Swimming Pictures

I know most of my "swimming updates" are videos and I apologize for not having one here. However, rest assured the kids continue to improve weekly in their lessons. Each are now treading water and floating by themselves in addition to continuing to improve their true swimming strokes. I finally brought my "big" camera to the lesson a few weeks ago. Needless to say, I enjoyed myself.

This is actually the end of the lesson. If they started with jumping and diving, they'd never get her doing anything else!

Such form!

Happy little kicker!
The story is this: Miss Anna has been trying to teach Kendall to swim and come up for a breath. She does everything she's told to do. Except actually take a breath. She swims, comes up for air, but never actually takes a breath. But by-golly she sure does open her mouth! There will be some major celebration when she finally masters this skill!

Kendall continues to surprise me with her improvement...both in stroke and in attitude. Swimming lessons are officially now one of her favorite activities. She loves every stroke, every jump and dive. Goggles are very, very optional.

Kendall laughs at Miss Anna. Probably because Anna asked her something really hilarious, like "Come on, Kendall, swim to me now please!"

This was Cooper's warm-up. He came up from each of his 'bobs' with a gigantic smile on his face.

I don't really even think he knows he has goggles on. He wears them the entire lesson and then asks for them back on in the bathtub at home.

Last Day of Winter

This year, I wanted to have a going away party for winter. I wanted streamers, noisemakers and cupcakes to celebrate the end of this dreadful season. Instead, Chip and I headed to the mountains with the kids on a gorgeous, perfect 70+ degree day. I couldn't have imagined a more perfect way to celebrate the impending hibernation of my least favorite season.

We struggle sometimes when planning a "hike" with the kids. In the warmer months, it is a little easier, as we can plan to do a little walking mixed in with a whole lot of swimming and skipping rocks. Chip and I have to continually remind each other that the kids can't do even a "moderate" hike. Although the Sugarlands Nature Trail wouldn't have even made our list of Top 100 hikes 5 years ago, it was perfect for what we need right now!

The bouncy tree was a source of great enjoyment for the kids. My feet started hurting while we stood for what seemed like an hour while they played on this fallen piece of nature.

Kendall refused to stand up, even though there were people waiting to get their own pictures. She kept saying she was "laying in the sun." We all know she doesn't get that from me!

Be on the lookout for our 2010 Christmas card. We may be revisiting Cataract Falls in late summer to try to duplicate this photo, but with more "updated" children! This is one of my favorite family photos to date!

After a picnic, our hike and a relaxing drive through the mountains, we headed back home in time to let Sam come over for a bit to play. Cooper is such a good Big Cousin and helped Sam find his way across our yard.

Afterwards, I actually had time to cook a homemade dinner and the kids were in bed before 7:30. Chip asked me if I was going to read "A Good Day" to the kids that night at bedtime. I was overjoyed with the perfection of our day!

Happy, Happy Spring, Ya'll!

A Leisurely Stroll

It was Spring Break last week and, odd as it may sound, our daycare was closed in addition to the local school systems. This creates a tricky childcare situation given that I'm still the only person working the front desk at the office. So, Thursday found me with the first day off in quite some time (unrelated to illness, of course). The kids and I decided it was a ZooDay. We finally decided to change out of our pj's around 11AM, I threw in a change of clothes in the car at the last minute and I double-checked I had my zoo pass. I didn't bring my camera (well, let's not be silly now, of course I had my smaller camera b/c it fit in my pocket), a bag for the kids, water or much at all besides my car keys, phone and some cash. The only thing missing was Daddy!


It was the best trip I've had to the zoo in quite some time. There was no rush, we quickly shed our jackets soon after arriving, the kids were in great moods and I didn't have a backpack, heavy camera, snacks and drinks to weigh me down. I put my keys in my pocket and enjoyed strolling through the zoo. For almost FOUR hours!

Brushing the goats.

Kendall's photography skills are improving!

The jeep is always a source of enjoyment (kids), boredom (parents) and bribery (if the parents find the need, they can bribe the kids with the lack of jeep play-time).

I don't document my children's lives very well when it comes to growth. I've seen some really neat ways people do this and I'm pretty jealous. However, this picture on the scorching hot, metal lion at the zoo can do it for me. I probably have a picture of each child from every single zoo trip we've ever taken.

Pretending to be an elephant.

It was an unforgettable day for me. We absolutely took our time and all along the way I realized, many times, that I don't take the time to enjoy my children enough. It's been a while since I've been able to just walk with them, talk with them and play with them for 4 straight hours with absolutely nothing else to do. And because we took our time, we saw more than we usually do. We saw an elephant eating mud, an itty-bitty, newborn piglet, a Gorilla's "bootie" (sorry, but it was a source of great humor for my kids that day), a very playful baby Chimp, we figured out how Giraffe's scratch their backs, and searched for, and found, Kali the Tiger (which naturally always sparks a Kali the Cousin conversation) who is normally playing a very skilled game of hide and seek. We stopped to smell the roses that day, for sure, and they smelled mighty good!

The Greatest Show on Earth

Or..."The Not-So Greatest Show on Earth", in our opinion.

The last time I went to see the circus was in college, around 1996. At that time, I sat in one of the first few rows on the floor...great seats for all the 3-ringed action. There were high-wire acts, flying trapeze artists, lions and tigers that were actually kind-of scary. In addition, there were several trained Old English Sheepdogs, which, no offense to my 3 weimaraners, remain my "dream dog" (alas, to be fair, my dream dog doesn't shed, doesn't slobber, doesn't bark or whine and also mops my floors and does my laundry while I'm gone). All in all, there was a lot going on. It was, in fact, a three-ring circus. The old-fashioned kind, with all the stereotypical circus acts, contortionists, magicians and loads of healthy-looking, entertaining animals.

Bring us to 2010. The circus was in town a few weeks ago and we are just now blogging about it because, honestly, it wasn't worth rushing online for. I told Chip that I felt like this was the Circus of Misfits. Or that if you disobey Circus Rules, accidentally don't cut the lady in half, or fall off the tight rope, you have to go to the small cities, like pitiful little Knoxville, Tennessee. It was one ring, first of all. Right off the bat it made me angry. Whoever heard of a one-ring Barnum and Bailey circus?? And the so-called "tight-tope?" It was an x-shaped rope that was hovering a death-defying 4 feet off the ground. The tight-rope walkers were two young guys that had to do about 14 deep yoga breaths before even walking in a straight line. And you should know, it was a far from flawless routine with a few falls. The terrifying lions and their fearless trainer? More like bored and drugged lions and their weird trainer who looked like he had been into the same prescription sedatives they gave all the lions. They basically growled on que and chomped the air in the direction of the raw meat on the stick. By far the most exciting moment was when the guy on the motorcycle rode up a rope above the crowd with 2 girls swinging from the trapeze (alas, they didn't actually do any tricks). Honestly though, that was only the best part because we're good parents...the joy on Cooper's face when he saw that was priceless.

We spent $21 before the show started on a large scoop of snow cone in a "collector's cup."

Looks yummy doesn't it? She sure did enjoy it! That is, until she took a break, put it on the floor under her chair, then watched as a lady walking past us kicked it over with her foot! The lady didn't notice, Kendall cried, but was happy enough to get a $3 Sprite instead of another $10.50 snowcone!

In the background is the entrance to the one ring.
Kendall demanded to wear her orange and white tutu so she could "be like the dancer girls at the circus!" There were no dancer girls with tutus, but luckily she didn't seem to notice!

I ended up winning 2 tickets in an online Facebook contest, so for about $50 total (plus the snowcones and Sprite, of course), it wasn't too bad overall. The kids loved it because there was enough going on to keep their interest (I suppose jumping through a "ring" of "fire" is exciting to a 3 and 4 year old). I just don't know if I'll rush back next year!

It's Wee Ball Time in Tennessee!

As recently as about 2 months ago, Cooper was going to be signed up for soccer this spring. It made the most sense. I'm not playing tennis right now and Chip misses soccer almost enough to offer to help coach the little ones. Then one day we got a call from one of Cooper's best friend's dad asking if Cooper would like to play tee ball this spring (or, "Wee Ball" as its called in the Alcoa Youth Baseball League). Neither Chip nor I really cared what sport our kids play at the ripe old age of 4 years, so a "sure, why not" it was! While at sign-ups, we went ahead and signed Kendall up, too. Why not kill two birds with one stone while we can? Also at sign-ups, Chip confessed to actually praying that we were not the Mets (don't worry, we're the Braves).

So, the day before our first practice, I dug their baseball gloves out from the bottom of the toy bin in the garage. We already have a tee, a foam Nerf bat (which is all we need, right? I mean, he's FOUR), and a bag full of tee balls (seriously, there's a difference????) from our sweet neighbor, Nathan. We've been practicing for close to a year, for no other reason than it's fun to do in our front yard.

SO! We dusted off the gloves, threw them in the car and off we went to practice in jeans, sweats and not so much as a potty break (that was all foreshadowing, in case you're wondering).

The Team Huddle. Notice the cleats. Champion, Adidas, Nike...they're all there. Not pictured are all of the bat bags (yes, BAT BAGS), several pairs of real baseball pants, personalized batting helmets and bats. Personal bats. Like, they brought their own aluminum bats. To tee ball.

As reigning Parents of the Year, we felt that it would be both indulgent and without purpose to buy such material things for our children. (Hopefully you read my sarcasm.) I'm not sure what was being said here, but I think the question from the Coach was: "Where do we run after you hit the ball?" Naturally, the kids all point in the direction of a base. Any base. Sweet Gracie says "we run to first PLace!" I suppose if you get there before the defender, it is, technically, "first place." Cooper drew the admiration of many with his hitting. However, this was after his 6 "warm-up" swings, as Drew's Daddy so nicely put it. Kendall is clearly thinking she can hit it better with her eyes shut. And, obviously she would be correct.
Look at that form! However, the ball only went a few feet further than shown. Had he been wearing some Adidas baseball cleats, however, it would have made it straight to home plate.

We really, really, really should have taken a potty break before we got to practice. I'm confident that next week we'll be ready to really show our stuff, with new cleats, empty bladders, and who knows what else...

Hey Kids, Meet Dr. Chip

The last time our kids had their teeth cleaned, I had to take the Tough Mom Approach. This approach consisted of picking them up from school a little early and not telling them where we were going. Once at the office, they didn't question why we were there, they simply headed straight to the treasure chest. For the first time ever, I said that they couldn't get in the treasure box today, that this ritual was reserved for children who get their teeth cleaned.

Let the tears begin.

So, Chip drug Cooper, kicking and screaming (quite literally) to the back while Kendall cried up front (it was quite the loud advertisement to any new patients walking in, calling, or even driving by on any nearby street).

So, it's ironic that Chip was asked to speak at their daycare for "Dental Health Month." In order to make it even more ironic, we took fake pictures during a fake cleaning visit a few days after the real thing. We had to at least pretend our kids loved getting their teeth cleaned so we could show their friends all the pictures of how GREAT going to the dentist is.

This is Cooper pretending to "open wide" while smiling as big as Kansas. It was during this "visit" that he finally loved being near the sharp instruments and thoroughly enjoyed riding up and down in the chair. Imagine that!
Flossy the Dinosaur (or alligator or dragon, depending on your preference) gets a thorough brushing from Kendall while Cooper and his monster trucks look on.

Dr. Chip shows the kids (not pictured, for fear of being sued for putting someone's child on the internet without prior consent) how to brush and floss, with a little help from the spitting dinosaur (yes, I said spitting. We only had a few kids cry this year).

Kendall, sporting her Chip E. Webb, DDS t-shirt for Daddy Dental Day (and a UT sweat band, naturally).

Cooper's shout-out to Daddy.

Cooper trying to imitate the big mouth on his tee (and doing an excellent job, I think). Shocking how excited he can be about teeth, flossing, brushing and a visit to Daddy's office when we're at HOME.

Don't be fooled, Daddy can scale and pick and floss until the cows come home at our house during our evening brushing routine. Bring them to the office though, and it's a whole new ballgame. All you parents of young ones out there, I hope knowing that the dentist's kids don't do well makes you feel better!

Don't Say Cheese!

I know what you're thinking. You know me and you know this blog well enough by now...you think this post is about how my kids refuse to take pictures for me anymore. They're worn out, done, boycotting the photos. I know that's what you're thinking! However, you'd be wrong.

The Scene: The Dinner Table.

The Plot: Cooper is legitemately shocked with what's on his plate. I've given him his favorite yogurt for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a few weeks now. I took a break from cheese because he wasn't eating it. However, Kendall picked out some cheese at the grocery store on Sunday and I thought maybe, quite possibly, Cooper would like it. I would be wrong. Sort-of.

Let the drama begin (and...I. Mean. DRAMA.)...

Does this count as child abuse?