Swimming Update

We had our last swimming lesson of 2012 today!  Both kids have done so great this year, even when the pool was so cold they came out with blue lips.  I just love the Wichita Swim Club, and what I have loved even more is that for some reason our time slot that we've picked has hardly any kids in it, so both Jayden and Willow were in classes by themselves for the majority of the time.  So if you ask what time we are swimming, I might just lie about it to keep it that way.  :)

Jayden started out the year in Level 3, which he quickly passed in 1 session and has spent the rest of the time in Level 4a, where besides backstroke and freestyle, he had to put together his dolphin kick with the butterfly arms and learn both breast stroke arms and kick.  Because he is the only kid in his class, he doesn't get as many breaks and has to keep swimming and swimming and swimming.  He started complaining about his legs being weak and his head feeling dizzy when he was looking at the bottom of the pool.  So I started making him protein balls (protein powder, peanut butter, oatmeal, honey, flaxseed, coconut oil) and he eats a bunch of those right before swimming and hasn't complained since.  Poor kid is burning through fuel fast!   Just this week he swam backstroke for 100 meters, when he started he could only do 25.

His butterfly I couldn't get a very good picture of without it looking like he was drowning out in the middle of the pool.  It is still by far the hardest of the 4 strokes for him, but he can almost make it the length of the pool without stopping.
I guess he's a bit of a natural at breaststroke, at least that's what they told me.  He's been working on his arms and kick separately this whole time, but earlier this month his teacher had him put the two together to see what would happen, and he swam the length of the pool.  So, I guess that one just clicked or something. :)

It has been really fun to watch Jayden work so hard and get better.  And all his hard work paid off today when he was handed his certificate and he had all his skills checked off.  So starting in January he will be in Level 4b, where they get this snorkel thing so they can keep their heads in the water while working on their strokes.  Jayden's a tad bit nervous about the snorkel so I told him we'd buy it before he started in lessons again and he could practice breathing through it in the bathtub.  :)

Willow started the year out in Level 3 and will continue to be in Level 3.  At this point, I'm pretty sure we are just waiting for her motor skills to catch up.  She has mastered everything except for freestyle arms.  She gets one of her arms really big out of the water and the other one looks more like a chicken wing.  :)  It's pretty hilarious, but she loves swimming so she just keep going.  She is so fun to watch and never complains about the temperature of the water, but she never turns down finishing her lesson in the smaller, 10-15 degree warmer pool.  :)

Another New Smile

Jayden is dropping teeth like flies!  He never just loses one here, one there, it's always a grip-load of teeth all at once.  He has had two wigglers for awhile, he lost one this weekend while out Christmas shopping with Royal.  The story goes something like, Jayden was biting onto the sleeve of Royal's sweatshirt, Royal ripped his sleeve out of Jayden's mouth, and in the process ripped his tooth out too!  Jayden was pumped about that, he called me right away on the phone.  It was awesome.   Since then he's been working on that other tooth.  Of course it happened the moment quiet rest time started today.  I sit down quietly at the table and take one deep breath and start preparing myself for the rest of the afternoon, and Jayden comes screaming out of his room, "I DID IT!  ITS OUT!  I TOLD YOU IT WOULD COME OUT WHEN ITS READY!"  Jayden is a big believer in letting his teeth fall out on their own, non of that violent rip them out before hand stuff.

So, I believe this was #7 and #8.

Jingle Jam

This weekend, our church put on a Jingle Jam Celebration.  It was the brain child of our Children's Pastor, so I really didn't know what to expect, but I had been sent home notes saying Jayden should come as a shepherd and Willow would be a gift, but that her costume would be provided at the church.  I had plans to make Jayden an awesome shepherd outfit, but then he told me he wasn't going to be in it anymore (I think this came around the time he was told he would be singing on stage and it probably freaked him out), so when he changed his mind again 2 days before Jingle Jam and said he wanted to be in it, we had to settle for a pillowcase, a headband, and a stick.  Besides shephers and presetns, other kids there were blizzards, angels, Cindy Lu Whos, and elves.  It was quite the combo. :)

Willow's outfit was awesome.  They cut a hole in the top and sides of a big sparkly gift bag and stuck it over her head.  Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of her, because I think she stripped herself of her gift bag before she made it from the kids room into the sanctuary, and then where she was sitting on the floor I couldn't see her anyway.  :(

Jayden on the other hand, I had great viewing of when he went up on stage.  I chose to sit in the very back in case someone tall wanted to sit in front of me (which always happens!), then I could stand on my chair and take pictures with my super zoom lens.  Looking through these pictures, I just don't know what the heck was going on up there on that stage.

Jingle Jam was actually quite hilarious, and it was one of those hilarious that you'd have to be there for, because me retelling the story would make you all just look at me sideways and say, "She thought that was funny???? I don't get it."  But the overall message was Jesus is coming!

And just for a taste of what when on I have a video of the 3 wise men.  Willow thought they were the most hilarious part and she is still laughing about them every time she talks about them.

Stocking Toppers

I've got some more knitting crossed off the Christmas list!  These have actually been done for awhile, it's just getting a moment when the kids aren't going to come barging in the door for me to take a picture and post them.

These are what I've created for the top of the kid's stockings.  My kids don't believe in Santa, (*gasp!* I know!) so it's no big thing for me to have obviously momma-made things in there.  There will be no crisis Christmas morning, or me having to make up some lies, "Oh, well, Santa asked me to put those in there for him, because he doesn't know how to knit!"

Jayden is getting a ninja.  He spotted the pattern for this ninja when we were out on the shop hop and has been asking for him every since.  I love how he turned out!

And for Willow I was going to create a different little monster out of the same book as the ninja, but then I ran across this pattern from DangerCrafts, and it was just too perfect to pass up.  Meet Daphne and baby Delilah Monster. (sorry for the bad lighting picture, but it is actually cloudy and overcast here today.  I love it!  But that means no natural light coming in my window and that means yellowy picture instead of white.  But I don't claim to be any sort of a photographer, so you can't hold me to anything, but even I can see a difference in the ninja and the monsters!  Anyway, moving on.....)

They were both suppose to have jagged teeth smiles, but Jayden saw me finish Daphne and said that Delilah needed a much more happy face.  Is this how they see me?  Angry teeth mom and happy kids???  Bleh, let's just not go there today!  :)  The great thing about Daphne and Delilah, is that Daphne has a Delilah shaped pocket for carrying her around, which is going to come in great handy when we fly to Washington because Delilah will probably get tired of walking everywhere.

18 days until Christmas!  I'm ready! (well, almost...back to my knitting)

Christmas Hats

I have almost got all my Christmas knitting done!  And it's not even December yet!  I'm never finished this early, so I obviously didn't take on enough projects and will have to come up with some more.  Because let's just face it, it just won't feel like Christmas if I'm not knitting on a deadline!

Every year I make the kids new hats and put them in their stockings.  And for the most part, they aren't big fans of the things I make.  So last year, they picked out the hat pattern, went to the yarn store and picked out the yarn they wanted, and still they didn't really like them.  I'm constantly shoving them on their heads and they are constantly ripping them off and throwing them in a corner.  And since I've pretty much decided that I'm not going to let them hurt my feelings about it, I press on and continue to make them new hats.  Because really, I love knitting and it gives me reason to try out something new to see if maybe this will be the year they will LOVE their knitted hats!

So this year, I may have gone a bit wild, but I'm just sure these are going to be their all time favorite hats!  This year, I have created Mohawk Hats!

Jayden's is in purple and gold because he's slightly obsessed with the "Go Huskies" as he calls them.  And Willow's is pink because I couldn't find sparkle yarn.  :)

They are going to love them, right?????  :)

Christmas Tree 2012

Yesterday, we went in search of our Christmas Tree at Windy Knoll Tree Farm.  This year, just like every year here, we got a Scotch Pine.  Growing up in Washington, we got Noble Firs and I have to say no other tree feels like the right Christmas Tree unless it's a fir!  Unfortunetly, they have to get those shipped in here and I'm not really that excited about paying those prices for a tree or picking one off a lot.  We like to chop down our own trees!  So, we settle for a pine and a great smelling Christmas tree candle, because pine's just don't smell like firs do!

Willow's 4!

Willow turned 4 on November 20th!  4!?! Can you believe it??? 

Since weather is so unpredictable in November and Willow wanted to have a party and I wasn't sure I wanted to have a bunch of kids inside my house, we decided to have her party at Pump It Up!  I was a little hesitant at first, because of the cost, but we booked her party in the middle of the week and I found a coupon, and in the end, both Royal and I decided it was totally worth it.  The kids had tons of fun and I didn't have a huge mess to clean up afterwards.

We started the morning off with presents.  I think it's torture to make them wait all day to open presents, so I convinced Royal to go to work a little late and let Willow rip into her presents right when she got up.
She got a lot of Cinderella stuff.  And she has been prancing around in one of her two Cinderella dresses and shoes pretty much since her birthday.  She wears her "glass slippers" out of the house whenever we have to go somewhere.  And she keeps telling me I can be the Step Mother, and I keep asking if I can be the Fairy Godmother, but she denies me and tells me to be the Step Mother.  Guess I'll just keep bossing her around!

She also got this awesome princess tent from her Uncle Gabe and Aunt Brynn.

And Nana made her this new quilt for her bed!

Then in the evening we met up with Willow's friends at Pump it Up!  It is quite convenient that most of her friends have an older sibling that is Jayden's age, so Jayden had lots of friends to play with too.

After a whole bunch of jumping, we headed back to the party room to eat cake and ice cream, sing happy birthday, and open presents!  It was a very fun and busy birthday!

HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY, WILLOW!!!!