Kaleidoscopic Eclat

So, today, the pup hit another milestone in the whole swimming lesson crusade, for it was jump off the diving board day! She doesn’t usually have much fear to speak of, and CLEARLY loves the water and I’m beginning to wonder if she has gills to go along with her long skinny feet that look suspiciously like flippers at times - but even so, I wasn’t sure if she’d chicken out or not. After all, I have never ever jumped off a diving board in my entire life and I have exactly zero plan to do so, ever. So I wouldn’t blame her at all- though I totally would let the coaches toss her in give her a nudge in the right direction. I have a ‘mean’ rep to protect, after all!

So anyway, at the end of the lesson, everyone moved to the diving board, and after letting EVERYONE ELSE GO FIRST because she was a little scared being polite and waiting her turn, she couldn’t put it off any longer - and with only the slightest of hesitations, she took the plunge!

Hurray! She also made it almost the entire way across the pull without having to stop/grab onto Coach Billy. By the end of next week, I fully expect her to pass out of lvl 2 and into lvl 3 the following week. I also expect I’ve a long year of swim mom coming up this winter. Of course, this also means I’m eying all of those KCHS Lady Kardinal records that hang on the wall at the pool, the ones that say “M.B.” from the early 90s. I fully expect the lot of them to be replaced by the year 2016 with “J.M.”

I mean, just LOOK at that form though - don’t it belong on a Wheaties box? I thought so too. But no pressure, pup. No pressure at all. *grin*

PS - anyone know where can get a set of those *points up* for my house? And padlocks to go with them? After all, it’s a step up from her box, right? hahahhaha.

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 all the rage, nowdays. Even for the pup. Remember her previous living arrangement box?

Well, seems she decided it was too big. All that decorating was just taking TOO MUCH TIME. So she downsized.

Now if only she had enough room to put a shirt on too…

[OH NOZ!

I know I'm no Annie Libwhatserface the photographer - but it's a half dressed child! WHAT WOULD HANNA MONTANA AND MULLET DADDY DO?! Oh yeah. Get mega bucks and a magazine cover or 80.

For me, I just made it a 'friends and family' picture only so only the freaks I actually know can find it on flickr. Heh. ]

which means playing outside until utterly exhausted and collapsing onto the couch and falling asleep within three breaths - and getting color, the ‘poor Irish baby’ way… heh. Auntie forgot the sunscreen.

She was quite pleased to tell me that her knees are red too because she was CLIMBING TREES mama!

Aaaaaah summertime…

IN happier news - today is the last day of school.

Wait - that means they’re home all the time. CRAP. But that’s not what I wanted to say…

in HAPPIER news - despite the fact the kids are now home 24/7 for the next three months - the pup got her report card today. Everything was wonderful - but one thing was SUPER FANTASTIC…

The goal for the benchmark reading at the end of 3rd grade is a 110.
The score the Pup started the year with was a mid 2nd grade 51, stage 3 (early reader).
The final score for the year….

(drumroll please)
(thank you)

109!

One Oh Freakin’ Nine!

That puts her at a completed stage five (independent reader), and perfectly in line to go into 4th grade next fall with confidence. WHOOOHOOOO!

Told ya she was awesome!

PS - four days of outside field trips and hey! The pup has COLOR!

…sunburn. whatever. Beggars, choosers….