She Swims!

Peanut is getting close to mastering her swimming.  I have no doubt that by the end of the year, she will be swimming like a champ.  We put her in lessons again.  The lessons are pretty intense.  They are four days a week for 2 weeks.  By the end, everyone in the family is exhausted.  Peanut told me, "When my lessons are over, we will go to the gym to do what we want to do"  So true.

The logistics of the lessons was hard.  They started at 5:30.  That means we needed to leave the house at 5:20.  I ended up cooking dinner prior to the lesson but feeding everyone after.  It was really stressful.  I am not looking forward to lessons everyday for a sport.

That being said, this girl is a turbo.  She can jump into the pool and swim to the side by herself, which she did routinely during the lesson.  I feel pretty confident with her near the pool, but I am by no means ready to just kick back and read a book while she runs amuck, which is my ultimate goal.  (It sounds pretty bad to say that my ultimate goal is to be left alone by kids, but I guess that is the ultimate goal of any parent.)

I was really proud of not only her swimming, but her enthusiasm for the sport.  She gets the gold star for most enthusiastic.  She started to do the crawl and even was able to breath while swimming.  Something that shocked me was if the teacher moved back while Peanut was swimming toward her, Peanut would turn around and swim back to the wall.  I guess she didn't trust the teacher was going to catch her or maybe she was running short of breath.  Either way, she would make it back to the wall having swam longer than she would have if she had gone to the teacher.

and I thought she wasn't scared of anything.

Genetics

We did nothing this weekend which is exactly what we needed to do.  I made more headway on the curtains, but the rest is a bit of a blur.  We gave Mr. T. his handy father's day present.  I will post pictures once it is given the prominence it deserves in his shop.

BabyP looked at me today and said "I see"  He was wanted to see his sister's snow globe which is off limits to little boys.  I told him it was his sisters.  he said "No, its BabyP's"  except, of course, he used his real name rather than babyP.

I took Friday off to be with him.  We went to the Wonder Place (Thanks Kristy!).  After the wonder place, we met grandma for some play at the chik-fil-a.  He seemed to enjoy himself.  The chick-fila cow was there.  BabyP loved him!  "Hey cow, five!"  He would give the cow 5 two times and raise the roof before the cow was allowed to leave.

I hope he liked being the center of attention for a while.  The hard part about being a two kid mom, is that I feel like I can't give both kids the attention they deserve.  With BabyP, it is pretty important because when it is just me and him, he really opens up and talks more.  With his sister around, he seems to look to her for cues on what to say or how to be.

He is growing by leaps and bounds these days.  We have been taking sissy to swim lesson, and I think that little booger is listening to what she is being told.  Now when he swims, he seems to be really trying to swim.  It is funny how kids can be so different.

I have been thinking a lot about how genetics really affects us.  It seems especially true in our family where Peanut seems to be a carbon copy of me while BabyP definitely acts like his father.  I am a pretty strong believer in nurture, but I think nature plays a big role in how they respond to situations, especially at this young age.

I walked in this evening to see Peanut doing math problems on her own.  I sat with her and we worked on addition and subtraction for about 10 minutes.  I found it pretty remarkable because math is my true love.  In personality tests, I always score high in communication, but I think my love of math and the logical self really outweigh my enthusiasm for expressing myself.  I can see that in Peanut too.  That girl can work a room.  I worry about her and I hope she isn't teased like I was.  I don't think I could go through that with my child without becoming too personally involved.

She tells me she wants to be either a Chef or an Engineer when she grows up.  She asked me what I thought she should be.  I told her she should be a doctor because she is so smart, caring, and easy to get along with.  She pondered that for a moment before agreeing that maybe she should do that instead.

ooohh I love her so much I could just eat her up.

Australian Studies

Peanut's class studies a country every month.  The teacher said that every time they would talk about about another country, she would say "My daddy is from Austraaaaaaalia."  I guess Peanut finally broke her because this month they are studying Australia.

Here are some kangaroos they made.  This board is located outside their door.  Peanut's teacher does the BEST art.  It is truely amazing what they lady can do with some tissue paper and a toilet roll.

Here is Peanut's girl Kangaroo.  I can only imagine that she was wresting the other girls so hers would have a pink nose.  Everything she makes has to be fancy.

Here is one of the koalas that they made.  I like lift in the ears that the newspaper gives this one.

It might just be the lighting, but Peanut's koala looks like it will eat your soul.

Speaking of Koala's that will eat your soul.  Peanut has brought both of her babies to school every day this month.  She puts one on each of their tables as table decorations and places them in prominant places throughout the room.  Her teacher said everytime she turns around Peanut has a koala in her face.  She said she has nightmares about those koalas coming and eating her.  (they were all wearing PJ's because it is pajama day)

Here is the corner with all of the children's stories we brought.  The kids favorite books are the "Echidna and the Shade Tree" and "Diary of a Wombat".  I have asked members of Iain's family to send post cards.  So far, we have received his sister, Alison's, card and one from his Auntie Tessa.  Tessa also sent along a book of photos of the landscape.  It is really beautiful.  Aunty Alison sent a card to the school, and it was a BIG DEAL.  I think the Director of the School was excited to deliver it.  She came down and waved it in the air to let everyone know they received a card from Australia.

The Echidna art project is my favorite.  The kids had a really fun time sticking the toothpicks into him.  I think the Echidna looks really cute and will probably end up on my desk at work.

I didn't get pictures, but Peanut's teacher's birthday was this week.  I sent along Fairy Bread and vegemite sandwiches.  I thought most of the kids ate the vegemite sandwiches, but I think most of them didn't own up to not eating them.  The fairy bread was a great success though.  Next week, I will bring a pavlova and maybe some lamingtons the following week.

Mr. T. has agreed to read a story to the kids (see, hon, it is on the blog so you have to do it.)  Maybe he can wear my Drizza Bone and his Blundstones. Even if he doesn't wear an Australian outfit, I hope he at leasts hams up his accent.

Being a Mom - Albert Pike

Last week, a campgroup flooded that killed 20 people, most of which were children.  I read news stories and read some blog posts, but stories like this, I have a hard time following.  The news is too devastating for me.  It is a fine line between wanting to know what happened and becoming emotionally involved.

It is almost too hard for me to look at pictures.  I can imagine what it feels like to be waiting to hear news, and just the thought of it takes my breath away.  I wrote a short blip on facebook about the disaster.  A girlfriend, who has a new baby, said that being a mom really changes things. 

And it does.

I don't think disasters like this would have hurt so much or made me go completely silent before I was a parent.  I was speaking with some congressional representatives who had been on site today, they were visibly shaken just by being there.  I have friends from work who have helped out.  It hurts and everyone wants to help, but there is really nothing anyone can do. 


The part that is so hard to get my head around is how random and weird it was.  People have been camping there for decades and nothing like this had happened before.  These people were just doing what millions of us do on the weekends, spending time outside with their families.

But, it doesn't help to look for answers.  The best I can do is hug on those babies as much as I can because everyday is truely a gift.

Cleanin' Up

After a quick tour through facebook, I realized that many people spent their weekend doing the same thing I did, cleaning and organizing.  Not everyone got the joy of hanging new curtains in their living room that they have been dreaming about for over a year.  I still have a lot to do on them since I am trying to do it on the cheap, but in the end, I think they will look almost like I spent the money to have them custom made. 

The crib is officially gone as well as 85% of the baby toys.  I kept a wooden stacking toy and a set of nested blocks for each of the kids to hand down to their kids.  The rest of the baby toys were passed on to a couple of other friends that are having kids.  I feel a little torn about seeing them go, but really, I am happy to get rid of them and have the extra space to fill full of other junk.  The thing I am really attached to is the kid's clothes.  They are so cute and sweet.  I think as we all age and I am further away from having a baby, it will be easier to get rid of them.  At least I hope so. 

Besides doing the Carti Ride with my mother, that was about the sum of our weekend, new curtains and curtain rods and a little bit more organization for a house that is always on the verge of becoming a landfill.  Being out of town last weekend really took it out of us.  We had a great time, but we really didn't get a chance to rest until Saturday afternoon.

Peanut had her swim lessons last week.  She is doing really well.  Right now, they are trying to get her to use her arms.  I think getting from one point to another in the water is so new to her, that she gets super excited and forgets to use them.  She is doing really well though.  She is getting stronger and more confident in the water.  I love how excited she gets, and she tries really hard.  It makes me so proud to see her be so excited about it.  I like that she can channel all her energy into something constructive.  We have the rest of teh lessons this week.  I don't know if we will do another set this year or not.

the real reason we went to Dallas

Mr. T. had his LeMon's Race this past weekend.  The idea behind the race was to build a $500 car.  It seems like it would be pretty cheap, but it isn't.

They did pretty well until the differential blew out.  For a team to build their own car and race it for 8 hours before it breaks is a pretty good record.  They were able to get the differenential fixed, but the next day it started leaking oil and smoking.  BUT, again, they were able to get it fixed.

I am glad they were able to get it fixed because the back of the car is actually wood.  (what do you expect for 500 dollars).  Could you image what would have happened to their fauxrari if that would have caught fire?

Look at this crazy outfit this guy was wearing.  It is a fireproof suit and a shirt with tubes in it that pump iced water into the suit.  To complete his ensemble he has fireproof socks and shoes.  His ensemble even has a metal neck brace that gives him barely any range of motion.  A contraption like this may have saved Dale Earnhart's life.

Even though it was a mock dirt bagger race, I was surprised by the high tech gadgetry and expensive trailers that were involved.  There were even girls there in bikini's just like in 'real' races.  I was also surprised to see that we were the only people with kids there, although the kids and I weren't there the whole time.

I was glad we were able to see Mr. T. suit up and race a bit.  I was feeling really good because the cars seemed to be going so slow on the track.  I had these awful visions of them racing 100 mph.  We watched Mr. T. do two laps, then the kids and I headed for the car.  Someone stopped me and said, "they are just about to start."  oh.. ya, evidently my total ignorance or car racing showed.  Let's just say the next lap seemed to go a lot faster. 

He had a good time and was really proud of his team for sticking it out. They finished it out safely, which is what matters.  They just have a few more tweaks on the car before they get ready to race Hallett in August.  hmmm Oklahoma in August, I think the kids and I will stay home.

Janet's House

The kids and I went to see my friend Janet over the weekend.  I haven't hung out with her for more than an hour or two in over four years, but it was like we never skipped a day.  I realized how much I missed her once we were together.

Her kids are great. Look at this little one. Don't you just want to nibble on her little legs.  Our kids loved one another.  Her oldest son is right smack between my two kids in age.  He and dear peanut were like two peas in a pod.  There were a lot of tears when we left.  Peanut was telling me that she already told them that they should come to our house.  She told me that I needed to talk to my friend so we could make it happen.  The next day, Peanut appeared in her little one's prayers.

I have noticed that Peanut gets along really well with all of my friend's kids.  It is obvious that she favors some kids, but it is amazing to me how she seems to gravitate toward the children of the people that I really care about.  I wonder if it is because she has things in common with those kids, if it is genetic personality stuff, or if it is just that kids this age get along with everyone.  She did seem to have something special with Janet's son, though.  You can tell they were both having a great time.

Even sweet BabyP was allowed to tag along with the big kids.  Although, just like his father, he kept wanting to get into the garage to play around.  In this case, there were balls, bikes, and stomp rockets to play with.  It is funny to be around such a boy centered house.  I learned some new tricks for playing with boys from the old pro while Janet playing basketball with her son.  She was pretend guarding him, and it never occurred to me to pretend like I was guarding him while he ran to the goal.

Janet kept apologizing for not doing anything.  I can't see how we didn't do anything if we were both so exhausted at the end of the day.  We had fun just rounding up the kids, eating, and do mom stuff.  It is fun that we could just hang out and not have to be any place or do any particular thing, but I still have a hard time thinking we did nothing.