Swimming Championships

About a month ago we made a tough decision and changed the year round team that Roo swims for. He moved from the Raiders to the Rays. There were a couple of reasons for the decision, the primary one being the communication from the head coach and the secondary one being the difference in the hands on nature of the teams developmental programs. Leaving his old team has been hard for me, I have lots of mommy friends I really enjoyed talking with while he practiced. He was able to make the switch pretty easily and though he misses his coach and a couple of his friends, he admitted that he was learning more and having more fun.

This past weekend was the North District 12U Championship meet and he participated in both days of the meet. One the way there the first day I realized I forgot my good camera, one of our friends took a few pictures. And then again on the second day I forgot my camera. I should have used the video on my phone but I had it in airplane mode, sitting in my purse the entire second day b/c the facility drained the batter the first day. I wish I had take video of him when he swam the 100 Free, he won his heat and came in 7th in the event, he was so excited!

He had a great meet and on the way out on Sunday he said "this was a lot of fun for something I didn't want to do!" He essentially got to have a two day playdate with his buddy from his old team, while taking short breaks for each of his races, of course he had a blast. And though it was awkward a few times when parents we know from the old team saw our new team shirts, I had a great time hanging out with a few of our good friends on the old team and even making a new friend on the new team.

His 7 events and results were as follows:
25 Free - added a tiny bit of time
25 Breast - didn't DQ for the first time!!
50 Back - took time off, said he meant to crash into the wall with his head!
100 Free - took time off, 1st in his heat, 7th overall, time was under 2 minutes
25 Fly - DQ (he hasn't had a legal swim in this yet)
25 Back - took time off and was under 30 seconds for the first time ever!!
50 Free - took time off

That's 5/7 personal best swims! He was very excited and I was one proud mommy!

Racing

Yesterday I registered for the Marine Corps 17.75k. That's a little over 11 miles. I don't know what I was thinking or how I even got in. I haven't been running as consistently since the holidays but I did get a 5 mile hilly run in a few weeks ago. I've got 7 weeks to get ready and I'm sure it'll be ok. Change that, as long as the tendon in my foot doesn't actually tear, it'll be ok. After that race I have an 8k in Williamsburg with Nancy in May, the Color Run in Richmond with multiple friends in September and then I'll do something around Thanksgiving before getting my foot fixed in late November or early December. If you finish the 17.75 you gain automatic entry into the Marine Corps Marathon, but that distance is too far for my foot this year. I'm hoping I'll be able to defer that until next year. There's the potential for a sprint tri in August but I just don't know if the pool is the right thing for my foot, I need to think more about that one, or perhaps doing it as a relay. Anyway, all of this to help me get fit for Uncle Matt and Future Aunt Leah's wedding!

Did He Really Say That?

We went Mom and Dad's house this weekend, and when Daddy was putting Bug in the car to head home, this is what I overheard Bug say to Daddy "well, you married her."

What Day Is It?

That's how I felt Wednesday. Well, that's how I felt most of this week. Monday started off with the hubby's car not starting. See, mom had her knee replacement on Tuesday and my Aunt and I promised her we'd spend the night with her in the hospital each night and I was scheduled for Tuesday night, so there was no time for a car to not work, much less a 3 year old car.

So, we called the insurance company and had the car towed to the dealer. A few house later, we left with a new car. The lease was coming up in a couple of months so we just started the new lease a little sooner.

Mom had her surgery on Tuesday and it went well. I got to the hospital Tuesday night and we had a pretty smooth night. It's hard to sleep well in the hospital, even when you're not the patient. Mom's nurses were pretty attentive which was good, especially after how bad my hospital experience was this past summer.

After calling home to wake the family up so they could get out the door and make it to the bus stop on time, I got a call back from them on the way out the door and was instructed to make a doctor's appointment for Bug, his foot was swollen and red again.

I made the appointment and Nate picked him up and brought him to me since I was right by the ped's office and there was no way I could get to Bug and back to town in time for the appointment. The red swollen spot on his foot is a different spot than last time and may be from the crocs we forgot to wash after the first incident; if this issue is in fact from brushing against something in the woods, otherwise we're at a loss. So doctor's appointment done but we have another problem.

To get rid of the celluitis on the foot, oral steroids are needed. Bug's annual food allergy blood work was scheduled for today. Guess what I got to do, yep take him for his blood work. Well, that was a nightmare but we got it done. I will be filing a complaint with Quest though. Their complete lack of compassion for pediatric patients year after year is simply unacceptable. We started the blood work with them and for the sake of consistency we continue to use them for this once a year, and it's always a horrible experience. Any other time we need Bug's or even Roo's blood drawn we go to LabCorp at the hospital and they are far and beyond better. Rant done...lets continue figuring out what day of the week it is.

So, that's done and we go to Toys R Us and get a toy. Then back to the hospital to visit mom. Bug picks out flowers and is beaming ear to ear as we're walking down the hall to visit grandma. We find grandpa in the hallway and he leads the way and tells grandma that he found something in the hallway. Bug is beaming as he enters the room and gives her flowers. Then within 3 minutes, he sees her IV and takes in everything going on and he was done. Like, I have a stomach ache, get me outta here as fast as you can, done. He's going to be my fainter, just like his mama!

After that we went to lunch at Basilico's and had a wonderful time, the staff loved Bug. On the way out the lady at the register said "he's the cutest kid I've ever seen."

Whew, we finally got home and I was able to finally shower and relax.

I think Thursday and Friday were fairly normal, just swim practice and the normal routine. By Friday I had finally figured out what day of the week it was and luckily remembered to update our auto insurance with the new car info. I don't usually take that long to do that, just glad I didn't completely forget!

Today I took Roo to a swim meet in Richmond. He did great. He hasn't been focusing on back stroke as much this year and this past summer his times started getting worse. I was super nervous for him because he had 100 back today. He did great though, just needs to work on his turns. He didn't have any DQ's and he got ribbons in two events including the 100 back, which is great. One benefit of a long race is that there are usually fewer kids his age signed up, so it's very motivating to finish those races. I have no doubt that he would finish any distance his coaches ask him to swim, he's a hard worker and works his tail off in practice. I love his work ethic and hope he keeps it and that it translates to school as he gets older.

After the meet he and I had fun going to Target for his Pokemon cards he earned, going to the Apple store to visit the Apple doctor for my computer and getting a good prognosis, having dinner together and then a quick stop at Trader Joe's before heading home. I think next time I know we're going to Trader Joe's I'm going to ask facebook friends for input on what to get, that would be fun!

Nate spent the day with Bug and took him back to Basilico's. He said everyone remembered Bug and they even offered to bring him a free dessert. He said it was crazy, that the servers were having fun chatting with him and saying what a cute kid Bug is. He also went to Target to get some workout clothes and then they went over to a friends house.

And, we're ending our Saturday watching the Patriots game.

Warm December Day

Today we went hiking at Caledon State Park with our neighbors. It's amazing to have such beautiful state parks so close to home. It ended up being a 3 mile round trip hike. The weather was beautiful and the beach are on the Potomac was fantastic. I even found a sharks tooth.

I loved it and the kids only complained a little bit. Daddy had to go a half mile with Bug on his shoulders on the way back.

Roo had a hurt foot until I distracted him with a cool looking tree. After that he was fine.

Bug said at bedtime "I don't want to go hiking again, it's painful." I think we'll ignore him.

Nice List

The boys got greetings from Santa this morning via Portable North Pole. The look on Roo's face was priceless. He was well aware that he was a good boy this year and very intently listened to what Santa had to say and was very happy to hear that Santa knew so much about him. He was pleased to hear Santa put him on the nice list.

Then in was Bug's turn. Bug was very excited to hear what Santa had to say. He agreed with Santa when he said this year Bug was working on no more temper tantrums. And when Santa said lets see if you're on the nice list, Bug shook his head no, very seriously. With that same seriousness, he turned to Roo and said "you're nicer than me." Imagine his surprise when he found out he made the nice list.

When I got home from work today, I gave the boys letters from Santa that were in the mailbox. They loved them and were happy to hear again how good they've been and how much Santa knows about them.

They're finally in bed now. All night they wanted to go to bed. Now that they're in bed, they can't fall asleep. Love their excitement!

First Day of Winter

Yesterday was the official first day of winter. We had amazing weather, more like summer than winter. I loved wearing flip flops all day. The kids were able to leave the pool without having to change (which means I didn't have to chase them through the women's locker room!). And we had a bonfire and roasted smores (no toes were burned this time)! The one good thing about a winter bonfire is that it's dark early, so the kids can enjoy it at night and still get to bed on time, that's a win all around!

If..

Roo was sick and missed school on Thursday and Friday. I sent his teacher an email to let him know why he was missing school and he replied saying that Roo had made us some gifts and if I could to stop by and pick his stuff up. I did, and as I looked through everything (but the gifts), I found this project and it brought an instant smile and chuckle!

It says "If I lived in a snow globe I would play hide n go seek inside the snow."

The View

Best.Quote.Ever.

From Bug: "Mommy's a princess, Daddy's a terd."

What?

On the way to swimming tonight, I got a phone call from Daddy and Bug wanted to ask a question. As the conversation went on, Bug wanted to speak with Roo. I passed the phone to Roo and the conversation on my end sounded a little bit like this:

Roo: "what?!"
Bug: blah blah blah blah blah
Roo: "what?!"
Bug: blah blah blah blah blah
Roo: "yes you can play with my Cars game, so I'll play with your Pokemon cards"
Bug: blah blah blah blah blah
Roo" "what?!"

You get the idea. I was cracking up. I've always been entertained by their discussions; for two small humans, they talk about some interesting stuff!

Am I Grounded?

The theme tonight was grounding. When I picked Roo up at daycare, he told me that he lost all three of his pennies today. Each day each kid in his class starts off with three pennies. I'm not sure what happens if they keep them for the day, if the add up or something like that but it seems that it's upsetting to lose pennies. He's never lost all three of them. Today he told me as we were leaving that he lost all three. As we were getting in the car he explained that it was from talking when he wasn't supposed to and then something else about a pointer.

He said his friend was using the pointer (like a retractable one) and that they weren't supposed to, so he was telling his friend to put it away. So I asked if his friend also got in trouble, yes. I'm having trouble understanding how Roo got in trouble for trying to do the right thing. So I ask him to explain more about the talking. He doesn't explain this too well. So then I ask him again about the pointer. Roo finally says, "okay, I'll tell you the rest of what happened." And he explained how they had a sword fight with the pointers. Of course, you're only in first grade, and you're boys, what else would you do with the pointers is what I was thinking. So what I actually said was that he knows better and that it's dangerous and not to do it again.

Roo asked if he was grounded. He also asked if he was naughty. No to both. Not grounded, Friday ice cream not taken away, and definitely not a naughty kid. This is the second time he's asked me if he's naughty and both times I have told him that he is absolutely not naughty. He's a very good kid, with a big heart, who likes to follow rules, who occasionally has a quarterly brain fart with his behavior. He asked, "so a naughty kid would have just blamed it all on his friend?" I told him that the naughty kid would have just told me he had a good day at school. He knows and we've repeated that we are always proud of him for telling us when he makes a mistake or gets in trouble. If he continues like this, he should be a well behaved teen!!

And so onto Bug. Later in the evening Bug shared something with us and worried that he would be grounded. We asked him to show us and we told him not to worry that he wouldn't be grounded. We explained how he could fix it the next time and to ask for help if he needs to in the future, but that he wouldn't be grounded even if it happened again. The topic is poop, no further details needed.

Man, it sounds like we do a lot of grounding in this house, but we really don't. It's rare and is only for really serious infractions.

Pig

I think if I do end up blogging more often it include things about not just the kids, but all of our lives in general.  With that, I give you this story.

Today we were driving to town to meet up with my parents for lunch. On the way as we were approaching a curve that seems to have more accidents than some other spots on the road, there was an accident.

As we passed by slowly we looked and saw something one would only believe if we took a picture.

A pickup truck was smashed in because it hit a pig. But not just a normal pig, this was the biggest pig I've ever seen. I didn't even know pigs could grow that big. Made me wonder when it's no longer a pig and considered a hog.

We contemplated turning around and driving past it again to take a picture. But we thought that would be very rude.

The police were already there and it was hard to tell with all the dirt across the road if the accident was in the early or late stages of being cleared.  Hopefully everyone was okay.

There are farms nearby so it's hard to say if the pig got free and ran away or if it was being transported and fell out of a vehicle. But it was a huge pig.

If I ever find a picture of it, I'll be sure to add it to this post.

Planning Vacation

After our trip to Williamsburg and Great Wolf Lodge this past weekend, we were reminded how much we love going on trips as a family. This summer we had one short trip to Ocean City. Between my surgery and the costs associated with it, we just didn't have the time or money to go on more trips.

So, we're already starting to plan for next year. I would like to take a long weekend to a somewhat local vacation spot over Spring Break, got to Maine for a week, a late summer long weekend, go to Disney or a Disney Cruise (less likely unless it's a bargain) and maybe a trip over the holiday's...not a short list, for sure.

We were thinking one way to make this possible is to spend less on the Maine trip, but that would mean not staying in the house we love.

So we called the boys in to get their opinion.

We asked: "When we go to Maine, do you want to stay on the beach and catch crabs, or on a lake?"

Roo said he wants to catch crabs.

Bug said: "well, I don't know, how about after we catch crabs, well, if the crabs don't bite me then lets catch crabs."

To which Roo said we could wear globes (aka gloves).

Time to get them some crab catching globes!

Holiday Musical

Tonight was the kids holiday concert at daycare. We always enjoy going to this and the daycare is great about scheduling it for pickup time so we don't have to miss work.

As Bug's class entered the room, there was bug, in tears in arms of his teacher. He cried the during his classes entire portion of the show. Normally, Bug is our outgoing, happy to sing in a crowd kiddo.

Roo's class was the last to come and sing and our normally reserved, pained when in front of an audience child, was all smiles and singing merrily along!

Copy Cat

Mom told me I didn't post anything about Bug's birthday and implied that there's an amount of delinquent blogging that's allowable, but missing a birthday is the line. So, to copy my friend Barb, I will try to do one short post a day for the rest of December. Maybe that will create a new blogging habit! I will also take advantage of today's snow day and try to post blog post!

Happy Hanukkah

The kids enjoyed celebrating an early Hanukkah this year. They got one big present from us, a trip to Great Wolf Lodge, and didn't understand that this is something that they should get really excited about. They'll understand once they go!

Future Leah

The boys are very excited about Uncle Matt and Leah's engagement. We have said that she is "future Aunt Leah" which has been translated in kid language as "Future Leah" by Bug.

Forts

The kids had fun building a big fort with the Hannukah gift they got from Uncle Matt and Leah.

Thanksgivukkah

We started what may be a new Thanksgiving tradition this year and had Thanksgiving dinner at the club where mom and dad live. We all had a really wonderful time and the kids were super well behaved and played with their new toys while we all ate. At one point everyone's napkins started to disapper. Then a while later, Bug came out from under the table with a huge pile of napkins. It was hilarious!

The kids also enjoyed celebrating Hanukkah with their family and loved all the awesome gifts they got. We all loved listening to the jam session Grandpa conducted with Roo and Bug (can't see him in the picture) with their new guitars, it was fantastic.

We all had a really wonderful day and mom's key lime pie was amazing. It was a great Thanksgivukkah!