Jonathan's Swim Lessons

Everyday when we got ready to head to swim lessons, Jonathan would start whining, "I don't wanna go to 'fwim' lessons!"..."Not the blue diaper, the white one!"..."No 'fwimsuit', just clothes, okay mom?" So after the first day of putting Jonathan in his swim diaper at home and listening to him whine for the full 15 min trip to swim lessons, I started dressing him in normal clothes at home, only to change him in the back of the van once we arrived at swim lessons. Then I only had to listen to him whine once we pulled up, and that didn't give him near enough time to get really worked up - since it was all fake anyway. Everyday I'd walk him in as he continued to whine, "I don't want to 'fwim', I just wanna sit next to Sissy." Jonathan's lessons were private, 1 on 1, lessons due to his age, where as Clara was in a class of 5. Jonathan wanted to be able to sit on the steps with the big kids. His teacher allowed him to start every class sitting on the steps just like the big kids, but quickly was able to get him in the water swimming. Everyday when I went back to pick up the kids, Jonathan was standing on the pool deck with Clara and would start doing his happy dance as soon as he saw me and say, "I had fun fwimming, mom." Sure enough the next day he would whine the whole way in again -- for the full 2 weeks. Of course, even that is a drastic improvement from last year when he spent the full 2 weeks crying through the whole lesson.

Just check out these pics and see how much Jonathan 'hated' swim lessons this year!

At the start of class, sitting on the steps

That smile is certainly indicative of the torture he went through!

Swimming underwater to the wall

Posing for the camera

More swimming with his face in the water

Look at him go!

Obviously he hated his teacher, Ms. Maureen, too!

My little flirt!

Taking a break.

Found his Pockets

Jumping to Ms. Maureen off the wall

Check out that smile! One day I went to pick him up, and his teacher said he didn't want to stop jumping off the diving board!

Splash!!!!!

So we finished up swim lessons this past Friday and just because my son likes to torture me, he has started whining every morning since then, "I wanna go to 'fwim lessons'!" I can't win with that kid!!!!

Kings County Fair

Last weekend one of my neighbors and I got together to take our kids to the fair. It was shockingly expensive, so we didn't stick around long or do much, but here are a few of the pics I took while we were there.

The first ride the kids did was the carousel...well, everyone, but Jonathan. I wasn't allowed on ANY of the rides since I'm pregnant and Jonathan wasn't about to go on the carousel without me. My poor neighbor had to go on to watch after Clara and her two kids all on her own. Clara was the oldest of all the kids, but she's not too keen on being on a carousel without someone standing right next to her either. Talk about fun!

We found a train ride that was more their style. Clara and Jonathan sat on one side, with Connor and Ella on the other.

Clara tried getting all the kids to yell, "Choo, choo." Jonathan really liked the train.

They had a 'mini-circus' at the fair as well, which was really just a couple of clowns doing a show. The kids enjoyed it, except Connor. His mom discovered he had a fear of clowns as she tried to walk him into the tent, so it was my turn to do something on my own with 3 kids (a little practice never hurt anyone!) At the end of the circus show, they invited all the kids on stage for a dance contest. Both Clara and Jonathan made it to the second round. Clara made it to the third round and wound up with 2nd place...only because the other kid pulled out the centipede! :)

2nd place won her that balloon animal - a poodle!

One last ride for the girls - the teacups. Clara remembered them from Dinseyland, and was really excited to get to ride them again.

Like I said the fair was super expensive. You expect some expense when going to a fair, but in a small town such as this, it was outrageous, so we cut out a little early and went to dinner instead. Still, the kids had fun and that's all that matters!

Cow-a-bunga!

Yep! Today was 'Cow Appreciation Day' at Chick-fil-A, and since my husband was kind enough to teach Clara how to read, she figured it out all on her own a few weeks back and roped me in. I knew they do this every year, but wasn't sure I'd have the nerve to join in. However, when your 5 year old looks at you and excitedly asks, "Can we do this, mom?", well, sometimes your heart speaks before your brain. Clara read all about this day on the kids' meal bag a few weeks ago when we stopped into Chick-fil-A for lunch, and since then I've gotten the countdown ("Not this Friday, but next Friday....only 3 more days!..."). There was no chance I was going to back out of this one. The manager took our picture as soon as we walked in, and brought it to us in a souvenir picture frame/folder while we were eating. The cow picture above was on the front cover.

...and this was the picture she took. Notice Clara's hand placement! When I first opened the folder to take a look at the picture, I just about fell out of the booth laughing. Clara didn't understand why this was so funny to me. Of course, when we were putting on our costumes in the parking lot and Clara first noticed the udders, her first response was, "That's your cow front" (a term we have used to refer to our private area in the past)." I said, "No, that's where the milk comes from. They're called 'udders'." She then got very excited and said, "You're the mommy cow and we're the baby cows, so do we get to drink milk from your 'boobies'?" I suddenly had visions of being kicked out of Chick-fil-A for 'nursing' my children on my 'udders' and strongly cautioned her against it. Thankfully, she didn't put up a fight!

The cutest cow I've ever seen!

I found these raincoats at Target in the garden section and they were clearanced down to $2.50. I can't make cow parts for cheaper. My costume was borrowed from my husband's Commanding Officer's Wife, a.k.a. COW (she was given it, and forced to wear it once, as a bit of an act of hazing). Can you believe she didn't want to wear it again?

A new type of camouflage. They had cow print table cloths on all the tables, so we blended right in! The first 5 min after we sat down, we were surrounded by people asking if it was OK to take our picture. Everyone was raving about how cute the kids were. I asked one of the crowd to take our picture with my camera, too. The whole time Clara was eating, Clara kept saying, "Free chicken is good. I never had free chicken before. It tastes just like the regular stuff only it's free." I swear I don't typically make her pay for her own meals, but you would've thought I did.

Can you tell my kids are enamoured by the Chick-fil-A Cow?!

By the time we left, we had made it to their poster board that greeted everyone just inside the door. We're on the lower left, next to the 'black cow with white spots'.

Clara told me as we got into the car, "Mom, this was the best day, EVER!"...Sometimes I wonder about her.

Not so Happy 4th of July

It seems like I've been saying it a lot lately, but the kids and I are still having a difficult time getting things on track since Chris left. Things haven't been horrible, but it's been anything but smooth sailing around here lately. Seems like we only get 2-3 good days at a time and then a bad day hits us with a vengeance. Maybe this pregnancy just has me at a more emotional state that has left me feeling ill-prepared to deal with the typical inconveniences life brings. After all, I can't really say anything has gone horribly wrong, it's just that not much seems to be going right. I realize that I am so blessed and so fortunate, and so many have it so much worse than I do, but then I have a day like today and I just want to curl up in a ball and cry.

I thought I was doing good this morning, taking advantage of not having to get Jonathan to Little Gym since they're closed for the holiday, and instead took the cat to the vaccination clinic our vet does on the first Saturday of every month. She was about 4 months past due, but this was the first month we didn't have conflicting plans (postcard came late, Chris leaving, Clara's recital...). On the way home, some nice person pulled alongside me on the freeway to let me know my driver's side front tire was low on air - way low. I have never really had to deal with a flat on my own, so I was not looking forward to having to for the first time. I know a flat is a minor thing, especially when it's one like this, a slow leak, not one that leaves you stranded on the side of the road, but it was not the way I wanted to start my morning today. I made it home, aired up the tire (with my neighbor's help) and headed into town again to Wal-mart to have it fixed. I'm thankful for Wal-mart's automotive department when I have to get work done on the car (oil changes, tires) and have to bring the kids along with me. It only took about 90 minutes and the kids were cooperative, so we made it home in time for naps, looking forward to a better finish to our day.

After naps, Jonathan was jumping in our recliner. I had just told him to stop or he was going to get hurt. However, instead of making him get out of the chair, as any knowing mother would, I then walked out of the room to go begin making dinner. No sooner than I walked into the next room, Jonathan was crying. He came to see me and blood was coming from his mouth. It took a while for me to locate the source, but somehow he managed to split the gingiva in front of his upper right front tooth. The gingiva is split from both sides of that tooth up towards the lip so that it can flap back a little. All the teeth are stable, and I wasn't sure there was much to be done, but I needed to hear that from a professional, so I took Clara to the neighbor's house (the same one who'd helped me with the tire in the morning) and ran Jonathan up to the Urgent Care Clinic. Sure enough, nothing to be done, just give him Tylenol and keep an eye on the area. It should heal itself within a week. We were home in time to collect Clara from the neighbor's and still head out to see the fireworks. My original plan was to watch them at a distance as we did last year, since Clara's not so keen on loud noises, but I found a good spot that was closer and decided to try it out. BIG mistake. We even ran into my helpful neighbors and sat with them (I wouldn't blame them if they act as if they don't know me after today)! Clara decided she had to go potty just before the show started, so we started the long trek in search of a bathroom when the show started. It was loud...Clara screamed and screamed. Eventually, Jonathan decided there must be good reason so he joined in. We were no where near our van anymore, and I still have no idea where the bathrooms were. Clara insisted we go home, which was fine by me at this point, but she refused to walk back toward the van since it was in the general direction of the fireworks. Instead she pulled me back and screamed. Eventually I was able to drag her back to the van (my helpful neighbor helped me gather our chairs), and we were on our way...or not. The police blocked all exits for the duration of the show, so I had no choice but to stay. The kids then started screaming because we weren't leaving. It was horrible! Thankfully it wasn't a long show, but we still got caught in all the traffic. I cautioned the kids not to say another word until we got home. Jonathan ended up falling asleep in the van and Clara stayed pretty quiet. They are now in bed, hopefully preparing for a much better day tomorrow.

Like I said, all petty things gone wrong, but I've had my fill. I did take some time to snap some pics of the kids between our visit to the Urgent Care Clinic and our nightmare with the fireworks.

It's a little blurry, but still very cute!

You have no idea how long it took me to get a picture where BOTH kids were looking.

Jonathan showing off his tattoo

Clara's tattoo

Before the real fireworks show started, some people in a nearby neighborhood were setting of some fireworks of their own.

This is Clara counseling Jonathan on "Don't worry, they're not too loud. I'm right here, it's OK!" Gotta love the irony!

I hope everyone else had a great 4th of July, and took the chance to think about what it really means in terms of our freedom and independence, and the men and women who protect it.

It's a Circus Around Here!

Well, OK...that's because I took the kids to see the circus today, but really, how different is that than any other day? The kids were excited to go, but after about 45 minutes they'd had their fill. It was a bit of sensory overload for me, as well. I didn't mind watching the show, but I could have done without the constant circus music. I think the kids need more talking to stay with the show. There wasn't much talking throughout this show, and it was difficult to understand when they did. Clara and Jonathan are always glued to the live shows we go to, even when we've gone to see plays at the children's theatre, but this just didn't seem to be their thing, unless animals were the performers, that is.

Their anticipation was so great at the beginning of the show, I couldn't get them to look at the camera for a single picture.

Opening ceremony...During the National Anthem.

Clara liked the horses. Here, all the 'like' horses matched themselves up. Clara thought it was cool that they could find their own groups.

At this point, he was still very interested in the show.

Gitti-up!

The acrobats -- this sort of stuff was pretty much lost on my kids...except Clara did enjoy the costumes.

Riding a bike on a tight rope...once again, completely lost on my kids. Clara had no idea they were on a rope, and when I told her, she just said, "Why?" (Like, what idiot would do that?)

Each tiger is sitting on the back of another. Clara was only interested in "why is there a white tiger?" and "how come some don't have stripes?"...I can't say I had answers either.

The tigers didn't seem friendly at all. I don't know if that was part of the act, or if they're just tired of being treated like circus animals. I held my breath the whole time, just praying not to have an incident, thinking how awful that would be for my kids to watch. Thankfully, for everyone, everything went fine!

This was Clara toward the end of the show, tired and over the circus. It could have to do with the fact that she was so excited this morning she got up at 6:45am (typical wake-up time around here is closer to 8:30 am). We went to an early showing (11:30am), so we wouldn't have to deal with crowds and such since the kids and I were braving it without Chris. Clara actually said to me, "Do you know why this circus thing is taking so long?" Maybe we're just not circus people :)

Finally, the end of the 'Greatest Show on Earth'

The finale.

I wouldn't say we had a bad time, just that it's not really our thing. I haven't been to the circus since I was in high school and I remember thinking it was pretty cool. (I even got to be in it!) But either this show wasn't as cool or my perspective has changed quite drastically. And honestly, I love it that my kids are more into theatre shows than the circus...I have to agree with them!

Paging all Doctors...

Today I had a routine OB appointment and I had to take the kids along with me. I've done it plenty times before, but I was worried this time because I'd had no choice but to schedule the appointment for the time when naps generally begin. I was worried I'd have 2 grumpy kids in tow, but I was pleasantly surprised instead! On the way out of the hospital, we picked up two of the masks they leave all around for you in case you come in sick, so as not to spread your germs any more than necessary. The kids are having a blast with them!

Dr. Clara

Dr. Jonathan

'Stein Family Practice'

I think the look suits them well :)

My appointment went well, as expected. Everything's still going along as planned. I even ALMOST got my c-section scheduled, but the doctor I was seeing today realized she was on leave the week I'm due to have it, and I guess she can't schedule the c-section for other doctors. I'll try again next time, as I know it will give my parents some peace of mind as to when to be here. My next appointment is in 2 weeks. I'll be seeing a doctor I haven't seen before, so we'll see how that goes. But for now, the baby is healthy, I have no real complaints, and as you can see I have 2 of the best doctors in town living right here with me :-)

Who could ask for more?

Little Gym

Today the kids had gymnastics at Little Gym again. Jonathan's class is typically on Saturday, but they're closed this coming Saturday for the 4th of July holiday, so we made up his class today. Actually, I also switched him out of the class with younger kids (ranging 19 mo-3yrs) and into a class with older kids (3yrs-5yrs). Both classes are ones that combine 2 age groups, but none of the times for classes in just his age group are convenient to our summer schedule. Otherwise, he'd be more appropriately placed in either a class of just 2.5-3 yr olds or 3-4yr olds. I felt he was too big and a little too rough in the class with the younger kids, so I moved him up. The biggest difference is that now he's not in a 'mommy and me' type class. The 3-5yr old class is one he goes into on his own with the other kids. I was worried about him being able to take direction and stay with the group, but he did fine this past Saturday when he tried it out. Though it makes me sad to not be in there with him. He seems to really enjoy sharing that time with me. Today we were able to do his make-up class in the 'mommy and me' class of 2.5-3yr olds. I think it's the best fit for him (and me), but unfortunately it's not at a time that fits into our schedule most weeks with swim lessons and more zoo camp coming up. Regardless, we had a blast today.

Today's class started with a little coordination practice -- golfing!

Jonathan maintained the same theory he had when we went to the miniature golf place before Chris left -- Why bother putting from a distance, when you can just pick the ball up and set it down right next to the hole?...Just increasing the odds, I guess.

He practiced walking on the balance beam again...

...even without holding on...

...and pretended to be a dog on the high balance beam.

This was the 'skill of the week', walking his hands and feet down these bars. This was the first time he did it, with Mrs. Audrey helping. He thought it was so fun that he did it later on his own. Once he understood what he was supposed to be doing, he didn't need any help, except to get up there in the first place. I didn't take any pics of him doing it on his own, because I was too afraid to have something in my hands in case he fell, but he didn't need me.

When he finished walking down the bars, he was supposed to swing his feet down, while still hanging on with his hands. (He did need help with that part both times too).

They let Clara come in to join with the closing of class -- she was sooo excited.

She caught a bubble on her finger!

We had to go back for Clara's class this evening as well. I still haven't figured out how to get pictures of her in her class when I have Jonathan with me. (I really need to find a sitter!) She's been doing great in her class as well, being brave and loving every minute of it!