Swim lesson excitement

Today was the third day of our second round of swim lessons, and I wanted to share my excitement over their progress. I've been eager for the boys to learn how to swim -- not expertly, but well enough that they can go to a pool, have fun, and I don't have to be holding on to them (which is pretty much impossible with 3 at once!). In my mind, teaching them to swim is simply one of those parental must-dos, and with Jack at 6 years old, I don't want to wait too much longer for him to learn this life skill.

The boys learned some valuable skills, and became much more comfortable in the water, during their first swim lessons, but at the end they couldn't actually swim on their own. I had hoped to help them practice at our neighborhood pool, but we still haven't made it over there yet! So, they really needed another round of lessons to continue building their skills.

I was so thrilled today when Jack's swim teacher had him leaping off the side of the pool, into the water, all by himself! Jack, by nature, a cautious and wary little guy (with an occasional bout of "I can't!" pessimism thrown in), so to see him jump in deep enough to get his head soaked was pretty exciting. He's also pretty close to being able to swim on his own -- I'm thinking he'll be there by the end of lessons next week. And, best of all, he kept saying "Today was SO fun!" after the lessons, so he's really enjoying it.

Thomas is also doing very well, SO much less afraid of getting in the water, getting his ears and face wet, etc. than last time. And, I haven't had to go in the water and help encourage him (he's much more willing to listen to his teacher this time), so that has been awesome. He's more wary of the water than Jack is, but he's also 2 years younger and not as physically agile.

Two weeks from today, we're starting back on home schooling. I'm a little sad about the end of summer (it seemed so short!), and a little wary of battling wills with Jack when he doesn't feel like learning, but I think getting back into the routine of schooling will be a good thing.

Still, I'm trying to think of fun things we can do these next couple of weeks off -- I think we'll make a bunch of Kool-Aid playdough one day. I'd also like to take them on an interesting hike -- an easy one, but somewhere with interesting things to see. Maybe a picnic lunch or two at a park. I'll have to see what else I can come up with!

A couple days after we start school again, Jack has an appointment with an allergist out here to see how his allergies are doing. They'll retest him for the nut allergies. I'm not really expecting him to have outgrown them, but it has been about 3 years since his last allergy test, so it's possible, and it will be good to know either way.

Other than that, we're all staying healthy and enjoying the fun weather (thunderstorms just about every afternoon!). We're not sure where we're going next, but we'll be sure to keep everyone posted as soon as we do!

Pikes Peak Photos

I think in the above picture you can just see the curvature of the horizon.

Pikes Peak

A few weeks ago, we made the drive up to Pikes Peak. David offered to drive, which was great, since it's pretty serious mountain driving (you know, hairpin turns, not all of which have guardrails near the loooong drop offs). He drove expertly, and it was quite an adventure winding our way up to the 14,000+ peak. When we got out of the car at the top, we could really feel the lack of oxygen -- we all felt a little lightheaded and tired from just existing up there. It was also cold -- like there was unmelted snow. So, we spend a little while up there, took pictures, and read the plaques that said that the song "America the Beautiful" was written by a lady who had just visited Pikes Peak and was so inspired by it. It's funny, because at certain times of the day, I've noticed that the mountains around here can have a purplish tint, and sure enough, she was talking about Colorado mountains when she wrote "purple mountains majesty"!

The boys have their last T-ball games this Saturday morning, and then Thomas's team has a little team party right after. I volutnteered to bring baseball cupcakes (the tops are just decorated like baseballs), so I think the kids will enjoy that. On Monday, Jack and Thomas are picking back up on swimming lessons -- 2 weeks of lessons, 4 days per week. It should be intense, but I hope they'll be more confident afterward.

The week after swim lessons, we're going to start homeschooling again. There's a Catholic homeschooling co-op here (parents sign up as teachers for various "extra" subjects, like neat science classes, language classes, etc.). It's a really neat idea! The co-op meets once a week from the middle of August until November (so we'll miss the last couple of weeks when we move). I'm not teaching anything (everyone pitches in, so I'm sure I'll be helping out in some other way) -- and it's a great opportunity to get Jack and Thomas together with other homeschooled kids. They even have a preschool session that Thomas can be in, and a nursery for littler kids.

Anyway, Blogger is having trouble uploading my Pikes Peak photos, so I'll post this text and will try and put up the photos later.

Garden of the Gods

We went to this beautiful park maybe a little while ago, but with all the hubbub I never got around the posting the pictures. It was lovely! I hope we get back there to see more of the trails before our time in Colroado is up.

Speaking of which, I can't believe we have less than 3 months left here! I know we have lots more exciting adventures ahead of us in other parts of the country, but I'll miss Colorado. We have a few more must-sees before we leave town, though:

1. The Florissant Fossil beds and quarry (you can find your own real fossils and take them home!)

2. The Donut Mill (home of apparently exceptional and ginormous donuts)

3. The Colorado State Fair in late August (fair food!)

4. A visit to the Air Force Academy

5. More fishing

... and I'm sure there's a few more but I can't think of them at the moment!

Other than whittling away at our must-see list, we're enjoying the summer weather and more relaxed schedules. The boys have 2 more weeks of T-ball, and then I'm thinking about putting them in one more summer swim lesson at the YMCA. I thought I'd get more chances to swim with them at our community pool, but I'm not brave enough to take all 3 boys there by myself during the week, and our weekends have been busy lately. Once Jack and Thomas become more confident swimmers, I'll happily take all 3 to the pool, but the thought of trying to keep all 3 of them safe in the water at this point, when I only have 2 hands, is too nerve-wracking to consider!

Right now, David is at the movies seeing Toy Story 3 with Jack and Thomas. This is their first-ever movie theater movie! They were pretty excited as they were leaving the house -- I look forward to hearing all about it when they get back home. Peter is still napping, so the house is very quiet!

The beginning of the end

of baby teeth!

Yes, David did use the pliers to remove the tooth, but it was more than ready to come out.

We've all been well lately, just busy. We have some great pictures from camping and from our trip to Pike's Peak that I'll post soon!

Helicopter Cake

I made a helicopter cake for Peter's 2nd birthday, and I think it turned out pretty good! I tried to model it after the Dinoco helicopter in the Cars movie. David and the boys were impressed, although it does look a little like a muppet helicopter :).

Jack's T-Ball

Jack's had 2 practices for his T-ball team now, and he loves it!