One Year Apart

Found one of these pictures while looking through my files. One was taken in August of 2007 the other was taken today!

Cannonball Contest

The kids got to go swimming at the Badders again this summer and had a blast. I did not go dressed to go swimming, but got to jump in less then two minutes after we got there to fish out Nicholas. We are guessing he assumed the pool was the same as the city pool where he just finished swim lesson. The city pool is zero depth not a large second step and then a drop off. The boys were biting at the chomp to get in and I was getting everyone sun screened and floaties on. I did Eliza first and Addison asked if he could sit on the stairs while he waited for his floaties. I said that was fine and Nicholas joined. Dylan got in and took off swimming to the deep end and Nicholas walked right off the step behind him. I started screaming for Dylan and he did start heading back, but I got to jump in and drag him out. What I am thankful for is that even though it scared him and he cried for a minute he asked for his floaties and went right back in. They had a blast for three and a half hours and I had a blast watching and taking pictures but I did not have fun sitting there in wet jeans. Note to self... Next time make sure you have a change of clothes in your trunk. Just in Case!

Vincent's Hair Cut

Vincent has been asking for what he affectionately calls a "Bow Hawk" For quite sometime and does not accept any correction on the name. I finally gave in today but told him his dad and brothers along with him have an appointment to get their hair's cut professionally next Saturday before we head to the "Vincent Family Reunion". My friend is the one cutting their hair so I asked her how short I could cut the sides for her to do a real nice summer hair cut that did not looked shaved next weekend. So, this is what he ended up with and he is so excited.

Family Bed????

I got up one morning to John's alarm and walked on the treadmill while he showered for the day. Eliza woke up and so I got her out of bed and laid her back in my bed while I got showered and dressed. When I came out of the shower I found this in my bed. Apparently there went out a call for all who wanted to move into mom and dads bed as they were up for the day to come on in went out as there three of them were.

Kindergarten Be Prepared Here Comes Addison

Addison graduated from Preschool last night. His Grandma Sanders and Great-Grandma Vincent came to celebrate with us.

Goggles Make Swim Lesson More Fun

My mom bought each of the boys goggles for them to use during swim lessons. They were so proud of them they wore them for a good 15 minutes before we even left to swim lessons and then in the car all the way there.

Nicholas Now Loves it

It took two days, but Nicholas is now swimming with his class. The first day he stood right at the edge (it is a zero depth pool) and would run as fast as the wind if one of his teachers would try to come near him so the first day they let him be. Yesterday, they decided to gently push the issue and took him by the hand and walked him in. He did not fight them but there were tears in his eyes. Once they got him in and he realized that he could touch he did fine but kept ahold of his teachers hand and she patiently followed him with his death grip the rest of swim lessons. Today he was so excited to go and when they blew the whistle to start he ran right over and jumped in. That's right the kids jumped in and participated fully with his class. I was so proud of him, and thankful for his patient teacher who helped him realize that it was okay.
We were not so lucky with Addison as after Monday when they were done testing the kids to see their abilities to place them in classes, he ended up with a teacher that I had issues with and complained against two years ago. Well, the kids has not changed his little/horrible ways. In the group Addison was tested for they work on teaching them to hold their breathe under water for ten seconds and to do the doggy paddle. This teacher's idea of getting them to keep their head under water for ten seconds was to hold it there! I was ticked along with several other parents as out of the four kids in the class only one was still in the pool 15 minutes after they had started. Addison refused to get back in yesterday and that really made me mad too. Not at Addison, but this teacher who had caused fear in my child. Well, the City Director was there today and there were several complaints about this teacher not only from our time slot but others and he was termintated, but the damage was done. It took us over half the lesson time today to convince Addison back in the pool and then he would not put his face in the water at all. So, sad! I hope that these new teachers he has will have the patience and understanding and that eventually he will put his face in the water again and enjoy it as he told me that he did not want to go back anymore.

Swim Lessons

We've moved on to our next adventure now that Baseball Season is over. The kids are now taking swimming lessons also compliments of my parents. These are pictures of their first day. Vincent and Addison took to it well, Nicholas, well, not so much, Eliza absolutely no fear!

John's Celeb Look Alike Look-alike Meter

John's Brother In Law got the look a like meter off of our blog page and instead of family he did himself against celebs that he has been told he looks like. John and I got a good laugh and John asked me to do him against Drew Carey and Randy Quaid, as he has been told he looks like both of them. They were not kidding and he supposidly looks equally like both!

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2nd Grade Here He Comes

Vincent finished off 1st grade yesterday and is officially a 2nd grader. Vincent had his school awards assembly earlier in the week and I was so proud of my son. The school he attends has a policy that every child gets an award of some kind so that they do not just acknowledge one child. Vincent won several awards and was the highest academic child in the 1st grade. Here are the awards he won.

Vincent got a poetry award for reciting "Boa Constrictor" at the school level, then won and went on to the district level, and then county level. I was so amazed his teacher got him to do it.

Vincent got a math award for his high achievements in Math. The teacher announced while giving him this award that Vincent really dislikes Math, and tried to get out of it or procrastinates doing it but he is really good at it.

Vincent earned the Reading Award. This one was kind of funny too, as each grade has leveled reading. They have to read at a level 14 to be considered proficient in that grade level of reading. While she was handing out the awards there were a lot of kids who received level 14, 15 & 16. When Vincent for up she said he has received a Reading Award for reading at a level 20. There were a few gasps followed by clapping for the teacher to add, "A level 20 in 2nd grade!"

This award I think takes the top in funny. Vincent received a spelling award and never practiced his spelling words once. Vincent attends G.A.T.E. two days a week at school and his G.A.T.E. teacher happened to be his regular school day classroom teacher. She was sending home different homework for him then she was the rest of the class. She was sending home work that reflected what he was working on in G.A.T.E. It totally slipped her mind to send home spelling words with him as she did in all the other kids homework packets, but he was also receiving 100% every week on his test so she didn't blink an eye. It did not occur to her until one day when a little girl in his class got upset that she was not doing well on her tests and so the teacher told her that she needed to start doing her spelling homework and she would probably do better. Vincent announced that he never practiced his spelling during homework and he always gets 100%. It was then she realized how good of a speller he was as she was not sending words home to practice, and the kid could still pull off a 100%

Finally Vincent received a "Character Counts Award" in the pillar of Respect.

WAY TO GO VINCENT!

Water/Dirt Ohh What Fun

Addison asked if he could go swimming one evening and I told him no as it was getting later in the evening, not that hot, and it takes a good half an hour to fill our pool. He then asked if he could spray off the back patio of dirt and leaves. I told him yes as I figured they may get a little wet and I would get my back patio cleaned off. Well, actually I forgot the hose was not on the spicket so my back patio got flooded and so they filled Eliza's little wading pool and our turtle sand box (which was close to empty) with water. They all stripped down to their underpants or diapers and were all having a muddy good time!

Two Bowls Should Do The Trick

While at my parents house Addison could not decide between two cereals. To solve the problem, my mom gave him a bowl of each and the stinker took a bite of one and then a bite of the other until they were gone.

We've Been Simpsonized

John and I found this fun website that you can put a picture of yourself in and then become "Simpsonized" We had a lot of fun "Simpsonizing" John. So, do you think it looks like a cartoon of him?

Wilder Look-alike Meter

This one is for Jennie, and you were right you do look more like dad, but not as much as your probably thought!

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