Land o'Lessa

Today was the day. She’d been WAITING and WAITING and OMG MOM ISN’T IT TIME YET because she’s been waiting FOREVER. Yes, today was the pup’s very first swimming lesson. She has always loved the water – all my kids do, they get it from their daddy and auntie, and nana and papa – and she’s been oh so greenly jealous of Auntie’s kiddos who got to be on a swimteam last year. Of course, she didn’t tell me that’s what she wanted to do until the season was almost over and the lil ladybug made the team, but whatever.

So I told her I needed a break from Little League anyway, so we’d skip this year and she could take swimming lessons all summer instead, and then if she still wanted to be on the team she could try out and we’d do swimming. I haven’t been a swim mom since her Auntie was in highschool and Nana and I went to every meet – so did the Boy, but he was too little to remember it. *g*

I reminded her last night that she’d have to go to bed at a reasonable hour so that she could get up early for class. Yes, I’m so into allowing my kids to do what they desire most that I was going to GET UP BEFORE NOON and be at the pool at NINE FREAKIN’ AM. She bounced out of bed this mornign, nagged me until it was time to go (Now mom? now? HOW ABOUT NOW?) and we were off.

She did extremely well, natch. Her backstroke is most awesome, and she’s working on her freestyling ways – right now she’s got quite the bobblehead. Heh. She has absolutely no fear of getting her face wet, being underwater, opening her eyes underwater, doing bubble bobs, none of it.

And most importantly – she SLOWED DOWN and LISTENED to her teacher.
I know. I was shocked too!

Just goes to prove she really does want this, as well as confirms my suspicion that she would do better in a more individualized sport rather then team sports like the older two. So we swim. Well, she swims. I take pictures. Get a load of her grin in the backstroke…

And here, a video for Auntie:

It’s another double dose of the Bachelorette tonight, as we get the episode and the reunion-esque “men tell all” show one after the other. We start with the final three getting to go to the Bahamas and have one on one all day (and all night..) dates with DeAnna. Jeremy is up first, and they play on jetskis and Deanna hopes he’ll let go and have some fun, but he goes all weird on her and shuts down. It’s like he’s a teenage boy on his first date all of the sudden, and he finally tells her that he’s scared to lose her, and she gives him the fantasy suite card and they rush off to the private room to spend the night.

Jason’s date involves off roading and a secluded picnic and even some kayaking – which they really suck at, since neither have done it before. They laugh a lot and seem to have a really great time. He tells her that his son and her are his favorite subjects and later gives her a necklace and they get all lovey dovey as she kisses him eagerly and of course, he gets the dream suite too. In fact, he doesn’t even read the rest of the note, getting to ‘spend the night’ and giddily dragging her off like a schoolboy, as she follows laughing.

Jesse’s turn for the all day date involves horseback riding on the beach and lots of laughter and a sensitive romantic side of Jesse. He gets serious and they talk of kids and marriage and what their life would be like together. He assures her that she has a place in his life and he’s falling for her. She gives him the card, and he says he isn’t sure he can take it until he meets her dad. She’s shocked – but turns out he was just teasing her and off they run to the suite and she loves that he makes her laugh.

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Tonight was another night of the occasional hit, and a few misses as the top 9 performed on Nashville Star! It was family week, and as such, Miley Cyrus Jr – uh, I mean Billy Ray Cyrus’ other daughter, Noah, introduced her daddy at the top of the show. (And more and more I can’t stand the other announcer they have on there. Just getting that off my chest now.) The contestants have been away from their family for a month, so they joined the contestants for the week. Tears, squeals and tailgating bbq’s inevitably followed while the contestants picked and practiced their songs -two each this week!- for tonight’s performance.

They go back to the tried and true countdown of those that are safe – and Ashelee Hewitt is the first up. We’re told she has the largest family ever all there with her and she sings “Don’t stop believing” – while playing the piano, then switching to the guitar, and then after the judges tell her she’s growing and doing well she follows it up with a short bit of “Help me make it through the night.” She seemed to be overthinking moving across the stage a bit much, but she was ok.

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