Summer movies

Do you ever have those days where you've reached your limit and at the end of the day everyone seems to be having a hard time staying on task?  Yeah, I was having one of those days on Monday, so much that I finally said to Spencer in frustration that we weren't able to go to the movie the next day and sent both boys to bed. After a little bit I realized that I had made a mistake. I couldn't help but think about all the times I have needed reminders from Heavenly Father and how lovingly patient he is with me. I forget my Spencer is 6 sometimes.  I knew I needed to apologize.  The next morning I apologized to him and asked if we could try a little harder to obey quickly and that he would be able to go to the movie. So after a few hours of doing our morning jobs we were ready to catch the 10:00 am summer $1 show.  In the lobby we say these cute Monsters University cutouts that Spencer wanted pose in. 

The movie was the Lorax and I highly recommend it. I may have cried. It has a wonderful story line and is full of beautiful animation and very funny characters. We ran into a friend of Grant's from Ober who attended Gate with him and swapped numbers.  Hopefully, we can get together a few times this summer. Grant has been saying how much he has missed his Ober friends.  I consider this a "tender mercy" from the Lord for my boy Grant. 

After the Movie I ran into a friend and fellow photographer, Becky Goins whom I have known since I first lived here in Vegas back in 2000.  We both lived in the Renaissance Villas apartments as newlyweds on Tropicana and attended the same ward. We have run into each other more times than I can count over the past few years and I'm starting to believe we are supposed to be friends or something. After chatting for a few minutes we agreed to do a family picture swap--something I have been thinking about doing over the last couple days.  "Tender mercy for me."  And finally, the whole reason we were able to go in the first place--even before the lost movie privilege incident--was because Tyler reminded us about it.

Swimming lessons: Spencer

Swimming lessons how do I love thee, let me count the ways.  I have a thing for pools as I have mentioned many times before.  I especially love the memories I have as a junior high girl going to the Northern university pool early in the morning with all of my track friends for our swim practices. We did this once a week, doing laps, and playing water polo.  It was a different kind of hard and wore me out each week.  But, I also loved it. I loved the echo in the aquatics area, the splashing, the sound of voices over the water, the smell of chlorine, the way my chest burned from the exercise and most importantly being with my friends. I am a big fan of organized sports. I love to exercise and I love to share that with my kids. I hope they enjoy it as much as I did as a kid.

We first started going to this particular pool around the time we moved into the Altessa apartments. It was shortly after the divorce was finalized and we were all just emotionally spent. I wanted to find a way to have fun with my boys. I wanted them to be active and have good memories to help soften the bad.  Having a little more control over what we did and our schedule was very liberating for me. It was nice to feel peace and enjoy happy evenings with my boys.  We so needed some peace.  I am grateful for this pool for helping us at such a hard time in our lives.  Over the last few years we have come back from time to time and love it still.  I miss being here with Spencer as my baby though. I miss that one on one time we enjoyed for so long. I need to find ways to connect with my children individually. 

With my boys heading to Utah for a week each year to spend time with their grandparents I have felt a need to be sure my boys can swim well.  I realize Grandpa is a fabulous swimmer and swim instructor and the boys have learned so much from him. I also realize they are more than safe in the care of their grandparents. I am also just a mom, who wants to be sure that independent of anyone else my boys have the skills they need to be safe and to know all the strokes of swimming. They have both taken swimming lessons before and can swim. I just wanted them to have a chance to learn more in depth things. I liked what this program had to offer and the rest is history.  Spencer has learned about different methods of floating, jumping into the pool, safety and the basics of the American crawl in level 2.

More than anything though he has loved splashing around with the other kids. He really likes his teacher too. He told me today that he was so glad that he was in a group class instead of a private one. I agree, the group class is a lot of fun. 

Today when they lined up and practiced jumping in the pool over and over I could tell Spencer was working really hard on his technique. He is an excellent student--very attentive and eager to do what he's told--just as precisely as he can. 

I love this little boy so much. He keeps me up at night. I worry about him. I worry about sending him off without me each and every week. It never gets easier, it only gets harder. I hope I am able to be the mother he needs right now. I hope I am teaching him how to be safe and make good choices.

Bella's first walk

We have been waiting and waiting and waiting to take Bella on her first walk.  Yesterday was the day.  After getting her last set of shots the Vet told us to wait five days and then we could take her. It was a happy time for Bella that's for sure. She ran and jumped and ran some more.  At one point she pulled out of her collar--it's a little too big, but at the rate she is growing it won't belong till it fits just right.

This dog of ours is quite a bit of work.  Because it is so hot outside she really needs to learn how to be an inside dog.  We have had other dogs and I have learned from sad experience that you have to be very strict with these dogs and not allow them to be in the areas that are off limits. So far Bella has had the chance to wonder around very briefly the tile area of our down stairs. I want to teach her to have a spot that she quietly lays in while she is in the house.  

She is getting better at listening too. Every once in a while though she gets a wild look in her eye and looks from side to side to see if anyone is watching then makes a crazy run for the living room trying to evade us.  She also is a big fan of the area near Josh's high chair. She knows there is bound to be a crumb or two for her to sneak(more like 10)

Grant enjoys teaching her new things. Tyler has managed to teach her a sign language type command that she responds to through the glass door. He puts his hand into a fist and says down. When she jumps at the glass window from the outside we can just hold up our fist so she can see it and she usually sits down.  We have to tell her over and over, but the fact that she understands is encouraging to us. 

The Vet said that she is a sweet puppy that means well, but just needs a little training. She is very happy and hyper.  Spencer feels very sad when she is outside alone.  I do too.  I like to see Spencer's compassion.  

The boys both have jobs to do with her. Unfortunately for Spencer his job is to pick up after her in the yard. Grant sweeps of the porch that she makes a mess of and gives here food and water along with practicing some training stuff with her each day. Bella grabbed onto Spencer's shirt and tore some skin so I have kept her away from Spencer for now till she calms down.  

Magic Tree house book club

My visiting Teacher who happens to be having a baby this sunday wrapped up the last day of  the Magic treehouse book club she has been holding for the boys in our ward about Spencer's age. She also happens to be the mother of Spencer's new best friend from his new school. A little boy who just so happened to sit right next to him in school. That was a tremendous blessing for Spencer as he was pretty nervous to start out at a new school with no friends. 

At first I thought I wouldn't do it. It seemed like just another thing to add to my allready long list of things to do. But after a while I felt like it would be a really good thing for Spencer to do. A way for him to learn to like reading more.  He is such a social boy and loves to be in a class setting. Spencer was worried at first and didn't want to do it. I think he envisioned a scenario where everyone just sat around and read.  After the first day though when they made their very own book on taped together popsicle sticks that looked like a papyrus roll he was hooked. 

Alexis made this so fun for the kids.  Each week they did different activities to remind them of the different books assigned.  It was brilliant the way she incorporated hands on activities in order to get the kids talking about and rememberring what they read. 

Spencer has loved being apart of this group over the last few weeks.

It was sad to have to say good-bye. The next club is "Harry Potter".  It seems a little advanced for 7 year olds and I am torn about the whole Harry Potter thing. I do not love the violence in the latter books.

For now we will try and read as many of the magic treehouse as we can this summer. Hopefully this club accomplished for Spencer what I hoped it would. A love for reading. He seems to be reading more on his own lately so I think it just might have done the trick.

Swimming

The boys are both taking swimming lessons this summer. Grant was not thrilled at this idea and claimed that he was already a good swimmer. He is in fact a pretty good swimmer, but, I just wanted to make sure they had a chance to learn all the strokes properly and understood water safety for sure. It's a little scary sending these kids off with out me every other week. Something I never thought I would be doing.

When we showed up for the first lesson Grant looked around with a little bit of horror as one six year old after another marched around the gathering spot for the lesson. He turned to me and said something like, "If this is full of kindergarten girls I am not going...I won't come back mom."  Turns out he had two other boys about his age in the class and his instructor is his dad's bishop's son. He seemed to really enjoy himself and told me that he loved it and that I was right about signing him up and even thanked me. WOW.  How is that for a pay day!

Spencer looked forward to his class and did quite well and enjoyed learning different types of floats. Matt took him and I was not able to go, I was getting a little sick.

Yesterday we decided to go to open swim prior to Grant's class starting at 4.  The water was ICY.  The lesson's are held indoors with walls that open up in the summer time. Josh and I were a little startled as we got in but the boys didn't bat an eye. Spencer used the kick board to get around the deep parts while Josh and I followed and Grant found a big mat to lounge on in a small patch of sunlight. After some time floating Grant came over to me and said, "I've been thinking about it and I'm gonna do it...Jump off the diving board."  :) So he did, and followed it up with a glance in my direction and a fist pump in the air as he made his way back to the board to go again. He is growing up and is still very much a boy and wants me to watch at the same time. I love it.

Spencer and I had fun too. I was impressed with Spencer's ability to remember in such great detail what he learned at his lesson and show it to me. His floats are spectacular.

Josh as usual loved splashing around and being around all the other people in the pool. He loves a crowd of noisy kids that's for sure.