Storytime Live! and Trucks!

On June 17th I took the kids to see Storytime Live - all by myself. They did a great job! Everyone listened and followed directions and we had a great time. The show was a little over the top for my tastes, but I enjoyed it too. Nora's favorite part was the Backyardigans and Robin Hood the Clean, Corbin loved all of it! I wish I had some pictures of the stage, but they were really strict about not using cameras inside the theater. I was however able to get some pictures of the kids in the entrance hall of the Palace Theater.







The next morning we got up early and went to the community center to participate in the "Touch a Truck" day. Corbin loves it when "Touch a Truck" day comes, he has to sit in every vehicle no matter how long the line. Nora does okay for the first 30 to 45 minutes, but then she gets bored, or in this case hot. So we had to cut the trip short and head home. Luckily the next one is in October when it is cooler outside.

On to Level 2!

Corbin finally passed Level 1 swimming, so now he can have a little break and we'll probably sign him up for Level 2 sometime in August before soccer starts. Nora starts swimming tomorrow - we'll see how that goes.

Last Saturday (June 19) we went to Battelle Darby Creek Park for a short hike. Corbin loved it as usual, he is all about walking through the woods. Nora did well until we reached the prairie, where the sun was beating down, then she was done. So we turned around and walked back to the beginning so the kids could play on the play ground before we went home.










Sunday we went out to Coshocton to celebrate Father's Day with Randall's dad. The kids had a good time visiting with their Oma and Opa and their cousins. But Corbin was looking forward to coming home because he had swimming the next day.

Swim Lesson

Corbin did better at Wednesdays lesson. He was more calm and paid attention to the teacher. I still needed to remind him once in awhile to focus, but it was definitely easier this time. He still is hesitant with the swimming and jumping parts. I did notice that he stiffens up when the teacher takes him out into the water. And because he stiffens up, he loses some of his buoyancy and sinks, which makes him stiffen up more. He also does this with other activities, so maybe I should sign him up for some yoga to loosen him up. Nora also did better sitting on the bench, mostly because we were better prepared and she had some activities to keep her occupied.

Swim Lessons

Corbin had his first swim lesson on Monday! He was so excited, so much so that he had a hard time concentrating and listening to the teacher. But other than a couple reminders to pay attention, he did a pretty good job. He is very willing to get into the water, if he can touch the bottom or hold on to someone, but when they try to get him to paddle out into deeper water he freaks out and clings to the instructor like a baby monkey. Bless her heart she tried to show him that he was perfectly safe with the float on and he would do okay, but then he would look for her and realize she wasn't holding him and he would freak out again.

After seeing how much he struggled with going on his own, I have a feeling we will be in swim lessons all summer . . . On a happy note, Nora was so excited to watch Corbin swim that she allowed me to sign her up for swim lessons too. She is going for the one week crash course at the end of June. I have also decided that Randall is going to be the one to take her and deal with the stubbornness that will inevitably occur.

Preschool Riddle

Here's a riddle for you moms out there . . .

What do two preschoolers do when their Mom leaves the room to go to the bathroom?

I'll tell you what they do . . .
They get their water bottles out of the fridge,
Dump the water in the sink,
Remove the straws from the lids,
Run around the house pretending they are magic wands,
And then promptly lose them in the basement.

Of course I had to search the entire house for these elusive straws because they belong to the water bottles we take when we go to the park or the zoo. And guess where we are going tomorrow? You guessed it, the zoo. 60 minutes later both straws were found and rewashed. They are now in the freezer with the water bottles, where little hands can't get them.

Chicago called . . .

Dear Randall,

Chicago called and said Amtrak tickets are $100 round trip. He suggests I bring some girlfriends and go visit for the day. I know he still has feelings for me, but his lifestyle is too expensive for me (and you and the kids) to move to be there. I just need to renew my acquaintance with Chicago, it's been 5 years and he might start to think I have forgotten him. I know I shouldn't travel 7 hours by train only to fall back in love with Chicago in the few short hours I would be there, but I will never know if it's meant to be unless I go for a visit. Don't worry the tickets are non-refundable and I will purchase a return ticket before I leave the station (yes, the Cleveland Station). Therefore I guarantee I will return home to you and the kids . . . unless Chicago offers me the city . . . no, no, I will really come home I promise!

Love,
Your Faithful Wife

Bowling

This summer AMF Lanes is sponsoring "Kids Bowl Free". It's great! Kids get to bowl 2 games every day before 5pm throughout the summer. You sign up at the website, pick the closest alley participating, and they email vouchers every Sunday. You also have the option to buy the family (adult) pass for $27, which allows up to 4 named adults to bowl 2 games every day.

Since it was so humid and hot today I decided to take the kids to Sawmill Lanes for their first ever bowling experience. Corbin and Nora both loved it! Every time Nora knocked over a pin she would squeal and giggle, it was so cute! Corbin would jump around every time he knocked over more than one pin saying "I scored a goal!" We'll work on bowling lingo another time. I helped both kids push the ball for most of the first game, and then let them try on their own. Nora still wanted help, and she was starting to get tired, so I helped her just to keep the game moving. Corbin on the other hand . . . he just couldn't get enough oomph behind the ball so it either rolled ssslllooowlllyyy down the lane or it got stuck. Halfway through the second game Nora was starting to have an exhaustion meltdown, so we left.

The kids had a blast and can't wait to do it again. It was also nice that the place wasn't crowded (we went around 2:00). Next time though I think we'll try to go earlier in the morning around 10ish, and maybe Nora can get through 2 full games before losing it.

Ready to bowl!



Corbin's ball slowly rolling down the lane.



Nora was fascinated by the hand dryer, and wouldn't pick up the ball until she "dried" her hands.



Nora watching the pins.

Nora got in the POOL!

I set up the kiddie pool today and Nora actually got in it! She even sat in it and let Corbin splash her! Next we'll see if we can get her to go in my Dad's pool. If we can do that, then we're signing her up for swim lessons after Corbin's session!

Ballantrae

Yesterday after lunch we went to Ballantrae Park. It is probably Corbin's favorite place to go in the summer. Both kids had a great time, Corbin was drenched and Nora stayed dry. Maybe next time we'll get Nora to put more than a foot or hand in the water.