The One About Swimming Lessons

Today was Gavin's first day of swimming lessons.  He was really nervous.  We have been talking about them a lot this week, because Gavin is just the kind of child who needs warmed up to the idea of things.  He is like me in this.  He doesn't know what to expect, and that bothers him.  After he has been there or done something, he's okay with it.  So the morning came and I asked him in a high-pitch very excited Mommy voice if he was ready for swimming lessons today, he responded with a very bored sounding, "No, I don't feel like swimming lessons."  So what is a parent to do?  Bribe him with an ice cream cone, of course.  So we meet his teacher, and he jumps right into the pool.  Whew!  I am thinking that the hard part is over.  I sat and watched, and tried not to get involved or interfere with his lesson.  Do you have any idea how hard it is to sit there and not scream at your child, "Listen to your teacher, Gavin!  Look at her.  Do what she is telling you to do!"  This must totally be what the parents of my toddler and preschool students go through when I go to their homes for speech sessions.  Now I don't get worked up during that situation, because I know that is to be expected when a child is that young and in an unfamiliar situation.  But when it is your own child, it is completely different.  I know he can blow bubbles...so just pay attention and do it, Gavin!!  Overall, he really did do well, despite completely ignoring his teacher several times.  He's only 3 years old..I just keep reminding myself that.  All Gavin cared about what that got to go down the slide at the end of the lesson. 

And of course, the ice cream cone. 

The One About Books and Reading

I am going to start with a warning to those of you who only want to read cute stories about the boys.  This post is not about that, so you may want to stop reading this right now.  I have had these thoughts swirling in my head lately, so I thought I would devote a post to my favorite books and just reading in general.  The boys and I make frequent trips to the public library during the summer.  The other day as I was chasing Asher around hoping he didn't rip any pages from a collector book, I gazed longingly over at the fiction section.  Oh, how I miss reading.  I still read a lot, but not nearly as much as I used to.  When I was younger, I had several books going at once, and would read whenever I had a free moment.  When I was younger, I was going to be a famous writer or newspaper journalist.  Little did I know how much real life can get in the way of your dreams, and that having children means that your free moments are few and far between.

Reading is (and always has been) a big part of my life.  I don't know if it was because my Grandma Joline was a teacher and instilled that into me or if I just fell in love with books as a child.  My first real memories of reading begin with The Babysitters Club. I don't actually know how many books totaled the collection, but I know I read them all.  In fact, my collection now sits at the Ewing Public Library...the name Tricia Funk printed in pen on the inside cover.  After I finished the Babysitters Club books, I graduated to Nancy Drew.  I once read a study that linked reading Nancy Drew books as a young girl to becoming a successful working woman.  :)  I wanted to be Nancy Drew. As I got older and into high school, I started reading some of the classics.  I fell in love with Jane Austen, as anyone who has read Jane Austen will do. Of course, Pride and Prejudice is my favorite.  It is an amazing novel on its own, but even more so when you picture Colin Firth in your mind as you read.  Emma is also one of my favorites.  Sidenote:  In high school, I had the name "Emma" picked out if I ever had a daughter.  I was heartbroken when Rachel Green used it on Friends and now 1 in every 3 girls you meet has that name.  The same is true of "Gavin."  Damn that Gavin DeGraw!!  Anyway, back to my topic.   

In college, I discovered Nicholas Sparks.  This was 1998...way before any of his books became movies.  I don't know how I found The Notebook, except that I practically lived at Prairie Books and Gifts my freshman year.  Once I read that novel, I was hooked.  I don't care for all of his books, and I don't like MOST of the movies they have made from his books, but I have to read what he publishes each September because of that experience with The Notebook my freshman year in college.  It was also during this time that I began my love (obsession) with Bridget Jones.  I have honestly read that book 20 times at least.  What a great character! 

In graduate school, I jumped on the chick lit wagon full-force.  I want to differentiate between chick lit and romance novels.  They are NOT the same thing.  I do not care for those sex-filled, cheesy romance novels.  I look for quality writing and intelligent characters.  I look for a deeper meaning than just guy gets girl.  I love the self-discovery that the characters embark on, and now that I am married I really enjoy the books that dive into the depth and complexity of marriage.  Yes, there are some chick lit writers who I think are total fluff, like Sophie Kinsella.  Then there are some who I really connect with:  Jennifer Weiner, Cecelia Ahern, Emily Giffin, and Jane Green.  These four writers top my list, and I anxiously await their newest publications each year.  Of these four, three have had books or will have books turned into movies.  I don't know, but I am almost disappointed when I find out they are turning a favorite book into a movie.  It is largely due to my disappointment with the Nicholas Sparks movies.  It is almost like the writer loses credibility when their book becomes a movie, because the movie can't possibly capture the entire story, the emotion, etc.. yet people feel they know the story because they have seen the movie.  Am I the only one who feels this way?  Or almost like I have this secret that no one knows about, this book that I love that is my personal friend, and then a movie opens and EVERYBODY knows about it.  Mass market paperback publications ruin it, as do reprinting the cover with the actors from the movie on it.  What a joke!  I am trying to think of a movie that is better than the book, and I can't.  Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth comes close, but still not better than the book itself. 

Today I read anything and everything.  Fiction is my favorite (including the Twilight series which I read in about 4 1/2 days last summer).  Reading is a way for me to escape into an imaginary world and forget about the stresses of my life, so fiction really is the best way to accomplish that.  I also really enjoy biographies. If you have not read a biography on the Kennedy women, I strongly urge you to do so.  Very interesting!  I also read a fascinating biography once on Katherine Hepburn.  I also read some nonfiction books that may just fall into the self-help category.  Many of them deal with fitness, nutrition, and spirituality.  And lastly, I love cookbooks.  I am always on the hunt for cookbooks. 

Finally, let me take a minute to discuss Amazon Kindles, Sony Readers, or any other digital reader.  Part of me thinks it would be great, because I could download a book in seconds, rather than ordering from www.amazon.com and waiting for the delivery (as I am doing this week for Jennifer Weiner's newest novel).  The other part of me thinks this is the start of the fall of society as we know it.  Will books (actual printed books) be nonexistant in a few years?  I love the feel of books, the smell, the way the pages get wrinkled when the steam of bath water reaches them.  I have never actually used a digital reader, so I can't express my opinion too harshly.  I guess it just makes me sad, as do many things when I think about how the world is becoming so technological...she types as she sits at her computer and blogs to the general public. 

The One About Asher (Mini-Ernie)

Since this blog is mostly about documenting stages of our life, I thought I would devote a post to my little man, Asher.  As I have been very late at my spring cleaning, I recently pulled out a photo album that Grandma Lois gave us of Ernie's childhood.  I am not kidding you, there is a baby picture in there of Ernie that looks IDENTICAL to Asher.  Gavin thought it was Asher.  So no question who this kid takes after. 

Asher is now 12 1/2 months.  He walks...no actually he runs with huge strides.  He now has 12 teeth, as 4 molars just popped through last week.  And he talks...yes, my child actually talks.  I told you he was like Ernie, right?  I think it is just a surprise to me, because Gavin didn't really say anything until he was closer to 2 years old.  I would bring home my speech test, and test him every 3-4 months to see if he would qualify for services yet.  I was a bit obsessive, I know.  He never did qualify, because his understanding was so high.  Anyway, it just amazes me that Asher started saying words around 11 months old.  He consistently says:  Dada, ball, tractor, hat, hot, cup, hoop, Mama, baba, bye-bye, and pop (Thank you Grandma Karen--I am just thrilled he knows that word).  He also says Gavin, but it comes out like daduh.  We know it's Gavin, because he points to Gavin's picture on the wall sometimes and says it.  Kids just amaze me with their knowledge at such a young age.  Even though this is my job, it still blows my mind.  Asher knows the word "hot" because we say it when we go outside.  Last week, he walks over to the oven when I was cooking something and says, "hot."  Now how in the heck does he know to make that transfer from outside to the oven.  Amazing!! 

I am a little sad to report that I think Dada is Asher's favorite person.  He just loves his Daddy more than words can explain (at least I have Gavin, b/c he is definitely my little buddy).  Asher waits for Daddy to come home every night and just shrieks in delight when he sees that pickup pulling into the driveway.  Actually a few times I felt so bad, because Asher saw random pickups coming down our street and started yelling "Dada, Dada!"  His little heart broke when the pickup didn't turn into our driveway.  Asher's favorite toys are balls.  It doesn't matter what kind of ball, just a ball.  He could play catch all day. 

Asher is a very happy baby, but has started getting upset when he knows we are leaving the house without him.  Through sobs, we hear him say "bye-bye."  The boys both go back to daycare in just over two weeks.  The first week is always hard, so I am dreading that.  I know they will be fine after I leave, but I pray that Ernie can take them in the morning so I don't have to witness the tears as we walk away.  It will be harder on Gavin, because he does get really attached to his Mommy in the summer.  I think he senses I go back to work soon, because he keeps telling me, "I want to go everywhere you go, Mommy."  That and "I wuv you, Mommy" really are the sweetest sounds in the world.  :)

The One About The Backyardigans and Buffalo

"We've got the whole wide world in our yard to explore. We always find things we've never seen before." (theme song from the Backyardigans)

There are many attractions in Nebraska that I have always wanted to take my kids to see. The boys aren't quite old enough, but we are testing them out nonetheless. On Saturday, we ventured over to Ashfall Fossil Beds. Before we went, I tried to explain the volcano eruption and ash story to Gavin so he understood why those animal bones were there. He listened intently, and then later told Daddy that the ash landed on the animals and made their bones fall off. :) He was half-correct. When we got there, both boys took turns digging for bones. Gavin used the paintbrush and shovel tool and Asher just kicked in the sand with his feet.

In the tourist center, Gavin was amazed with the picture of the volcano. He loved the Rhino barn, but just couldn't seem to understand how that ash got inside that building. We tried our best to explain that the ash landed on the ground BEFORE the building was built, but it didn't seem to register.

After Ashfall, Asher went home to take his nap and Gavin and I headed to Summerland Golf Course to watch Uncle Travis's annual FunknSchmidt Golf Tournament. Uncle Travis, Uncle Nate, Papa Pete, and Daddy were all golfing in it. Gavin putted on the putting green, tested out the driving range, and then got to hop on the cart with Uncle Nate and Travis for the last hole. Thanks to Uncle Travis's careful supervision, Gavin was able to sneak his first taste of rum and Coke. I asked him how much, and he swore he only took 2 drinks. I asked him if Travis's pop tasted funny, and he said, "yes." :)

On Sunday, we took Gavin to the Kreycik Riverview Elf & Buffalo Ranch near Niobrara. We went on a covered wagon tour to see the elk and buffalo. It was something I have been wanting to take Gavin to all summer, and we finally had a beautiful day to do it. He LOVED it. The animals came right up to the wagon, and he was able to feed them.

This is something we will definitely be doing again, especially with Asher when he is older. After the covered wagon ride, we drove across the Chief Standing Bear bridge and up to lookout area. It was a great weekend overall, despite Gavin's complaining that Niobrara was way too far away. :)

I used to think that Nebraska was the most boring state in the country, and although there may be less glamorous attractions than other states, there still are some fun things we can do right here in our "backyard." (I apologize for those who hate the Backyardigans. I have seen the Backyardigans Robin Hood the Clean about two million times in the last week, so it is forever imprinted in my mind. Even as I type this, Gavin is dancing in front of me, serenading me with one of the songs.)

The Very First Post

Blogging is something that I have been considering for awhile. I actually have had a private blog for 2 years now where I write about my diet/exercise/fitness. Nothing anyone would really want to read, but somewhere I can write how I am feeling and what I am doing fitness-wise. So it's only natural, I suppose, that I start a blog to talk about other things going on in my life. Not that I really think anyone will be interested, but mostly as a way to document how I am feeling at certain points in my life. I never understood my Mom when I would ask her questions about us growing up and she would say that she wouldn't remember. How can you forget something so important? Now, after having two children, I totally get it. If I don't write it down somewhere, it's like it didn't even happen. So I am hoping to just write about things going on with our family, work, and funny things the kids say and do.