Swim Lessons

Kylie treading water





Landon waiting his turn


Landon swimming out to his teacher and flipping over



Landon's head under swimming back

We did swim lessons for the first time this year. They were every day for two weeks. The kids had a wonderful time learning. I am sold on doing swim lessons because I think my kids will do something that there teacher tells them to do, and getting over their nervousness or fear of it. I was amazed that they ended up swimming without plugging there nose and swimming with their head right in the water. I think I could teach them those skills, just not in two weeks.

I do plan on working with the kids now and I have a list of the names of the things they were learning so we can practice together. Some of the things they learned were hum bubbles, bobs, jellyfish floats, front float, tuck floats, glides, strokes on front and back, and rolling over in the water.

No Training Wheels

Kylie starting out on her bike without training wheels


Good thing she has daddy's help

We decided to take Kylie's training wheels off of her bike. She was interested in learning but a little apprehensive. We had to buy a new tire for her back will because it was bare. We couldn't find a white tire. Then we decided to get her pads. They now have a set with gloves in them. Which I thought was really cool. Landon didn't have those when he was learning. She got all geared up and then Marcus worked with her for about 45 mins. to an hour. She didn't seem to be go very far and had a hard time with the balancing. But I figured it would take awhile to figure it out. Thinking Landon learning in two days was really fast and unusual.

We took a break for a couple of weeks in practicing. Life just seemed to be busy. Then last Thursday the kids were hanging out and I suggested that they go out and Marcus could help Kylie on her bike some more. He didn't have very much time because he had his softball game. So he got her balanced and started and off she went like she had been riding a bike for awhile. It was crazy. She still had a hard time with starting but after about 30 minutes really was getting it figured out so she could go by herself.

Here is a short video of her riding.





So I guess I have two crazy kids. Or maybe it is typical and lots of kids learn that way. We were trying to decide where she all of a sudden had her balance. Marcus wondered if it was the two weeks of swimming lessons. And I wondered if it was practicing on the neighbor's scooter.

No More Bottles

Little bug with his sippy

Yesterday was the day to take Tannen off bottles. I have been thinking about it for a while. But had a harder time with it because he didn't drink sippy cups very well, and he has been so little for his age that I didn't want any of his food sources to go away. I decided I was just going to do it. He only had a bottle of water yesterday morning and then for the rest of the day he just had his sippy. I had to buy two more of the Nuby Sippy Cups. As they are my favorite for switching and he seemed to lean more towards them. I thought it would take a good week to adjust and that morning and evening when he gets his big snuggles would be the hardest. But he did fine. He resisted a little but eventually just took the sippy. Yay no more bottles - at least for a few months. (Two more months until my due date!!)

Birthday Birthday Birthday

Marcus' birthday was Friday June 11th. We thought we would drop kids off at my mom's and get a hotel and play Friday and Saturday. Tannen is crazy about my mom, and wants her constantly. Probably because there is something that reminds him about me and she will carry him until his heart is content.

But first in the morning Marcus worked his typical half day on Fridays (he works four 9's and a half day on Friday - perfect for an early weekend). The kids slept in and then we had swimming lessons at 10:30. We had to get back for my Dr.'s appointment at 11:45. Marcus was a little late getting off so he meet me at the Dr's and then took the boys. Kylie wanted to hear the heart beat. I ended up waiting for a while and was there for an hour. But everything looks good and he said I was having a boring typical pregnancy. Just what he wanted. He said I didn't want to be one of his interesting cases, and I heartily agreed. We made it home, had lunch and then the kids got to wrap up their presents. They hid them and play hot and cold so Marcus could find them. They seemed to get a kick watching Marcus look for their presents. We finished cleaning up the house - not much because I had my book club here the night before. And packed up.

We made it to my mom's house around 4:00 and got the pack n'play all set up. I was pretty anxious after we dropped them off. I have never left Tannen for more than a couple of hours, and definantly not over night. Marcus didn't seem to conserned about it. I think guys get used to leaving kids because they can be gone all day and sometimes over night from their kids. I wasn't worried about Landon and Kylie at all.

Marcus and I checked in and then went out to eat. mmmm Texas Roadhouse. Then we went to Prince of Persia. It was pretty good. I did get tired of all the fighting but hey what do you do, besides Marcus liked it. It was late when we got out. We ran to Winco so I could get some food seeing as I have to eat something right before I go to bed. I was really looking forward to no kid noises and sleeping in as long as I wanted. But unfortunately I woke up at7:30 to go to the bathroom and then couldn't go back to sleep because I was starving. I finally went down and grabbed breakfast and was too awake to fall back asleep. It was nice to take as long as I wanted getting ready in the morning though. No one to cry at the door or ask permission for something.

We went to a gun shop and looked at pistols forever. But hey I learned a lot. Then we shot some and Marcus ended up ordering a Springfield DX 9mm. He had a permagrin on his face and we went to lunch. We were kind of not sure what to do with ourselves after that. We looked around in stores that our kids always run through. Then we decided to pick them up. I was happy to find that Tannen didn't miss me at all. He was delighted to hang out with my mom. We then headed out and stopped in at Marcus' parents house. They made bbq and a birthday cake. I hit a wall on the way over after getting up so early and probably wasn't much for conversation. We made it home around 9:00 and I crawled into bed at 10:00.

Happy Birthday Marcus - I hope you had a great two days!!!!

Really Random and Long Thoughts

Random thoughts.

So far the kids love swimming lessons!! They are usually vying for my attention in the car to tell me everything they did. Yesterday Kylie said after we were getting close to home, "It's my turn to talk cause Landon talked most of the time." I love it. I am really hoping that we can make it to the pool, or at least out in the lake so they can practice what they learned.

Yesterday I got to have Rochelle's boys at my house for a little while. It was so much fun. There was a lot of boy playing (trains, game boy, football throwing, toilet tag, etc). At some point outside there were a couple of boys that came to play too. The whole while Kylie is a great sport and enjoys playing these games but I kept thinking I am so glad she is getting a sister. We had our Lunch 'n Munch group on Tuesday and out of at least ten kids Kylie was also the only girl. Around our house there is tons of boys to play with but we never seem to see any girls outside. She needs a girl to paint nails with, play dolls and do extremely girly things with. Thank goodness she has a lot of girl cousins to satisfy her until her sister can help too.

Random thoughts about Landon. He has always been my most difficult child. Sometimes I have to tell myself that Heavenly Father wouldn't give me anything I can't handle so help me out please. Lately I have really thought that each child is so different. Sure all my kids are monkeys that climb into and up everything, and are really busy bodies. But I also feel that what is the most effective parenting for one child is totally different for another. So lately I have been praying that I will be able to know how and that I will be able to parent each of my children so they will reach there fullest potential. I can see in each of my children them being a whirlwind for good or bad. Does every parent see that in their children?

So I have also been thinking that Landon might be more like Marcus in some ways then I previously thought. Marcus for the most time is a very quite guy. He is not good a expressing his sympathy. I know when I had morning sickness he felt bad, but he really couldn't express it well enough for me. He just really would agree with me that he hoped I would stop being sick. We can have conversations about things or ask how food, day, opinion on different things and he will use one word - fine - to describe a multitude of emotions. Most of the time I can really drag things out and he can really open up to me. We have great conversations and he can really chat and go on for a long time - which I love.

But now looking at Landon I wonder if I have a hard time seeing that he feels bad when he does something wrong because he doesn't express them in a way that I understand. When he hurts someone I don't see sympathy from him. I remember when he was two and my mom came to visit she said he really tightened up when Kylie cried and would hit her because he was frustrated. He can't stand it when one of his siblings is struggling and runs out of the room with his hands over his ears and leaves. I think he has a hard time cooping. But it looks like he just leaves. Earlier this week Kylie shoved a bead up her nose pretty far. As she was crying and panicking and we were trying to get her to blow it out, Landon ran for the front door with saying I can't handle it. She finally blew it out and was fine - except for a sore nose. We had to call Landon back in the house, and he told us he was praying by the door. How sweet is that! But he has always been a very serious boy. I remember as a baby it was so hard to get him to laugh. And watching my niece Savannah giggle just to get attention and couldn't believe other babies could do that.

Anyways most of this is random thoughts I have had. But I have to say I don't think it is a boy vs girl thing. Even though Kylie is very emotional and cries in movies and books already. I always thought my dad was very sympathetic. Maybe because he was dad, but I remember him always putting and arm around me, or letting me snuggle him when I had a bad dream. Or saying something nice when he thought the rest of the family was teasing too much. So is there a way to teach kids sympathy, and how to be more expressive of their emotions. Or do they come a certain way that that is what you get?

On a lighter note I have 10 weeks left. And I finally relented in letting Landon read Harry Potter. He has been bugging me for over a year. I had him read me a page out of it, and he pretty much could read all of the words. I decided to call my MIL to see her opinion about it. I was fine with the first HP book, but not nessarlily the others right now. Marilyn was a school teacher and principle so I thought she would have a good idea. I asked her what she thought and on the fly gave me the idea to let him read one HP book a summer. So that is our plan. Landon readily agreed to it. I also told him if he doesn't know a word he needs to come ask me so he can learn it. I don't know if Landon will always be an advanced reader, but I am still working out the difficultly of what to you do when you child can read way above his age group, but isn't mature enough of the content level that he can read.