Rylan asked me to film him jumping into the pool so I did and then Carter wanted to jump too. I had no idea he was going to do a flip. It was the first and only time he did one - he was copying his friends and they all got yelled at for doing it. I wasn't as worried (I remember doing that all the time as a kid), but I couldn't let him when no one else was allowed!
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Pool Jumping
These guys are getting possibly too brave!
Rylan asked me to film him jumping into the pool so I did and then Carter wanted to jump too. I had no idea he was going to do a flip. It was the first and only time he did one - he was copying his friends and they all got yelled at for doing it. I wasn't as worried (I remember doing that all the time as a kid), but I couldn't let him when no one else was allowed!
Rylan asked me to film him jumping into the pool so I did and then Carter wanted to jump too. I had no idea he was going to do a flip. It was the first and only time he did one - he was copying his friends and they all got yelled at for doing it. I wasn't as worried (I remember doing that all the time as a kid), but I couldn't let him when no one else was allowed!
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Black Eye Update
Rylan's black eye keeps getting worse and worse looking. Here are some pictures from yesterday and today (I can't get this kid to make a "normal" face for me!) ...
Monday, June 2, 2014
YMCA Seahawks
Carter is now on a junior swim team! The Brentwood YMCA has a program designed for kids that aren't quite ready for regular swim team and still need a little extra coaching. I had called about the program a couple of months ago and got on the waitlist. Last week was the first week of practice and I got a call this morning saying 3 kids were getting moved either up to regular swim team or down to lessons so Carter now had a spot.
There are two practice times - one mid-morning and one in the afternoon. I had chosen the afternoon session from 5:30 to 6:15 so it wouldn't interfere with our other summer activities. The practices are on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday through July 3rd. There are only 10 kids in each session with 2 coaches (the head coach of the entire swim team and her daughter).
Carter was so nervous at the beginning of today's practice (there were tears). But he did it and told me afterwards it was actually fun. I may of been a little worried a couple of times that the lifeguard was going to have to jump in when Carter was struggling but Carter mustered through. He looked exhausted by the end though!!!
I took one quick picture since I sat in the indoor pool area today to make sure the swim team coach was okay with Carter being on the team based on his swimming level. He was probably the weakest one on the team, but after practice, the coach said half the team was at the exact same level last week and that Carter's current ability level was fine.
I think he's going to be swimming awesome by the end of the program! The cost of the program was the same as the lessons Carter took last week - $180. I think it'll be worth it though! Plus our neighbors (twins Cade and Emory) are on the team. They are out of town this week but Carter is looking forward to seeing them.
We also ended up joining the Y today. My plan is to cancel the membership at the end of the summer. Now that we are paying for it, I'm going to feel guilty unless we swim or I work out there everyday! They have a childcare program that I can use for the kids and Carter already asked me today if I would go workout so he could go there. Maybe I'll try it tomorrow :)
There are two practice times - one mid-morning and one in the afternoon. I had chosen the afternoon session from 5:30 to 6:15 so it wouldn't interfere with our other summer activities. The practices are on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday through July 3rd. There are only 10 kids in each session with 2 coaches (the head coach of the entire swim team and her daughter).
Carter was so nervous at the beginning of today's practice (there were tears). But he did it and told me afterwards it was actually fun. I may of been a little worried a couple of times that the lifeguard was going to have to jump in when Carter was struggling but Carter mustered through. He looked exhausted by the end though!!!
I took one quick picture since I sat in the indoor pool area today to make sure the swim team coach was okay with Carter being on the team based on his swimming level. He was probably the weakest one on the team, but after practice, the coach said half the team was at the exact same level last week and that Carter's current ability level was fine.
I think he's going to be swimming awesome by the end of the program! The cost of the program was the same as the lessons Carter took last week - $180. I think it'll be worth it though! Plus our neighbors (twins Cade and Emory) are on the team. They are out of town this week but Carter is looking forward to seeing them.
We also ended up joining the Y today. My plan is to cancel the membership at the end of the summer. Now that we are paying for it, I'm going to feel guilty unless we swim or I work out there everyday! They have a childcare program that I can use for the kids and Carter already asked me today if I would go workout so he could go there. Maybe I'll try it tomorrow :)
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Mother's Day
I better post about Mother's Day before it's Father's Day!!!
The week before Mother's Day, the boys brought home special things for me from school.
This was from Carter:
And this was from Rylan:
I use this bag instead of a purse a lot lately.
These flowers are still alive!
We didn't do much for Mother's Day, but I did get a great gift from Brian and the kids. A Kindle! Once the kids are back in school and I have maternity check-ups ever week or two, I'm going to get a lot of use out of it! Those appointments often take forever when your doctor is running late with unexpected deliveries!
The week before Mother's Day, the boys brought home special things for me from school.
This was from Carter:
And this was from Rylan:
I use this bag instead of a purse a lot lately.
These flowers are still alive!
We didn't do much for Mother's Day, but I did get a great gift from Brian and the kids. A Kindle! Once the kids are back in school and I have maternity check-ups ever week or two, I'm going to get a lot of use out of it! Those appointments often take forever when your doctor is running late with unexpected deliveries!
Early Happy Birthday
The week before preschool ended for the boys, Rylan's class had a little celebration for the kids that have summer birthdays. There were 11 kids in his class and 6 have summer birthdays. So all of those kids got to see what the kids with earlier birthdays got to do in school to celebrate. Originally the teachers were just planning on having ice cream during snack time but it morphed into something larger after a couple of parents asked to bring something.
Rylan's teachers were overwhelmed with trying to figure out what to do so I ended up organizing it for them. One of the moms brought cupcakes, one brought juices and napkins, and the rest of us brought items for goody bags for the kids to take home at the end of the day (which included things like bubbles, stickers, bracelets for the girls, insect toys for the boys, and more).
The teachers put birthday signs on the classroom door for each birthday kid.
All the birthday kids also got crowns to wear for the day.
I think the kids all felt special for the day!
Rylan's teachers were overwhelmed with trying to figure out what to do so I ended up organizing it for them. One of the moms brought cupcakes, one brought juices and napkins, and the rest of us brought items for goody bags for the kids to take home at the end of the day (which included things like bubbles, stickers, bracelets for the girls, insect toys for the boys, and more).
The teachers put birthday signs on the classroom door for each birthday kid.
All the birthday kids also got crowns to wear for the day.
I think the kids all felt special for the day!
Black Eye
It's probably a little too low to really be considered a black eye, but Rylan has a nice bruise on his face. The kids and I took Brian downtown this afternoon to Cumberland Park to see the splashground we play at during the week. While going through the "rain" section, Rylan and another boy ran into one another (we didn't actually see what happened).
After several minutes of crying and cuddling, Rylan was back to playing. His face swelled up right away.
Later this afternoon the swelling went down some but the bruising spread out towards Rylan's eye a little more.
Pictures never do injuries like this justice but trust me that it looks pretty rough!
After several minutes of crying and cuddling, Rylan was back to playing. His face swelled up right away.
Later this afternoon the swelling went down some but the bruising spread out towards Rylan's eye a little more.
Pictures never do injuries like this justice but trust me that it looks pretty rough!
Car Dancing
I came across Brittany Spears' "Baby One More Time" on the radio the other day. Rylan was a fan ...
Gymnastics
The boys finished up gymnastics a few weeks ago. They were both in the preschool class at Harpeth Gymnastics that was once a week for an hour. We've taken gymnastics on and off here for a few years and had started up this session back in January. The boys were in the same class as Chase, Will, and Luke which made it extra fun for them.
The last few weeks were fun weeks.
At the end of one class, the coaches got out the parachute, which is always a blast for the kids.
The parents got to come into the gym for the second to last class to watch the kids close up. We have a window in the waiting room to watch them through, but it's hard to really see them well when they are at the end of the gym.
I took a few videos of the kids going through the skills courses. Unfortunately Carter's video messed up and I only have a somersault of his!
I have a little more of Rylan doing some of the skills ...
Here is Carter practicing handstands. Occasionally he actually does it at home. But most of the time his arms collapse and I think he's going to break his neck!!!
Here is Carter doing the jumping routine they practiced on the trampoline ...
And Rylan doing the same thing ...
At the end of the class, the kids had a little ceremony and got medals for completing the class.
On the last day of class, the kids got to do fun stuff. They busted out the rope swing and climbing net. And they got to spend extra time in the foam pit - which is everyone's favorite activity!!!
Since Carter is starting kindergarten and he is very much into sports like baseball and soccer, this may be the end of his gymnastics career. He does fine and has fun at class, but he's doesn't show an insane talent for it. Gymnastics is a crazy commitment as you get older so unless he was amazing and loved it, I would never push him to continue with it!
The last few weeks were fun weeks.
At the end of one class, the coaches got out the parachute, which is always a blast for the kids.
The parents got to come into the gym for the second to last class to watch the kids close up. We have a window in the waiting room to watch them through, but it's hard to really see them well when they are at the end of the gym.
I took a few videos of the kids going through the skills courses. Unfortunately Carter's video messed up and I only have a somersault of his!
I have a little more of Rylan doing some of the skills ...
Here is Carter practicing handstands. Occasionally he actually does it at home. But most of the time his arms collapse and I think he's going to break his neck!!!
Here is Carter doing the jumping routine they practiced on the trampoline ...
And Rylan doing the same thing ...
At the end of the class, the kids had a little ceremony and got medals for completing the class.
On the last day of class, the kids got to do fun stuff. They busted out the rope swing and climbing net. And they got to spend extra time in the foam pit - which is everyone's favorite activity!!!
Since Carter is starting kindergarten and he is very much into sports like baseball and soccer, this may be the end of his gymnastics career. He does fine and has fun at class, but he's doesn't show an insane talent for it. Gymnastics is a crazy commitment as you get older so unless he was amazing and loved it, I would never push him to continue with it!
Swim Lessons Completed
The boys had their last swim lesson on Friday. I'm 100% happy with how much they gained in one week.
Carter is swimming. It may not be super pretty and smooth yet, but he can go several yards with confidence. He should only get better with practice this summer. The only hard thing is that the YMCA requires kids to pass a swim test to swim on their own. If they don't pass, they must be within arms length of a parent (and I can't have two within arms length, only one - so Rylan would have to be using flotation). The swim test is not easy for younger kids to pass. Here are the requirements:
I plan on having Carter try it each week until he passes it. Hopefully it's possible for him to practice with me with the arms-length rule! Maybe he'll surprise me and have amazing endurance on his first try (that would be awesome!).
Here is a video of Carter swimming the length of the pool on the last day of lessons (split into 2 videos so I could post it).
Rylan also made a lot of progress. It would have taken him all summer (if not longer) to do for me what he did for the swim instructors in a week. The main thing they worked on with Rylan is safety. Their goal with him was for him to jump in the pool and be able to get onto his back to float. Rylan got okay at this. Enough so that they tried to get him to swim a few feet before flipping to his back. However, it was still really difficult for him to jump off the diving board and get to his back because he'd go so deep under the water each time. But that is what I recorded so here is Rylan almost getting it on the last day.
I would love to not put Rylan in flotation again this summer. However, that's really going to depend on Carter passing the swim test and how strict the YMCA is with their rules.
We will definitely be back to see Mr. Gareth next summer for more lessons!!!
Carter is swimming. It may not be super pretty and smooth yet, but he can go several yards with confidence. He should only get better with practice this summer. The only hard thing is that the YMCA requires kids to pass a swim test to swim on their own. If they don't pass, they must be within arms length of a parent (and I can't have two within arms length, only one - so Rylan would have to be using flotation). The swim test is not easy for younger kids to pass. Here are the requirements:
- Jump into the pool, submerge fully, return to the surface and immediately begin swimming without pushing off the wall.
- Swim in a horizontal position on top of the water using a forward crawl or breaststroke. The swimmer's arms must achieve full extension on every stroke, and he or she must maintain one or both of the strokes for the full 25-yard swim. Pausing is only allowed when the swimmer is rotating or turning to breathe.
- Exit the pool without assistance using either the wall or pool ladder.
I plan on having Carter try it each week until he passes it. Hopefully it's possible for him to practice with me with the arms-length rule! Maybe he'll surprise me and have amazing endurance on his first try (that would be awesome!).
Here is a video of Carter swimming the length of the pool on the last day of lessons (split into 2 videos so I could post it).
Rylan also made a lot of progress. It would have taken him all summer (if not longer) to do for me what he did for the swim instructors in a week. The main thing they worked on with Rylan is safety. Their goal with him was for him to jump in the pool and be able to get onto his back to float. Rylan got okay at this. Enough so that they tried to get him to swim a few feet before flipping to his back. However, it was still really difficult for him to jump off the diving board and get to his back because he'd go so deep under the water each time. But that is what I recorded so here is Rylan almost getting it on the last day.
I would love to not put Rylan in flotation again this summer. However, that's really going to depend on Carter passing the swim test and how strict the YMCA is with their rules.
We will definitely be back to see Mr. Gareth next summer for more lessons!!!
Last Baseball Game
Carter had his last baseball game of the season two weeks ago. He's had so much fun playing this season. I think we are going to let Carter play both soccer and baseball in the fall again, but if we give Carter the choice of just one, he'll probably choose baseball.
Half the team was made up of Carter's friends which made the season even more fun (for the players, us parents, and the younger siblings to have others to play with).
The coaches for the team tried, but definitely could have been better. The kids always played the same positions and there wasn't much teaching. But they are only 5 and 6 years old so it isn't a big deal.
Carter went through a hitting slump the last couple of weeks of the season. His timing was just off. He always swung late. He had a few hits off pitches from the coach but most hits were off the tee. However, Coach Owen was a horrible pitcher. Only about one of his pitches would be hittable per batter. They usually landed on the plate.
Carter played great in the field during his last game.
In this video, Riley fielded the ball at 2nd and threw it to Carter at 1st for the out:
Here, Carter fielded the ball himself and tagged the runner out at first (not sure why he didn't just run to the bag):
And Carter ALMOST caught a fly ball!!! So proud (and maybe a little scared) that he didn't back away from it!
Shaking hands with the other team at the end of the game:
Coach Owen handed out 2 more game balls after the last game.
Both Carter and Riley got their third game balls of the season.
The kids also got medals and t-shirts.
We only had 6 players (out of our normal 10) the last game.
Carter was so excited to get another medal to add to his collection.
This one is pretty cool with the moving baseball.
Carter loves his t-shirt too.
Yesterday we had one last Grassland Braves celebration. We had a parents vs. kids game. It wasn't very formal but a lot of fun (especially for the kids). It would have been a little better if it weren't 92F! I didn't even take any pictures (for once). After the game, we had lunch which everyone contributed to and gave the coaches their gifts.
Carter had lots of fun this season and I know he's excited to play again in the fall!
Half the team was made up of Carter's friends which made the season even more fun (for the players, us parents, and the younger siblings to have others to play with).
Carson, Chase, & Carter
The coaches for the team tried, but definitely could have been better. The kids always played the same positions and there wasn't much teaching. But they are only 5 and 6 years old so it isn't a big deal.
Carter went through a hitting slump the last couple of weeks of the season. His timing was just off. He always swung late. He had a few hits off pitches from the coach but most hits were off the tee. However, Coach Owen was a horrible pitcher. Only about one of his pitches would be hittable per batter. They usually landed on the plate.
In this video, Riley fielded the ball at 2nd and threw it to Carter at 1st for the out:
Here, Carter fielded the ball himself and tagged the runner out at first (not sure why he didn't just run to the bag):
And Carter ALMOST caught a fly ball!!! So proud (and maybe a little scared) that he didn't back away from it!
Shaking hands with the other team at the end of the game:
Coach Owen handed out 2 more game balls after the last game.
Both Carter and Riley got their third game balls of the season.
The kids also got medals and t-shirts.
We only had 6 players (out of our normal 10) the last game.
Carter was so excited to get another medal to add to his collection.
This one is pretty cool with the moving baseball.
Carter loves his t-shirt too.
Yesterday we had one last Grassland Braves celebration. We had a parents vs. kids game. It wasn't very formal but a lot of fun (especially for the kids). It would have been a little better if it weren't 92F! I didn't even take any pictures (for once). After the game, we had lunch which everyone contributed to and gave the coaches their gifts.
Carter had lots of fun this season and I know he's excited to play again in the fall!
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