson will be fine with just farming, and that's okay too!  Henry-well, who knows with him yet.  Emmy will be the one involved in everything cause that's just her personality. 
• We have had chicken drama lately.  Our flock is down to 5, with only two good layers.  Bummer!  We had one chicken pass away back in December, just because (I think old age).  We lost two last week to a predator which made me sad.  Now, the remaining 5 refuse to sleep in the coop.  We have two that are roosting on top of the dog pen at night, sleeping with the dog.  Two are sleeping different places at night.  Our beloved "Sweetie Pie" sleeps on the front porch right in front of my kitchen window on a rocking chair I have there.  It is cute to see her sitting out there.  The winter weather has also played a part, as they took to sleeping in a tool shed right beside their coop during the snowiest days as it was drier.  At any rate, we are keeping these girls and letting them sleep wherever they want.  One night, I ran around grabbing them off their roosting spots around the yard, putting them back in the pen.  They walked right back out to their original spots.  (I didn't shut the door because I wanted to see what they would do).  I looked crazy I'm sure-running around scooping up chickens.  I decided to just let them be where they were comfortable.  I am excited to get more layers-which will stay in the coop (hopefully).  We are getting more this upcoming weekend.  For now, I am getting eggs sporadically- Sweetie Pie is laying eggs on the front porch! 
• I still have to post the kids stats from their check ups.  I will do that soon, with an update on Emilynn's stomach issues too.  We are heading to yet another specialist-a pediatric gastroenterologist. 

All for now, Happy St. Patrick's Day!  We are planning to stay home all day and stay warm.  I would normally try to do a craft or something-but we did one at church last week.  Amanda found it- You took a green pepper and cut it and used it as a stamp to stamp a three or four-leaf clover on something.  It was so cute-paint a stem on and you are done.  A cute, simple craft. 

Don't get pinched!  :-) 

The Inbetween

I haven't posted much on Henry's birthday, but his party was so cute (I thought-ha!) that I hope to get around to it soon.  I cannot believe my "baby" is 2 years old already?  Where does the time go?  I have to admit, his first year was CRAZY with two 2 year olds running around plus him.  It's a mix of a blur and whirlwind, and was definitely our craziest year we've ever had with the kids.  Life is much easier now than it was then. 
Henry is doing so many big boy things now.  It is so fun to watch him following around behind his brother and sister in the yard-seeing what capers they can get into.  They spend their days chasing chickens, playing in muddy puddles, and pushing dump trucks around the yard playing construction site.  He wants to go potty a lot, and is becoming so independent.  We got out of the vehicle to go eat lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant recently and he said, "I want to walk guys."  Dustin and I just looked at each other like, "where did this kid come from?"  And where's my baby!?!?  He is right on the edge of being a big boy in so many ways, yet sometimes I am reminded he is still very much a baby.  He has those chunky baby cheeks, those fat baby hands with the dimples on them.  His feet-well, that's a whole other post.  He still loves his "ba-ba" and wants his "bankie" with it when he's tired or needs comfort.  He loves Mama to rock him to sleep at night, and I treasure those moments as I know they could be numbered as he grows and wants to be independent like his brother and sister.  One night he woke up crying and kept calling for Mama.  As I picked him up, he took a deep breath and sighed and went right back to sleep.  I love that I can still make everything right in his little world.  Mr. Henry is such a big boy now, yet still so much a baby.  I love having the best of both worlds-watching him do so many big boy things and saying, "I did it!"  Yet, he is still so much a little baby and I will hold on to that as long as I can. 
I love the big boy he's becoming, and I treasure the baby he still is.  I know this phase won't last long, none of them do, but for now I'm loving the inbetween. 

What we've been up to lately- NOT Swimming!

We started back with swimming lessons in February.  We got two lessons in before they came to an abrupt halt.  The heater in the pool broke!  Poo!  We went on day, and the swim director and lifeguard came rushing to us saying..."They didn't call you, did they?"  Nope!  We were the family they forgot to call and say lessons were cancelled.  And I said I never win anything!  Ha!  Honestly, we seem to make such a memorable impression....I'm surprised they forgot us.  Anyway, the pool was a warm, toasty......like 60 degrees!  The teacher felt so bad she was like, "Well, we could stick our toes in and see if it's doable."  I was like-no thanks!  Haha!  As you know (or maybe I forgot to say), I have to get in the pool with the kids while they aren't doing their lesson and of course with Henry.  I wasn't getting in that water!  Everyone was so apologetic and my mom and I were both just like-forget it, no big deal.  Truly.   We have so much stuff that goes on with sick family members and the like-honestly a forgotten phone call is NOT a big deal in our book.  We just went to lunch instead.  :-)

Anyway, here are a few pics of the kids from swim lessons.  They hope to have the pool fixed really soon.....it is normally around 84 degrees or more.  Like a bath.  We love it!  Maybe one day, I'll eventually get to swim laps for exercise....????  Oh, and my mom and I have decided Emmy is going to go far with her swimming.  Like Olympics far-ha!  We hope her teacher, Ms. Elise, is in it for the long haul!  :-)  Once she is 5, she can be on the competitive team at the Y.  Wouldn't that be fun? 

 

Emmy going for the dive rings.  I love this underwater camera!  There are some great pics that they may use on the Y's website!  Exciting!

My little fish. 

 

And then there was Carson.  He knew I was looking at the pics the teacher sent, and he kept saying..."Let me see mine, let me see mine!".  I was worried he'd be disappointed because I knew what his one and only picture was.....

 

THIS:

 

And he couldn't be prouder!  He was as proud as a peacock of his little bird chest picture-ha!  As he should be.  If you'll notice, he has part of his chin underwater-a huge accomplishment for him. 

 

I think it's important to not compare children, and my kids are the textbook example.  Carson is extremely afraid of the water-so this is a huge deal for him.  This water was over his head too, so he is kind of treading water.  Go Carson! 

We joke that it will take at least 1 million dollars to get him swimming.  Again, I hope Ms. Elise is in it for the long haul! 

 

All jokes aside, she is a great teacher and is great with the kids.  She knows when to push Carson and when to let him be.  She really brings out the best in them.  I have seen her "fist pump" the air and yell "YES" when they master a skill.  She really cares about them succeeding as much as we do. 

 

I am excited for the summer when my nephew is taking lessons from her (my Mom declared this to my sister, who will have to pay for it-ha!  She always does that to us!). 

 

Anyway, we hope to get back into the warm water soon!  It will be a nice change from all the snow we're having!