Swim Lessons

The kids started swimming lessons this week. They are both in the same Level 1 class. And despite Lem's threats ("I am not going.") and tantrums about being signed up, they've both been enjoying it. Yesterday, they were both ready to go and pushing me out the door early. It's unheard of. (By the way, I really hope I don't jinx my good luck by writing about it.)

The class has seven kids and two teachers. Gwyn is the youngest by at least two years, but the teachers have been very nice to her. The first day, they had them all sit on the step and do big kicks, and Gwyn was on the end. All the big boys were splashing like crazy, and she just covered her ears and cowered. But she listens and does what the teachers ask, even jumping off the side (still holding onto a hand).

Lem has been wonderful. He's putting his head completely under, reaching for diving rings. He's leaping off the side, and even swimming by himself a little bit. Then he sinks like a stone. What I'm most happy about is the fact that he's got a huge smile on his face. He's enjoying it, thank God.

Hopefully they learn a little bit, and keep having fun. I may or may not have promised getting a pool if they learn how to swim.

Reading is Fun

Another Hot Weekend in the 'Loo

We headed home again this weekend, to see family again, and also to go to another Cardinals' game. This time, we got tickets for Saturday, which worked out much better for us. Win took Friday off, but ended up having to go in anyway, so we got a late start. Then we sat in road construction traffic for an hour, got rear-ended (that was no biggie, since we were going about five miles a hour), and then because of all that, sat in rush hour/bridge construction traffic when we hit St. Louis. But whatever. The kids were good, and we were all happy to head west.

The game was a lot of fun. We just hung out at home during the day. Lem and Gwyn helped Katherine in the garden, and then, after a long battle, finally fell asleep for a much needed nap. We headed downtown early, to eat dinner first. We ate at Bailey's Range, which was fantastic. Upscale burger and fries, and homemade milk shakes. I got a salad, a Southwest Chicken one, and it was fantastic. Spicy, but great flavors. And delicious avocados. It was a fun place too -- kind of like a cafeteria, with Mason jars for water glasses. And best of all, it was a short walk to the stadium.

Our seats were much better this time (Win was not a fan of my choice of nosebleeds last time), but only got three tickets and thus only had three seats. And we were surrounded by people. Kids under three don't need a ticket, but they don't get a seat either. So it was a long, hot sweaty ball game for she and I, but we still had fun. They played the Cubs, and it was awesome how everyone was good-natured about the rivalry. They had Fred Bird making fun of the Cubs, and when they had the "Guess Which Hat Hides the Ball," they did a Cubs version -- only one hat to make it nice and easy for them.

And the game was great, no scoring except for the seventh inning, when the Cards scored 12 runs. It was a record, and really exciting. Even Gwyn and Lem got into it, cheering and clapping every time someone scored.

Sunday, we had delicious Imo's for lunch, picked up some Schlafly's (love, love, love their Yakima Wheat Ale) to take home with us, and headed to the Farm for a little bit of fishing before heading home. Win and Lem fished and each caught huge bass, and Gwyn swam in the baby pool and played in the sandbox. I talked with Mike and picked some tomatoes to take home.

Lem slept then entire four hour drive home. And because of that, he, and Gwyn, were up until almost midnight. A little rough for Win and I.

Info:
Bailey's Range
St.Louis Cardinals
Schlafly Beer
Imo's Pizza

At the Movies

Saturday was dreary and rainy, so after dinner we went to the early showing of Brave. It was our first time attending a movie as a whole family. Win had hoped to see The Amazing Spiderman, but Lem voted for Brave.

It was good ... but not as good as I'd hoped. It was more serious that it needed to be, and way too moral. The message was a great one -- be yourself and all that -- but I'm not a huge fan of having it shoved down my throat ever five minutes. But the kids liked it, so I guess that it really what matters. I would have much rather watched Tangled again.

I think I might take the kids to a weekday matinee showing of the new Ice Age movie. Those are always entertaining, and I want to see it as much as the kids do.

Now, who will go see Magic Mike with me?

Gender Studies by Baby G

It's funny, but Gwyn has developed some of her very own, very definite rules about girls. I don't know how she came up with them, but I know they would make her feminist aunts cringe.

Here they are, there are just two right now:

"Girls don't like beer." What I really think she means is little girls don't like beer. Which is fine with me. But I always tell her that girls do like beer, and that I like beer. And also that girls can drink beer (when they are old enough), not just boys like Dada.

"Girls like pink. Boys not like pink." Purple is included in this as well, even though we've discussed how both Lem and Win have purple shirts. And neither one is opposed to pink either. But somewhere, she came up with this.

Does it all go back to nature vs. nurture? Having a boy and girl, I've really seen how different they are. And also having both a boy and a girl, I think we've done a good job of balancing out the gender-based toys and also, roles. Gwyn will play with trains and guns the same as Lem, and he will cook and play princesses and knights with her. But he likes to fight and wrestle, and she likes to wear perfume and pretend she's wearing long dresses.

... It's very, very interesting, and always entertaining.

A New Addition

We have a new member of our extended family! My brother and his fiancee welcomed a son on July 2. They are in California, so we have all had to wait for those few first photos via text message and Facebook. Everything went well, and quickly, and I am so happy and excited for them.

What We've Been Reading and Catching Up

We've had a busy last two weeks -- celebrating a birthday, an anniversary, a holiday, going on vacation and visiting family. I am going to be posting entries for the last two weeks, so keep checking (by scrolling down on the page) to see if there are new ones, all the way back to June 22. I also need to free up some space on my computer so I can upload the many, many pictures I took the last two weeks.

So it's summer, and summer is the best time for epic stories. I started reading the Harry Potter series again. I've read these books more times than I can count, and they never fail to entertain. This time, however, Lem took an interest in what I was reading. He kept asking what number I was on (I'm starting No. 5 next), and studying the book jackets. Then he asked if I would read it to him

So I have. We are about 2/3 through Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I wondered if he would understand it, but he seems to. He is always asking my to read it, and the morning after we read the chapter where Harry learns about Quidditch, Lem woke up and said, "I dreamed I was playing Quidditch, and I was the Seeker." I also wondered if the story would be too dark and twisted for him, but then I thought about all the Batman, Spiderman, Justice League, etc. cartoons he's watched, and figured it's not any darker than those. And ultimately, it's a story about good triumphing over evil, and that's always a good story line. And this has been fun for me too, because I love these books, and know them well. And also because I've been desperate for a break from Calvin and Hobbes.

Gwyn, by the way, has not been too interested. She calls the book "Harry Potty."

The other series Win and I are both reading now is The Game of Thrones. He asked me to get him the first book for him, and he read it first. Then I started the first one, and it took me an entire week at the beach to finish it -- it is so long and so dense and so gripping. I have yet to see the TV show, but the books (I'm on the second now, Win is on the third), are very entertaining. And did I mention how long they are? I love a good, long story.

The story is about a kingdom set in a fantasy land, in the way that The Lord of the Rings was. The main story line is the succession of the king, or kings, and the wars because that. But the stories of all the people involved are fascinating -- each chapter tells and continues the story of several main characters. The writer, George R.R. Martin, is very descriptive without being too flowery. So I'm a fan, and I'm interested to watch the show, after I've read the books. There are five in all.

Last Day, Drive home, seeing Jessica

We didn't do much our last day. I had to run to the store to get a few things -- I had almost shopped perfectly for the week! We swam, fished, relaxed. We grilled steaks for dinner.

The next day we headed out. It was the beginning (for us) of the awful heat wave. At 9 a.m. the heat was already oppressive. It hit 103 degrees by the time we hit Fayetteville around noon.

We had made the detour to Fayetteville, NC, to visit Rich and Jessica. It was great to see them, but too short. Rich couldn't even come out to eat lunch with us, because he had to study. But Katherine surprised us again by driving up to see us again. So we had a sweaty (the AC was on the fritz) but fun lunch, complete with only one spilled soda, and one child (Lem) covered in ketchup. We ate at the Huske Hardware Brewery in downtown Fayetteville. It was very good, but Win was disappointed that he couldn't try one of their beers, since we were getting right back on the road.

We watched storms pop up all around us as we headed West. Luckily, we passed by all of them. We finally stopped in late afternoon, still in North Carolina. But we found a brand new hotel (thanks Google Maps) right off the highway and right next to a Carraba's Grill. So we walked to dinner and had a really nice evening. And Carraba's was surprisingly good. We  are still very suspicious of what American restaurants call Italian food.

Information:
Hampton Inn, Hickory, NC
Huske Hardware