Swimming Lessons......Part 2

It has been a crazy couple of weeks around here. Which, of course, means I have a lot of catching up to do with my blog here. And...because it would take too much time and effort to keep everything straight....none of these next several posts are in any specific order. I was there....just don't ask me to remember which day it actually happened. :0)


Landon finished up his swimming lessons this last week and passed with flying colors! In fact, every box on his certificate was checked off. {We can't say the same for Mackenzee} Not only that, but the class that he was supposed to be in told him he swam too well for their class and automatically bumped him up to the next higher class level. So, he atually passed two levels of swimming classes instead of just one. Way to go Landon!



He is doing so well with his swimming and is turning into quite the little fish. In fact, he passed the "mommy" swimming test out at Bass Lake last week as well. Last year he struggled and ran out of energy while trying to swim out to the dock and ended up needing Jaysen to help him make it there. So, he did not pass the test last year and was "forced" to wear a life jacket if he wanted to go out in the deep water. This year he didn't need any help at all and so he doesn't have to face the "shame" of wearing a life jacket.

Though it was awesome to watch Landon learn new swimming strokes and how to dive, trying to keep Mackenzee entertained in the hot sun for an hour every day for the last two weeks was definitely interesting. She got in trouble with one of the life guards there for pretending the bench on the side of the concrete was a balance beam. She had to get down and take the walk of shame back to her mother {who had already told her not to walk across the bench but apparently does not have as much authority as Mr. Lifeguard}. She later told me that the lifeguard was mean to her and so she hated him. Good times.......

On a different day, a different Mr. Lifeguard was seen walking around with a Hello Kitty towel wrapped around him. Mackenzee laughed and told me that he was a girl.

And, still another Mr. Lifeguard was commented on. Mackenzee was quite taken with him and let everyone sitting around us know by pointing emphatically towards him and then, speaking very loudly, said, "he has BIG muscles!". After which she struck the muscle man pose with her arms up in the air. She was right....the guy did have big muscles...but I am worried about the fact that my three year old is already checking out lifeguards. I may be in trouble. ;0)







Congrats Landon!

What Were They Thinking?

Sigh. It WAS a calm Sunday morning. The kids were playing. Jaysen was back in bed and I was reading the newspaper. Good stuff. Landon runs up the stairs asking me if I have a box big enough to turn into a house for him and Mackenzee to play in. There is no such box at my house. Disappointed, he goes back downstairs with Mackenzee trailing behind him.

A few minutes later I hear..."This will be a perfect turbo shoot for us! Come on Kenzee!" After investigating I find my children with the box that holds the Christmas tree after it is taken down. I had put it in the basement after putting the tree together. His plan, had I not foiled it, was to have them both climb in and then slide down the stairs in it. What??????? I told him that I was going to need the box after Christmas was over, so he was out of luck. (Here I was thinking I had made it impossible for him to "turbo shoot" down the stairs)

Again....a few minutes later he brings the box that Toby's doghouse had come in up the stairs (not sure why Jaysen put it down there instead of in the garbage) and wants to know if I "need" that box. What is a mom to do? I don't need the box. At all. So, I tell him I don't need it for anything. The turbo shoot is back. Of course, he decided it first required some decorations. So, Kenzee and Landon took some markers to it and made it "beautiful". Landon added some flames. Sigh.

At this point Jaysen figures out what is going on and gets all excited about it. "This is the kind of stuff we did as a kid!" So, he got a knife and cut holes in the sides of the box for handles and made sure we used EVERY pillow in the house to use as padding at the bottom of the stairs. He even had to try it out first to make sure it was "safe". I think he just wanted to relive his "glory days". ;0)

So, we load Landon on and push him down the stairs and there was no turning back. Even Kenzee wanted in on the action. Yes, my two year old! (though with Kenzee Jaysen only let her go from the halfway point down the stairs) They even made me try it. Seriously...it's not my idea of a great time. But I'm a playful parent...I like to have fun with my kids. So I went for it. Once. That was plenty. Though I did get a round of applause from the kids ;0) Sigh. They'd still be going at it if it weren't for nap time. And now Jaysen thinks it needs "improvements". He wants to "fix it up". It's a box for heaven's sake! Boys! They are crazy!