Swimming Lessons

Daniel, Nathan and Leah have been in swimming lessons for 7 days now.

We had a rocky couple of days with Leah, but she's doing much better. She has to pass though a little space with showers and they terrify her, so getting in and out of the pool is rough. Otherwise, we've been able to convince her that swimming is fun and she's good at it. Heck, she's only 3. We aren't expecting her to even pass the class.

This is Nathan's second time in the Level One class. He's doing better, but I'm still not sure he'll pass. We'll see on Thursday. I don't think he trusts himself or the swimming teachers too much.

Daniel's in Level Two and thinks he's good enough to quit going to lessons. He already knows how to swim 2 ways! I occasionally remind him that if he was so great, they would have moved him up to Level Three. There are at least 5 levels.

The weather has been pretty cool, so the kids often have blue lips by the time they get out. They probably can't even tell that the pool is heated.

Circus 2007

We went to the Shriner's Circus this afternoon. It's no Ringling Brothers, but the seats are closer (also come with some splinters for your discomfort).

The boys liked to see how many chairs the guy could stack. They saw this last year and have since tried it at home with our Little Tikes yellow chairs. Luckily, we only have 3, not 6 or 7.

There was a fun clown that rode a trick bike that kept falling apart. Actually, that was the ONLY clown. What kind of circus was this??

The boys really enjoyed it (despite Daniel's expression). Nathan was very excited to get a snow cone. Rebekah found enough things to entertain her. Leah had a little fever, so she opted to sleep through as much as she could. I probably should have stayed home with her.

I overheard a mother making comments to her daughter during an acrobatic performance. Actually, I think she wanted to be overheard. Anyway, her daughter mentioned how pretty the costumes of the ladies were and the mother replied that they were immodest. (They did give the illusion of being skimpy, but the only actual flesh you could see was hands, neck and up and part of the back. They were after all, costumes. Not a costume I'd ever wear, but fine for performing in.) Anyway, the mother had to continue to say that you couldn't go to the temple in that, etc., on and on. She made me cringe for how her pious comments must sound to the members of other faiths around her. And then I saw what her daughters were wearing. Sleeveless shirts/dresses and skirts with rips and/or safety pins in them. I nearly had to bite my tongue because I wanted to turn around and say, "Uh, you can't go the the temple in those, either!" So you can tell I was irritated.

My Sometimes Wishes

I was thinking today of things that I might wish for if I could really hope for any action from the wishing. These are things I wish for until I think of some reasons why they aren't good wishes. Here are some of my sometimes wishes, in no particular order.

I wish that my house would burn down. I cannot keep up with the all the STUFF. From too many clothes (that don't fit or do) in the drawers to too many toys that the kids are only attached to when I threaten to get rid of it, we are wading through too many worldly entrapments. But then I think that it would cost me a fortune to build up my junk piles again. Better to just live with the problem.

I wish that I could skip pregnancy. It would be so nice to receive a letter that says, "Congratulations! You can pick up your new little baby in nine months." But then I wouldn't have a good excuse for being the size I am. At least now I can blame it on 5 babies in 7 1/2 years!

I wish that I could taser my kids for disobedience. But then I would get arrested. Maybe I could have video of the behavior first and absolve me of all guilt. No. I'm sure that wouldn't be enough.

I wish I could control who my neighbors are. We have two vacant houses in our circle and we are the only house in the circle with any kids. I would like to hand select "normal" people with "normal, pleasant" children to move in. I wouldn't have to worry about Leah talking about her friends' two mommies or patting down the 3 year old (who escaped her mother for the zillionth time in one day to hide out at our house) for any toys she's trying to steal. (Yes, we have dealt with both situations.) But then if anything went sour, I'd only have myself to blame and I already carry enough guilt in a day.

I wish I could have a Thai restaurant next door. I would have Thai food almost daily. Pad Thai, Pad Gra Pow, etc. It might get a little expensive, so Chad would have to get a second job. But to have a restaurant next door would require a zoning change and our circle would get really congested with traffic (because this would be GOOD food) and all kinds of strange people. I'm already worried about the neighborhood enough. So I'll just wish for a Thai restaurant in town.

I wish that I didn't have to cook. Since I have been sick, Chad has been preparing a lot of meals and it would be really great to have someone always doing that for us. Just show up and enjoy! The way it is now, I feel yucky when I look at food that needs to be prepared and guilty when I sit down to something Chad had to make instead of me. But if someone did all the cooking for me all the time, I wouldn't be able to learn new things. I really didn't learn anything about cooking until I got married and jumped right in.

I wish that the people in this world would take care of each other. I think if we could all just offer our talents to those we see in need, we could manage this life so much easier. We should just be able to use our abilities and share our goods for the benefit of mankind and know we would be blessed likewise. Of course, that would require a world of people that would be of "one heart and one mind." The last group like that that I'm aware of was taken up to heaven. I don't have a "but" for that one. I would really like to see it happen.

'Tis the Season

Birthday season, that is. I've baked and decorate 2 cakes within the past 5 days. We barely finished the first cake before we presented the second. Normally, this would be fine with me. Not so good with the morning sickness still lingering.

Daniel turned 7 on Saturday. He had a basketball-themed day, including the cake, a ball and a hoop. This cake was a little fun to make. It was a little interesting when it tried to roll away during the decorating, but we salvaged it. (At least, Daniel never had a clue.)

Everyone enjoyed the cake, especially Rebekah!

And today was Chad's 34th birthday. His cake wasn't as whimsical, but it didn't take any less time to decorate. (After this week, I think that professional cake decorators must have very strong hands! Mine were killing me.) Just so you are a little impressed, this cake originally said "I love you" but I changed it to "We."

The kids were more than willing to help Chad remove all the candles from his cake. Yes, there were 34!

Rebekah also really enjoyed this cake. And we enjoyed watching her.

Chad got some church shirts and a new belt. (It may look like a whip or an extension cord, but those things don't work as well in his belt loops.)

We have a family tradition to go out to dinner at the honoree's restaurant of choice. I was really wishing the yuckies were gone so I could have enjoyed my dinner and the cake a little better.

When I'm feeling better, we're getting a sitter and going out to eat, just Chad and me!

We've got some cooler weather today. We got up to 49 degrees today. We've had a lot of rain though, so at least we don't have to worry about watering for the rest of the week. The rain is supposed to continue, though and I'm a little worried about the kids' swimming lessons that start on Monday - outdoor pool.

We still have our 2 kittens. They are getting a little bigger and like to explore the house. Jingle doesn't like either one of them. We're careful not to leave him alone with them. I'm hoping he'll adjust and accept them better when they aren't so kittenish.