Fun in the Sun

Swimming 2012

The girls entered the West Chester University swim lessons for a third time this year.  The program is intense and successful.  Making sure each girl is very important to me.  We spend a great deal of time in water throughout the year and having to keep a constant eye on all three is impossible.  Savannah is a good swimmer and joined a local swim team this past winter.  I no longer worry about her.  The twins have been taking lessons all year but neither one got to the point where I was comfortable watching them from afar.

I am proud to say that Lila Grace recently changed her status.  She is a proficient lap swimmer using both backstroke and freestyle. During her lessons over the past four weeks (Monday through Friday - 20 lessons in all), Lila built her endurance and was able to fully swim laps for the entire lesson.  Unfortunately, I don't have great video of her doing so becuase the last week of her lessons, she was running a temp of 101.  She sat out a couple days and attended the last two on a heavy dose of ibuprofen (crazy, I know).  Here is a video of a sick and tired Lila slugging through the water.  On a typical day she looks much better.  I am thrilled that she earned "lap swimmer" status.

Adeline lags behind Lila in the pool.  Her strength and motor movements still suffer from prematurity.  She is much more determined and willing than her twin sister which leads me to believe that she will conquer swimming regardless of her deficits.  Her stroke is coming along nicely but Adeline can't turn her head and "freeze" for a breath.  She still lifts it up which immediately causes her to sink.  She will get it eventually.  I am pleased that she can jump into a deep end and make it back to the wall.  I still keep a constant eye on her in the pool.


The reward for all their hard work is jumping off the diving board.  Adeline was disappointed that she forgot to say, "Cannonball."

Holden Beach 2012

Here are few pictures from our first day at the beach. The kids are always filled with excitement when their feet touch down on the sand for the first time. We didn't change them into suits because it was nearing the dinner hour. Clearly, our plan to keep them dry didn't work.

Of course Miss Lila jumped right in. . . dress and all.

Happy Father's Day

To a Daddy that has three little girls who absolutely adore him!

I took this picture last week as we were walking down the streets of Philadelphia. It is so Alex - Adeline always attached, Savannah near his side, and Lila Grace not far behind.

Daddy ended his special day like this. . .

Gettysburg as a Single Child

We were lucky to have the opportunity to whisk Savannah away for a weekend in Gettysburg.  My history loving, war-intrigued girl got a heavy does of perspective as she walked the battleground.  All three of us were moved by those who gave their lives with a belief that it would someday make life better for others.  It's hard to imagine what goes into that thought process and how it was carried out time and time again.  Fathers, just like Alex left wives and children behind.  Savannah made these connections. 

Our hearts were heavy with thoughts that were hard to reconcile, the math doesn't always work when looking back on history.  It was a strange weekend because while the subject matter was pretty hard to digest, we were loving our time together as a threesome.  We haven't had Savannah to ourselves in years.  She is her own person now, a contributing member of our family.  During our weekend, she required no real supervision, parenting or correction.  We were more or less enjoying each other's company.  Every minute was priceless.

 We all think Lincoln was an amazing guy.  The man had guts and conviction!

 A really tall lookout over the battlefield.

 The view.

 I LOVE this girl!!

 The Pennsylvania Memorial.

 An unexpected treat.

I feel confident that our trip will be forever written in her book of memories.

T-Ball...We Will Miss You!

T-ball has come to an end.  Miss Adeline was very upset when her coach mentioned her last game was on the horizon.  She would play everyday if she could.  It has been such a positive experience for her.  We were so lucky to stumble upon a format that isn't competitive, doesn't take much of our time and is fun for the players.

Here are some pictures from Adeline's last game.  She holds her glove out the entire inning, just waiting for the ball to magically drop into it.  Eventually, her other arm has to help hold the glove arm up due to fatigue.  It is just so adorable.

 Adeline is so darn serious about this game.  She keeps her eye on the ball at all times, never plays around and listens intently to the coach.  If you tell her she is the last batter - the batter that gets to hit the home run as seen in the video below, she will get her helmet and sit at the very end of the bench.  She just knows what to do.  She is the most serious girl on the team and possibly the cutest.  I realize I am biased.

The stance. . .

Playing pitcher and throwing to first (they have to wear helmets in this position).  Did I mention every player gets a trophy?!

Home run off the T.



She hits a real pitch!!!

Last Day of Second Grade

Where did the year go?  They just keep going faster and I am in a state of panic as I type this.  My big girl is almost 9 years old and is technically a 3rd grader.  It troubles me.  However, I push my panic down and remind myself to celebrate who she is.

Savannah came into a new school this year and made an incredible name for herself.  She is known to be sweet, kind, and very smart.  Staff that I don't even know, confirm that my girl is unique.  I love it.  Not only does Savannah work to make sure these are the characteristics that define her, she seeks friends that are cut from the same moral fiber.  She found a good one this year.  It took time and patience, but by the end of the year, Savannah had done what I have always hoped for.  Savannah surrounded herself with a friend that shares her values. 

Savannah loves her new school and says it feels like home.  I am proud of her for making her transition to public school successful.  I am so lucky to have such an easy, sweet and successful girl!  She makes this world a better place.

Last Day of Kindergarten

Although Lila was attending "fake kindergarten" this year, I still found myself choked up on the last day of school.  She changed so much over the school year.  It is hard for me to watch her grow into a school aged girl.  She looks so much taller, acts older and knows more than we ever dreamed she would learn.  It wasn't a perfect year but when we do the math, all signs point to success.

Here she is at her end of the year party and on her last day.

Savannah walked Lila Grace to class for the last time.  They will not attend the same school next year.  It kind of makes me sad.

Stitches

Seems like forever ago, but a it was only 12 short days ago that Miss Lila went flying into a door jamb. She wasn't doing anything she shouldn't have been or even being careless.  She merely caught her toe under an area rug and, with her momentum (she was running), went right into the door jamb.  My heart still sinks when I think about it. 

I picked her up and saw the blood.  I know heads bleed a lot so I reassured her and told her that I would hold her until it stopped hurting.  I pressed a thick towel on her wound and cradled her like a baby.  Quickly, the tears were gone.  Since I hadn't really seen the wound, I decided to pull the towel away and that is when I realized it was soaked and my sweatshirt was pretty saturated too.  I knew the ER was in our future.  When I stood up to get the ball rolling, Lila became quiet, still, and very unlike herself.  It drove a wave of panic through both Alex and me but we put our brain before our emotions and knew that she couldn't be seriously injured.  I will say the blood was unbelievable.  Ten times more than what we saw from Adeline's stitches on her eyebrow.

After five and a half hours in the ER (she was fast tracked but it still took forever), Lila was stitched - 12 of them to be exact.  It was a deep and wide wound which made stitching a little more tricky.  She was so patient and brave.  Not a tear nor a moment of resistance came from her body.  Somehow, she just sucked it up and let them stitch her.  I still don't know how a five year old just lays down for something like that, especially when it is our so called Drama Queen.

The silver lining goes on and on but the more important points are this. . .

We got to spend five undivided hours with Lila Grace.   She was brave, happy and pretty darn funny with her head bandaged and princess garb.

Her wound could have been right on her cheek and instead rests in her hairline.  It will definitely scar. 

They didn't shave her hair thank goodness!

No concussion.

Lila was proud of herself (she isn't our most confident kid so this is a big deal!)


The day in pictures. . .

Her wound was actively bleeding for hours which required lots of unique bandages in the waiting room. We had a very attentive triage nurse.  Such a blessing.