yikes! October

October is always so crazy busy and this year it seems like it started last weekend! Kelly had a few Kindergarten friends over -- they played
Knights and Princesses kill Dragons
(Paige, her friend Meagan and DJ were The Dragons)
I am pretty sure they had a blast ~

Next weekend we are having a little party for Mikey's birthday. He is turning 2!
Paige also has a soccer game later that day --

Mikey's birthday is the 5th, we will have cake after dinner, and maybe take him to the zoo while the big kids are in school.

The following weekend, Paige has a soccer game and has invited her team back to our house for pizza. Should be fun! (yes, that IS what I said, the whole team and their parents)

Mikey has his Well Baby and I even have a doctor appointment later that week.

Oh -- and Mike turns 40 on the 12th!!!

Paige has practice SSAT's the next Saturday and most likely soccer, but we don't have the rest of the schedule yet.

Oh, and she has an orthodontist appointment the next Tuesday.

And the following weekend, she is going to go out to celebrate her birthday with a couple of friends. Haven't decided where yet... House of Air maybe?
(and soccer)

Paige's birthday is the 24th. She will be 14!!!
(can you believe it?) Cake, etc.

Then we get to Halloween!
Where we have a huge block party
and every kid we know shows up here ~

Throw in the regular things:
(not counting taking them to and from 3 different schools and making sure they are fed and clean)
swim lessons for Mikey
soccer practice for Paige
hip hop for Kelly
Breakthrough for DJ
Summerbridge for Paige
and
swim lessons for Kelly

And just when will I get a chance to blog?!?

{this moment}

A single photo few photos

~ no words, capturing a moment from the week

a simple, 

special, 

extraordinary moment

a moment I want to pause, 

savor 

and remember

please
leave your {moment} in the comments
for us all to see

and even join in

where it all started

Soule Mama

{wordless Wednesday}

the swimmer

Back in February I talked about getting Kelly into swim lessons since she was under the impression that she was already able to swim, but in fact, couldn't.

We tried the Park and Rec, but I had to be in the water with her and the pool was always a couple of degrees too cold! Besides, they ended up not even being 'lessons'. They were 'get your kid used to the water without crying' sessions and we didn't need that.
It was fun for her, but not so much for me.

I brought Mikey and he (like me) hated it too. It was just too cold --

Well, we were down by Crissy Field by the old air hangers, dropping Paige off for a birthday party at House of Air and went to turn around and saw a swimming pool.
I ran in to check it out and it was La Petite Baleen I had no idea that any of these things were even down there! There is even a rock wall climbing place, but I don't know the name of it --

So in April, Kelly started lessons at La Petite Baleen and now she is definitely a swimmer!

She has worked her way up and has earned 5 ribbons
(the first one is just for not crying) and is now trying to earn her 'purple ribbon'

She LOVES her swim lessons!
I was going to stop them when school starts, but she is so good at it and likes it so much,  I signed her up to take her lessons after school.

And then, when my big three are in school, I can take Mikey -- their pool is warm!

{love}

lots of fun

and just pure happiness

swim lessons

When the older two kids were born we lived in Novato and we had a pool. I was super paranoid about it, so the second swim lessons were available for Paige, we were signed up. I didn't do the "drown proof" classes that were popular then, just the plain Mommy and Me classes. She liked the water and we took lessons every summer. When DJ was born I signed him up along with her.

At the beginning of the summer in 2003 when they were 5 and 3 years old, we moved to Hidden Valley Lake. We lived in this cute little gated community and there was a club house that had a big olympic sized pool. The pool offered swim lessons, so they each had a class back to back -- I packed a lunch and after their classes we waited for the open swim. We were there practically every day!

By the end of the summer they were both tan little fishes!

Paige was diving with the big kids

and DJ could touch the bottom of the pool -- it was crazy to see!

Kelly hated her first time in the pool, even though it was in Hawaii!

Since we moved to the city, there really hasn't been very many opportunities to even go swimming. They get to swim some, but Kelly really doesn't know how. I realized that this is something that needs to be addressed when we were on vacation and she was taking off her float vest to prove that I was wrong and she could swim....

Sort of like she could put on her own goggles....

I finally signed Kelly up for lessons through the Park and Rec. Hamilton pool was just renovated and it's nice. We have been to three lessons and she can already swim the length of the kiddie pool. She has no fear that girl -- insists on going on the water slide by herself and dove down 4 feet to retreve a toy just today.

Mikey and I are also in the class right before hers. He loves the water, but I think this pool isn't heated enough for him. He clings to me unless I let him stand on the step -- there he dances!

He also dances in the warm shower after his lessons and yells at me when it's time to get out, so I am thinking he might need a wet suit if we sign up again --

 or maybe I can find a baby dance class?