Swimming update

We've just completed our second month of swimming lessons. We have a week off before we start our daily and fun outdoor swimming lessons. Urgent - we need sun and warm weather soon!. The kids' swimming has improved a lot over the last couple of months.

Tyler is now swimming the length of the pool and back doing backstroke, crawlstroke, breaststroke, and a side stroke I don't know the name of. He's mastering the dolphin kick (which is quite fun to watch) and working on treading water as well. They've started working on dives.

Hailey loves bobs and has no fear of bobbing down and letting go with no teacher around. I stand at the ready to pull her back up out of the water when she doesn't come up. Near drowning experiences seem to have no impact on her. She wipes her eyes and goes on her merry way. In addition to bobbing she's getting pretty good and the front and back float. She's learning to kick and torpedo (arms in front) or torquido as she so cutely says. She pushes off the wall and kicks like mad (going farther and farther under) until her teachers hands find her. She's also working on pushing off to front and back floats. Today she was even able to try crawl stroke arms. Coordinating arms and legs is not easy when you first learning how to put all these steps together. Hailey loves her swimming.

Dear Sun

Dear Sun-

We live here in Washington where we manage to get through the dreary rainy winters knowing we will have at least 3 months of sun and warm weather to lift our spirits and let us spend all day outdoors. At this point, we are starting to feel cheated. Our precious summer days are drifting by and it is still raining like an October day. School is out and we want to play outside.

Of equal importance, Tyler has one pair of pants left with no holes (and he's not a big fan of wearing the ones with holes). Shorts would be an excellent solution to this problem. Unlike his sister, Tyler is currently unwilling to wear shorts unless the sun is out.

We would greatly appreciate your immediate and lasting presence.

Quiggle Family

This boy

When I envisioned doing hair for my children I always sort of pictured ponytails and clips. That is not at all the case. Hailey is far from any type of hair "doing". My 5 year boy on the other hand is already requesting that I spike his hair before school (only on school days mind you....the rest of the time he could care less).

And today, he asked if he was old enough for a cell phone. Wow, all this is happening much too fast.

On the other hand, he melted my heart the other day. Hailey gets great pleasure out of wiping off kisses that anyone gives to her. Dave and I can't even get a little kiss on her without her dramatically wiping it off (with a big smile). Tyler and Hailey were playing very nicely the other day and she was running into his arms for big hugs. At one point he gave her a kiss right on the head.....and she wiped it right off. His response, "That's ok Hailey, my kisses go straight to your heart". Why didn't I think of saying that?

And a small glimpse into the busy mind of a 5 year old......Tyler and his many questions. While at the bookstore the other day Tyler saw a model skeleton kit and one that also had various organs you could take in and out (all part of an educational kit). I think the skeleton and something he must have heard when he and Dave were reading left him with a series of questions for me. The types of questions that are so hard to answer and the ones that make me think "he really "gets" it. He really thinks about this stuff".

Ty: "What does it feel like to be dead?"

Me: "I don't know, I've only been alive"

Ty: "What's it like in heaven?"

Me: "I think, in heaven, we will be surrounded by all of the things and people we love"

Ty: "I think it will be like sleeping and dreaming that all of your favorite things are all around you."

Ty: "Why do people die?"

Me: " After lots of years are bodies get tired and they don't work as well"

Ty: "What about doctors, can't they help us"

Me: "Yes, doctors are able to do so much to help us when we are sick and hurting but when we are older, our bodies are just too tired".

Ty: " What about a long time ago when the doctors didn't know as much"

Me: " Yes, a long time ago, there weren't big hospitals and technology and a lot more people died just from getting sick."

Ty: "Did kids die?"

Me: "Yeah, some did"

Ty: "I think just one"

Ty: "How did the very first doctor ever learn what to do to help people?"

Me: Holy Smokes, how do you think of this stuff?? "Well, that person really liked helping people feel better, so he/she tried lots of different things to see what worked and they more they tried the better they got at helping people feel better". (???????) Where's your dad when we need him.

How to battle

While I was exercising the other day, Tyler took it upon himself to teach Hailey the ins and outs of proper battle form. I believe this is somewhat inspired by The Princess Bride which Dave and Tyler are now reading. But I could be wrong....Ty does just have a love for the battling, good guy/bad guy stuff. I suppose he is a boy.

Hailey, do what I do

Demonstration

Hailey sharing some of her own techniques

Car Art

Should I sign him up for art school now?? :) I really think he has such talent, biased parent that I am.

And Hailey's right there coloring with him. She's really starting to branch out and use multiple colors in one picture.

Sugar and Spice

This is my most recent way of describing Hailey's personality. Sugar and Spice.....heavy on the spice.

Still here

I've got a list of 9 blogs I need to do.....just need to find the time.