Week in Review

I've not been in a posting mood this last week for some reason. So here's what's been shakin' at our house. We've been busy with swimming lessons. Laney took a new tack this week in her attempt to avoid swimming lessons. The previous week she told me that it "scared" her and I wasn't biting. So this week she told me the "I don't like Miss Shannon". Ok, swimming lessons anyway. Then she told me that there were dinosaurs in the pool. No deal. So her next plan was to say "I don't want to go first." Ok, I told her that was fine and the babies could go first. To which she replied "they go first and I will leave!" I had to laugh. What a schemer. She did well last week and on Friday I got in the pool too. Shannon showed me how to use my hands as a target for her to swim to and how to launch her back through the water. She swam underwater between us a bunch of times and even turned in the water to find me and then swim to me. She can swim about 4 feet underwater with her eyes open now.
The twins did well with their lessons too and are working hard at floating and coming up from a submersion to a float. Kenna was sick last week and we finally went to the doctor on Wednesday. She had an ear infection. I asked about the weird crusty stuff I'd seen in G's ear the week before and the doctor said that it was likely drainage from a perforated ear drum. Swell. I'm still sick but seem to slowly be getting better.
[current events: as I write this, Laney is leading Kenna through the house like a puppy using a toy fishing pole and Griffin is assaulting the pots and pans cupboard]
I tried to do both playgroup and swim lessons on Friday and nearly lost my mind. I was trying to do a bunch of stuff in the morning and get everything together for our swim lesson and the babies were tired and wanted to take a nap but playgroup was at 9:30 so I was trying to stall them. They followed me around crying all morning. Laney was being kind of a pest too. I finally got everyone loaded in the car and to playgroup at the park. But I forgot an important task prior to leaving. Laney didn't use the potty. So we got to the park and she announced she was wet. Awesome. So everyone got woke up and unloaded and we sogged our way over to the bathrooms to change. Then she had another accident while playing. Live and learn I guess.
I've got to go wash an entire cupboard worth of pans now. Laney got in on it and they cooked fake fruit and then turned the pans into cars.

Spa, baby

We had a great time in Phoenix and are eternally indebted to Debbie for watching our brood of sick kids. Although both of us were sick, it was still so nice to get away. The Camelback Inn was beautiful and I would go again. I had never been to Paradise Valley before and it really is very pretty, especially at this time of year. The weather was just perfect in the mid 80s. We checked in and had raspberry mimosas by the spa pool. Then we headed in for massages. I had eucalyptus oil with my massage and it really helped with the congestion. After our massages and steam room, we met up by the pool again for lunch and more frosty drinks. We headed to our hotels afterward for a nap before meeting for dinner at the Roaring Fork. Very Scottsdale restaurant complete with middle aged men in Tommy Bahama shirts with their girlfriends who were perhaps not even of drinking age and had skirts that barely covered their butts. We had a great time and ate deep fried avocados (which were yummy). Sunday Charles and I went out for breakfast and then to Ikea. Then home again... I think Debbie was more than ready to leave by then.

Cold from Hell

Ugh. Griffin got a cold and gave it to everyone. I feel awful. Our swimming lesson got cancelled yesterday though the babies wouldn't have swam anyway. Today we skipped again because everyone is feeling yucky. Although we did go to playgroup this morning--we went to a miniature horse farm. That sounds way cooler than it actually was. It was chickens, goats and miniature horses at some guy's house. The tour consisted of this old guy leading us through the pens and saying "don't touch them, they bite". The highlight was definitely feeding chickens and holding baby goats. Tomorrow Charles and I are heading to Phoenix for the night. I wish I felt better.

Swimming Lessons

We started swimming lessons on Monday. It's a very involved process. The paperwork alone is a killer. I have to keep track of each child's diaper production, sleep and eating. Writing it all down has made me realize that I need to feed them better! The lessons themselves are fairly short -- about 10 minutes each-- but the kids have to work hard. Griffin did really well yesterday and floated by himself for a short time. Laney cried a little during her lesson, but she swam underwater about 3 feet to the ladder. Not bad for the second lesson! Kenna was a trooper and stayed in the water a long time, but she had a harder time with her breathing and swallowed water.

Both babies must swallow air and water during the process. Their little tummies are pretty bloated afterwards. Mom went with me the first day and the children crying for their mothers made her cry. So yes, there is crying and it's a little upsetting, but a drowned child would be worse so I'm toughing it out. Tucson has already had a second child drowning death this year. There was a little girl around 3 yesterday that swam the whole length of the pool. It was amazing. I'm waiting to see if we have a lesson today or not, the weather is getting very windy and cool.

Happy Easter

We had a good Easter. Most of the family came to our house for dinner. Mike didn't make it this time. Thankfully the weather was really nice and we could sit outside. I gave the kids sand toys for Easter instead of baskets. The twins got a wagon and Laney got a big bucket. Laney and Leah hunted eggs outside. I think I got a little carried away with the eggs. I made ham for dinner which was really good and lemon meringue pies which were just ok.
Griffin is starting to talk! He said his first word on Friday and now he's up to two - ba ba and ma ma. He also has a raging cold of some sort so his nose is leaking fluids at an alarming rate. Mom can't stand it and has been attacking him with tissues. Kenna is still a dinky little bug and she still isn't in 9 months size yet. They were officially 10 months old on Saturday.
On Monday I officially reserved our condo for the summer so we will be heading to Idaho at the end of May and staying until the first part of August. Should be great (hopefully).

Happy Birthday Mom

So I hear that just because my parents are here, that's no excuse not to blog. For Mom's birthday yesterday we went to Tohono Chul garden and had lunch. While on our way out to the Children's garden I was leading the way with the stroller and heard dad say "snake". I was busy looking at a flower ahead of us so it took a second to register. Then dad said "Snake!" and I finally stopped and looked down in time to see a giant brown snake under the stroller and on its way to the other side of the path. I ran over it with the front wheels of the stroller! Mom and I both screamed and did the snake dance (ack! It's by my toes! Ack!!). I just about had a heart attack. It was only a 3 foot long gopher snake though. Officially my first snake encounter since moving to Tucson.
We went to the mall the day before and Dad played NASCAR stroller with Griffin and Laney. They thought it was awesome. Dad thinks I just take my kids out in public to show them off all the time. Maybe I do... ;-)
Today we're going to play group to do our Easter party and then Mom and I are getting pedicures in the afternoon. I'm debating about whether to bring the twins since G is sick again. He's starting to have low fevers again and a runny nose. Hopefully he's not getting another ear infection.
I will post pictures soon...

Big Girl Bed

Laney is officially in a big girl bed. I've drug my feet on this for as long as I could but with no guest bed and my parents arriving tomorrow I thought we'd just have to bite the bullet. I will miss the confinement! It was so strange to see her so small in her big bed. For naptime yesterday she went through her drawers and got out the Balmex then painted her face and hands. I was a little panic-y about whether she ate any so called poison control just in case. I guess it mostly just causes vomiting and the runs.
I spent all day yesterday working on cleaning the upstairs. I finally tackled my closet which has been a massive mess. I'm thinking about installing a closet organizer thing in there so that we have some drawer space. Our bedroom doesn't have much space to place dressers so we don't really have drawer space. I could install a closet system myself, right?
I just saw the weather report and I'm bummed for my parents. It looks like it's going to be cool for the next week (only in the mid-70s). Oh well.

Reach

We went to playgroup at Jamie's yesterday. She had a hysterectomy a few weeks ago and is still in a lot of pain but has been getting a lot of help from other moms in the group. Just keeping her kids entertained is a job in itself. It is interesting the different mom perspectives a situation like that creates. Some moms are in the "she's milking the help for all it's worth and quit whining" while others are very sympathetic. I guess it has to do with the warring mom directives: take care of others vs mom soldiers on despite all adversity.
Laney was grouchy yesterday and I'm not sure why. Maybe she was just tired. Last night she went to bed and turned her light out herself instead of trying to con me into leaving it on. We had a big meltdown at playgroup and I felt so bad. Jamie's husband comes home for lunch and he walked in the door and everyone said "Daddy's home!" including me. Laney got all excited and ran to see Daddy except it wasn't her daddy. Devastated! She's having a hard time getting used to Charles being back on the road. He was home for three months straight and now he'll be travelling almost every week for the next few months. He called an talked to her for quite a while last night.
Griffin displayed a new skill last night. The little twinkie is getting tall and now he can stand next to the kitchen table and reach up to grab stuff. Kenna is pushing Laney on her trike right now. It's the funniest thing to watch since Kenna looks so little since she's bald and tiny and there she is pushing a toddler around on a trike.