Swimmers

This summer, Gracie and Lucas have been learning to swim.  I purposely registered them for a program that had a daily swim lesson.  Before the first day, they were terrified about the swimming without their trusty floaties.  But, as I suspected, they gained confidence and with it came the ability to swim without their floaties at all.

A few days ago, we held a ceremonial "Throwing Away of the Floaties."  It was grand.  There are no pictures of it, of course, because we threw them away directly into the disgusting black trashcan.  Lucas hesitated for just one minute when he went to throw it away.  It can be intimidating to give up something that has kept you safe and allowed you one of your major opportunities of freedom.  But in the end, both floaties were consigned to the garbage dump.

Following the ceremony, we headed over to the pool, where my lovelies swam for 3 hours, basking in their independence and the lovely water.

They stayed close to the side of the pool, after all, they usually have a swim instructor close by.  When I got into the pool with them, they were much more courageous.  They swam unaided back and forth between the steps and my position 15 feet away.  Their pride was palpable and it made me realize how quickly they are growing up. 

In a few short weeks, they will be starting Kindergarten and every day seems to bring some new thing they can do or want to do on their own.  It makes me so proud to be their Mommy!

Playing Pretend: The Spaceship Version

The other day, I posted this as my Facebook status:
Captain's log:
Star Date: January 25th 2012
Today the Federation Star Ship Sorrento encountered heavy solar winds on our way to Planet Abue Rosi. First Mate Lucas found himself fighting off enemy star ships. Communications Officer Gracie helped the captain and the first mate navigate the solar system. We arrived safely. Our mission will continue this evening. Captain out.

That morning, I packed the kiddos into the car and decided to play with them.  I did a countdown: 5-4-3-2-1 Blastoff! We played the entire way to Abue Rosi's pretending we were shooting mean aliens, flying quickly around dangerous space ships, avoiding horrible solar winds. We giggled and laughed and had a great time.

Sometimes, the best times are when your Mommy can be silly with you.

Seriously Un-Cool

Tiny Town is closed.

What? Why? The Horror!

I just discovered it and now it is gone. I can only blame the Recession and the owner of the building who no doubt raised the rent or some anonymous parent who sued them and bankrupted them. Who knows what happened?

We are devastated. We had to talk about it all the way home.

"Mommy, Tiny Town is closed?"

"Yes, Gracie."

"Forever, Mommy?"

"Yes, closed forever, Lukie."

"Why is it closed, Mommy?"

"I don't know, Gracie."

"Did they go somewhere, Mommy?"

"I don't think so, Lukie. They just closed."

"Oh, no, Mommy! No more jumpies!"

"I know, Love. It will be okay."

"But Mommy, where are the jumpies?"

"Mommy, can we play at Tiny Town?"

"No, sweetheart, they are closed."

"Forever?"

"Yes, forever."

Silence.

"Mommy, can we go to Old McDonalds?"

"And get chicken nuggets and trench tries?"

"Yeah! And play on the climbing thing and go down the slide?!"

"I'm going to have dip with my chicken nuggets."

"Me, too!"


Maybe they won't miss Tiny Town as much as I will, after all.

The Doctor's Visit

Friday's doctor's visit was preceded by a visit to the park. Unfortunately, I did not plan well. They were filthy by the time we left to drive to the doctor's office.

Lucas decided to show us how great he will be one day as a base runner. Gracie reminded me that she is in charge of herself and I have no say whatsoever!

Fun Places to Play 2

Boxes are much more fun than slides, swings, or pricey playhouses.

See?

Also, pools are way fun! Look at the fun Gracie and Luke had on Father's Day.