Swimming, Biking, Etc.

First, swimming! Both kids did great in their swim lessons over the past two weeks (8 lessons total). Niko will remain at level 3, and is a little bummed about that, but his accomplishments were amazing! I watched the kid do laps across the pool: front crawl, back crawl, breast stroke, and kickboard-with-dolphin-kick (butterfly without arms, basically). And he did AWESOME! He just needs to work on his dolphin kick (which is hard! and a lot of work!) and synchronizing his arms and legs in his breaststroke. But seriously? He did so, so well. I was absolutely impressed with his growth, and level 3 is the hardest level to pass, I've been told!

Meanwhile... Maya passed level 1 and is ready for level 2! A fact which Niko was less than thrilled about, but it's honestly like comparing apples and oranges. Maya did great getting comfortable in the water without me. She will swim with just a noodle for support, blow bubbles, and jump to her instructors. All of these may sound like little things, but they mark HUGE progress for our girl! She is all signed up for level 2, starting next week. I'm crossing my fingers that she will be swimming without a floatie in two weeks!

Because the first session of swim lessons ended this week, the town pool hosted a little pizza-and-pool party for all the kids after closing last night. I didn't really want to go... I'd spent a second day in a row pulling weeds outside, and my body was screaming with the pain and fatigue. But the kids really wanted to go, so I took them. And they had so much fun! Niko spent the entire time diving for rings, jumping into the deep end, doing somersaults and headstands, etc. Maya, for her part, got right into the water on her own, without so much as a backward glance. Such a huge change!

And now is the part where I tell you about how Maya is becoming an excellent bike rider. I wish I could post that! The truth is, she is COMPLETELY capable. But, much like her brother, she has (for some reason) decided that she can't do it. She wants her training wheels back, and she wants me to hold onto her forever. It's insane. I took her to the track yesterday, and she can easily ride on her own for about 30 feet before she freaks out. And that's it-- she just freaks out, slams on the brakes, and gets mad at me for having her try in the first place! But if she just kept pedaling, she'd be zipping right along! It is endlessly frustrating, since I can SEE that she knows how to do it. Part of the issue is that she doesn't really care if she can ride a bike or not-- she isn't particularly motivated to learn. SIGH. Like I said, it's frustrating. I'm hoping that I can get her riding her bike before this winter. At least Niko gets good practice while we are there, since he just does laps on the track while I work with her. I'd post a video, except it includes a lot of me yelling "KEEP PEDALING!!!" and "WHY DID YOU STOP??" I repeat: sigh.

Anyway... Today was a great day. Niko was invited to his friend, Noah's, birthday party, and I dropped him off there. For the first time ever, I DROPPED HIM OFF! He had insisted that I needed to stay, but changed his tune when he saw that he knew so many kids there. He had a great time, and I got stuff done at home! Happy day! I finished up some projects in our master bedroom, and also pulled all the weeds in the driveway cracks. Gus weed-whacked, and ripped up all the grass around our blueberry bushes so that we have a planter now. And then he mowed. And then he grilled us some ribeye steaks for dinner. Yes, it was a great day indeed! (and only 70 degrees and cloudy-- perfect for yardwork!)

We have another birthday party tomorrow, which I have to stay at. But both kids are invited, and it's at a gymnastics place, so it should be a lot of fun! Stay tuned! :)