Sink or Swim

Cody is now in his 4th week of swim lessons and probably has one or two more to go. It has completely consumed our mornings. She lives about 20 minutes away and the lessons are 4 days a week for 10 minutes. It definitely is a commitment. I'll give you a little background on this type of swim lessons...This is a survival swim versus a mommy and me swim class. Babies are not able to lift there head above the water to take a breath like a older child can. They teach them to roll over and float on their backs to catch their breath then turn back over swim towards the side, roll back over and float. *Swim*Float*Swim* If you have never seen this type of lessons, check out the link.
http://www.infantaquatics.com/whatisia.htm

Sounds like a piece of cake......well not so much. The first few days the teacher puts them in the water to let him know cause and effect...you go underwater.....you cannot breath. They don't throw them in but she lets them know what would happen in a second or two. It is very hard to watch but you have to know why you are here.....only to protect them around water. When Aubrey was 3 we did this same approach and I will tell you it was the BEST investment we ever made. Truly a life skill they MUST learn. Since we have a pool, Cody had no choice but to take the lessons.

Let me take you back to week one..... Our first day we walked in and he was ALL smiles. I handed him off to the teacher and it was all good....for about 30 seconds. She had him swim towards the step about 2 feet away. Not what he was thinking 'fun swim lessons' would be. I'm not sure how much water he drank but it didn't sit well in his tummy. O I guess I should say he ate a FULL breakfast of his famous green eggs and yogurt.....is that clear enough? His teacher very nicely asked me to be careful with what I feed him before lessons. YUCK!

The only time he was not screaming was when she would have him 'swim' towards the step....aka...his face was in the water. He would come up and cry (plead) for me to get him out. I held strong and sat on the side cheering him on. Floating was not going so well either. They have to relax and trust the teacher and themselves to be able to float. Neither was happening! The next 2 weeks were exactly the same.

By week 3 it clicked! He got in the pool and swallowed water not from crying but because he was smiling so big! He was not only happy but turning over somewhat on his own with little help from the teacher. WOW! He not only goes in happy but stays happy. I know he will not be 'water safe' but we are on our way to knowing what to do if he were to fall in the pool.

Happy Birthday Cody!

Happy (and sad) Birthday to Cody!

I guess when you are a third baby your birthday takes second stage...at least until you actually know! Since Cody is only two and had NO idea that it was his birthday we carried on as usual. We headed off to Ashlyn's last volleyball game that morning and then for a quick bite to eat. He is absolutely the worst diner so our eating out trips are not as fun as they use to be. After that we came home and let him open up his one gift...again no sense going overboard.....he doesn't even know what this day is all about! We got him a basketball goal thinking he wouldn't know what to do with it but completely shocked us.... slam dunking the first ball. Daddy was pretty proud. The girls were all about bubbles....they loaded him up with a ton of different bubble toys!
Then it was off for a nap before the next activity. He must of figured out that it was his birthday because he had no intention of sleeping. After two hours playing in his bed we let him out. Then it was off to Ashlyn's soccer/pool party. We told him that the party for all for him.....again he didn't know! After a full afternoon of swimming and NO nap we headed home for some birthday cake. The NO nap was becoming evident. He was not crabby but seemed to trip and fall over everything. The good news was my kisses seem to make it all better. When he gets hurt he will come to me and show me EXACTLY where to kiss. If you do not get the EXACT spot you have to keep kissing. Then when you get it...you are golden and he is all better. As soon as we pulled into the house he stepped out of the car and for whatever reason touched the car tailpipe. You know how much and LONG burns hurt! That pretty much put a damper on his day. He was in so much pain and all my kisses could not make it feel better. He wanted to play but would come to me every few minutes for a kiss....hoping that would help and make it all go away. We put numbing spray on it and then I realized that my lips were numb from all the kisses. We managed to get him happy for the birthday cake then he was past-ready for bed. It ended up being a early night for him. Poor little guy wanted to just get in bed but his little hand was hurting so bad he just wanted me to hold him. I did take advantage of this and held and rocked him before bed. It makes me so sad to see any of my children in pain but I did enjoy some sweet lovin' out of it.
Happy Birthday Cody! We love you!

Deal or Dud?

The end of summer last year, I was walking down the clearance isle at Wal-Mart (my favorite isle) and came across this fun looking pool toy. The Splash and Spin. The picture on the box showed two kids smiling and effortlessly spinning the wheel (kind of like the tea cups at Walt Disney World). I thought my girls would love it....I double checked the weight limit and it said 120lbs. It would be close but I knew it would work. The kids on the box looked about the same age as the girls. Since we were about to move I bought it and packed it away in a box. SOLD!

FAST FORWARD 7 MONTHS AND A HUGE GROWTH SPURT...... Ashlyn is almost as tall as me and Aubrey has grown leaps and bounds.

Well, we pulled it out a few days ago and I immediately thought to myself...hmmm.... looks a little small. Blew it up and passed it off to the girls. I could tell by the way they were looking at it they were thinking the same thing. It was almost comical to watch Ashlyn (11 years old and over 70 lbs) and Aubrey (9 years old and about 60 lbs.) climb and squish into this toy. They eventually made it but with their long legs all wrapped around the steering wheel they could not make it do what it was supposed to....spin. We rate this a big DUD!





















Just to keep up with the theme from the last post......Cody is still having trouble keeping up his shorts.

Baby's got his blue jeans on....kind of

Going.......


















Going.....



















Gone!









Poor guy just cannot seem to keep his jeans on. At first he would run to me as soon as they would start to droop but now he just goes on about his business. If you are in the need of a plumber in say twenty years I think I may know someone!

TaG YoUr iT!

I was tagged from my sweet friend Nancy weeks ago. If you think you know me...read this and see if you're right! :) Here goes....

4 JOBS I'VE HAD:
1) Nursery Assistant coordinator at our church.
2) Graphic Designer for a direct mail company
3) Graphic Designer for a Optical
4) Michael's or MJDesign as it was called years ago.

4 SHOWS I WATCH
1) Lost! That is my all-time favorite show. It is so confusing but Dell and I love to get in bed after the kids are down and watch it. Just when you think you have it figured out it changes.
2) Survivor! I've yet to miss a season. Never seems to get old.
3) The Office! Not sure why but that humor is right up my alley. I can watch the same episode over and over and laugh just as much each time. Love it!
4) The Apprentice! Love it.

4 BLOGS I READ REGULARLY
1) Nancy S. - Her blogs are so inspiring....she lives for the moment and doesn't miss the small things in life. Keep them coming!
2) Angie Smith - although this is someone I have never meet and probably will never meet but have been engulfed in her life. If you ever have time to read through her blog, start from the beginning and be ready to be encouraged and lifted. They have been through so much pain over the last few months but her love of God is amazing. http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/
3) Colleen S. Her pictures are priceless!
4) Tracy K. - Just found out she has a blog! I think the world of her and her family and will miss them when they move.

4 FAVORITE FOODS:
1) Any kind of Mexican food. Not sure if I like the food or the Margaritas better! :)
2) Pizza. My kids are not huge pizza fans....so sad.
3) Ice Cream.
4) Babes Fried Chicken. We only go a few times a year because it is just so bad for you...but o so good! I'm in trouble when they make it here to Frisco and it is only a few minutes away.

4 PLACES I'D RATHER BE RIGHT NOW:
1) Nail Salon. I only make it there 3-4 times a year. So, when I go I take it all in.
2) Vacation. Somewhere and anywhere just as long as I don't have to cook and clean.
3) Dinner out with friends....without the kids or maybe I should say without Cody! (Love ya Cody but you are not much fun out at restaurants!)
4) The Movies. Dell and I LOVE to see movies at the THEATER but I think we actually get to do that maybe one time a year. Miss those days.

4 FRIENDS LIKELY TO RESPOND: (THIS MEANS YOU'VE BEEN TAGGED BY ME)
1) Tracy K.
2) Colleen S.
3) Amy B.
4) Sarah S.

4 THINGS I LOOK FORWARD TO THIS YEAR:
1) Watching Ashlyn take that leap from Elementary school to Middle school.
2) Sleeping in (ha) this summer!
3) Not having the hustle and bustle of school and enjoying the summer.
4) Hopefully slowing down and not missing the little things in my kids lives that makes our wonderful memories. Life gets so crazy and hectic that I tend to miss the fun and simple days.