Just keep swimming...

This is week three of swim lessons.  A co-worker of Bryce's told him about swim lessons at the community college for $20!  That is insane!  Anywhere else we have looked it's like $60  and the lessons at the community college are 4 weeks long, 2 days a week.  She told Bryce that the teacher is great and by the end of the 8 lessons they are actually swimming a little bit.  Last night, during the 5th lesson, Dietrich swam the length of the entire pool (supported by a noodle) and then jumped off the diving board into the deep end!  It was so exciting!

I cannot believe how big he is, how much he has grown, and how much he continues to grow and learn everyday.  Yesterday before swim lessons he was in a big argument with Lenorah, I finally said, okay stop yelling what is going on.  He informed me that Lenorah said he didn't like swim lessons but he LOVES swim lessons!  This morning he asked if we had preschool or swim lessons today and was disappointed to learn that we do not.  I am so glad he is enjoying it and I cannot tell you how much my heart wants to explode watching him do something new like this.  And to have success and be having fun.  It must be one of the most exciting and fun things to witness as a parent!

It's happening

When I found out I was pregnant with Lenorah, Dietrich was only 15 months old.  My due date was just 5 days before his second birthday.  And since we all know that my kids like to be prompt (both born on their due dates) their birthdays are 5 days apart, there are exactly two years between them.  When I told people how close they would be everyone would tell me "two years is perfect!  They will have so much fun together!"  My Grandma has children that are 6 years, 2 years, and 4 years apart.  She told me the two years was best because they played together.  When Len was first born I was so nervous about having two kids but I remember telling my friend Shawna, it's not as bad as I thought it would be!  Then Lenorah started moving at only 6 months old...then it got really, really hard.  A friend that Bryce works with was pregnant with their second, they would be less than two years apart, he worried they were too close in age, Bryce told them "yeah, they are."  Someone announced on facebook that they are pregnant, the kids will be 18 months apart, instead of congrats I want to say "that's going to suck.  Enjoy this time now, you will be so tired, stressed, etc."  But I know that's not true for everyone.  Everyone does this parent thing differently, and no matter how close or far apart our kids are, you just do it.  It's not like you can say, oh no, this isn't what I wanted, re-do.  

And then one day it happens, they DO start playing together.  They have games that they play together and Dietrich wakes up and asks where Baby is and Len wakes up and wants to take a "yum-yum" (vitamin) to her sleeping brother.  And suddenly it makes that time of exhaustion seem worth it.  They have a built in play-mate, someone they get to share everyday with.  After swim lessons last night Dietrich asked Lenorah "Did you see me make a big splash?"  I thought he was talking to me and I hadn't heard him so I asked him what he said, he told me he was telling Lenorah about his big splash.  All this sweet playing together and amazing loving and fighting going on between them, almost makes me think I'm ready for another baby...almost.

 I know this is so blurry, but you can still see those big smiling faces as they run past me!  So much fun!

It's pretty awesome seeing these two together.  Everyday a friend ready to play a game with you.  How great is that?

Our own park!

It seems like we spend a whole lot of time thinking about and listening too and being hurt by the horrible things that people say and do to us.  Sometimes we forget that their amazing people out there doing amazing things.  And while this might not be up there with those curing cancer and feeding the hungry it sure means a whole lot to our little family.  Our neighbor, two houses down, finished his run by our house the other day while Bryce was putting up the gutters.  He stopped and said, "I know you have little kids and we were wondering if you would want our play structure?"  He has six kids by the way, all girls, and they have outgrown the toy and are ready to move it on down the road.  

Earlier in the spring I looked into buying one of these, although nearly impossible to find on craigslist, they still sell for at least $300, one this nice could probably go for more.  Brand new on sale at Costco my mom found one for $800, the point is they are expensive.  When Bryce told me the neighbor was going to give it to us I just stood there staring at him.  That can't be right.  But we went next door to check it out and it was true.  The kids jumped on it shouting, they have a park at their house!

So on Saturday morning we rounded up the troops (Brother and sister-in-law and cousin) to help us move it while Grammy and Papa took the kids on a fun outing downtown.

 The swings moved to our house first, then the slide.

 Rock wall down...

 stairs and ladder down...

 how will this fit...

 remove the gate!

 All the pieces are in our yard!  Now where to put it...

 I don't have any pictures of us carrying it down the street because Bekah and I did a lot of the moving of the smaller bits while the guys took it all apart and then we all had to help with the big pieces.  But I'm sure it looked awesome, this crew of people carrying a play structure down the sidewalk!

 All together in our yard!  The adults had to try it out first of course!

Lenorah was asleep during the big reveal but Dietrich said "oh wow!  We have a park now too?" They are both pretty excited to have our own park in the backyard.  I'm not sure if Dietrich thinks that means we can have anything in our backyard or what because that night he asked for a horse to keep back there too...

We could not be more grateful to our neighbors for passing their great toy on to us, we feel completely spoiled and so fortunate to have such nice people living next door.  I know our kids (and quite a few friends and nieces and nephews) will enjoy this toy for years to come!

crying all the time

~showing off the boots they picked to wear to church

I read a blog post this morning and the woman said how everything makes her cry and then a bunch of her readers posted how they had children and they cry all the time too.  I was seriously starting to think something was wrong with me because I cry so easily and so often.

There is all this government drama going on and people on facebook are yelling back and forth at each other about how BAD/GREAT "Obamacare" is.  And they are being MEAN to each other, to people they like and respect.  I believe if they had the conversation in person they would never be so mean, but it's not in person, it's on social media and they are mean.  And then I start thinking about how someday people will be mean to my kids and I sit there and cry.

Lenorah says "HI" and waves to literally everyone she sees.  Most people see her and say HI back, but occasionally the person doesn't say HI, or maybe they don't notice her.  And again, I cry, because she is so sweet and innocent and she says HI to everyone because that is what comes naturally to her.  One day it will not, because she will "learn" that people are scary and not to be trusted and that you can't talk to strangers and they don't say HI back anyway, so she will stop.  And I cry because I wish she could be this happy bubbly adult who says HI to everyone she sees in the grocery store, wouldn't that be lovely?

Lenorah is the little sister and I was never the little sister.  Yesterday I watched as Dietrich and his friend told her no and didn't allow her in their "clubhouse".  I know this is how it works, I did it to my little brother too (oh yeah, I also cry about being mean to him when we were kids) but I cry, watching her try to figure out why her brother who plays with her all day long won't play with her now that his friend is over.

Dietrich has been telling me he doesn't want to go to preschool and we have had a couple of days where we fight to get out the door, and then I cry because I just want to sit with him all day at preschool like he keeps asking me to do over and over again.

When he gets home from preschool I question him trying to get out of him what he is doing all day long, because for the first time in his short life, I don't know.  And I cry because he doesn't remember and only tells me bits and pieces and it is the beginning of a time when I am afraid I will know very little about what is going on in his little life.  How he feels, how he is being treated, how he treats others, it will all be somewhat of a mystery.

I cry and cry and cry when I learn of someone I've only met once whose baby died at 37 weeks and she had to deliver her precious baby girl and may never know why she didn't come into the world crying like she should have.  I cry and cry and cry for her, her baby, her family, and the hole that is in their hearts.

I cry when I read about people doing amazing things for others, because people can be so amazing!  I cried when my friend's mom finished her second Iron(wo)man race.   I cry when Lightening McQueen gives up the race to help his friend across the finish line...I seriously have a problem.  This whole being a mom thing just puts those tears right on the verge and they come spilling out all the time! So if I try to tell you a story, happy or sad, I will probably cry.  I probably cried while writing this post...