Mermaids and the lone merman!

Before we get to the swimming finale, here are a couple cute pics of us pre-preschool open house, where we met R's teachers, Ms. Tori and Ms. Eva, and saw the classroom. R seemed to enjoy playing with the toys and appeared to be comfortable there, which is good.


Today was the "learn the ropes" day for the adults. Gwen taught us basically what we need to do to continue with this swimming process. Fairly straightforward, but in a tough love kind of way.
Reese swims to me from the side.

Reese floats on her back.

Reese clings to me, exhausted after working her little butt off.

Several of the swim pupils came over to my parent's house for a post-swim lesson get-together. We had some well earned pizza and ice cream, but we ultimately couldn't keep the little show-offs out of the pool. I swear, they swim better than I do.
Dad has his hands full with Reese and RJ.

Reese, in the buff, swimming for the side.

Three little swimmers--Sloane, Reese and RJ. BTW, if you are wondering about the entry title, RJ was the sole boy in this set of lessons, so he was surrounded by the ladies. (okay, as a much-later added commentary item: Reese clearly has absorbed our in-depth Olympics viewing and realizes the importance of reaching for the buzzer--girl, you've got it! Reach for that wall! 2024 games, here we come!)

Sawyer and RJ swim to Dad. Seriously, we couldn't get them out of the water--it was really fun for them to practice and perfect their new skills.

I think Gwen is a miracle worker!
Thanks again to the Shiflets for setting this up and having us all over, and thanks to my parents for providing the spot for the "graduation party"!

Getting along swimmingly

So, Reese has been taking these super-amazing, intensive swim lessons this week. I don't know how this woman does it, but the toddlers are all swimming underwater: kicking, using their arms, getting themselves to the stairs. Incredible stuff!
These pics aren't the greatest--I took them with my iphone from inside the house--parents are not allowed to be visible to, and therefore distracting, the students.
There's my daughter--underwater, swimming to Ms Gwen on her own! Freaky and awesome at the same time!

Floating on her back as a "Rest"--Gwen told me she had her floating completely on her own at one point--somehow I missed that...

However, R is not entirely sold on the process. She did attempt a few getaways.

Fortunately, Ms. Gwen is faster and stronger than Reese.

Thanks to the Shiflets for organizing this. And yes, their pool area/backyard is nicer than most 5-star resorts....
the adults get in tomorrow and learn the tricks to getting them to swim like this at home. Mom is going to come along while Dad and I get in, and I will get her to take some better pictures.
Okay, I am totally inspired and am going to throw on my suit and grab my kickboard to squeeze in a little water exercise myself before we head to R's preschool open house tonight. Fun but busy day!

The truth stings....

After her bath tonight, Reese asked me, "Are you peppy?" (I think that's what she said--it's what it most closely resembled anyway) This threw me for a loop, so I hemmed and hawed and finally said, "Well, I guess sometimes I can be peppy." She thought for a moment and said, "Yeah, but sometimes you're grumpy." Toddlers can be candid, that's for sure.

Home again, home again

So, am I crazy for flying to FL during a tropical storm? Let's leave that as a theoretical question and not answer it, okay?
The flight to Orlando was fine until the last 30 minutes. It wasn't the up-and-down-bumpy turbulence, but the rolling-from-side-to-side-because-we-are-flying-in-gale-force-winds turbulence. I was praying that the plane would not physically roll over, we were going back and forth so much. I am sure the person vomiting repeatedly up in the front probably had similar prayer requests. Besides those lovely noises, everyone else was completely, eerily silent. We finally dropped beneath the clouds which made me feel a bit better, but we were still rolling so much, I was terrified we would clip a wing. Hugh sigh of relief when we were on the ground, then another sigh when I realized all we had to do was literally walk into the airport and voila, there was our hotel! As we were walking off the plane, Reese stopped in front of the pilots and announced, "That was a GREAAAAAAAT flight!!!!!" which was not particularly true (at all), but they thought it was pretty funny.
Then we checked in, ordered room service, and R played on of her fave travel games called "Let's crawl into hotel furniture"--yes, again! Once more, it was a train...

On Friday, David picked us up and we drove through the rain to Delray. Clearly, we didn't make it to Sea World, but we woke up to beautiful beach weather on Saturday. The storm really changed the way the beach looks. There's now a "sand shelf" along many parts of the beach, and there are also small tidal pools in some areas.
After a beach morning, we ate some seafood. Reese loves lobster bisque...

...and found the lobster shell itself to be quite fascinating.

David gave her a large bite of lobster, visible here. She chewed on this for almost an hour--I kid you not. She finally spit it out when we stopped for ice cream. I guess lobster chewing gum doesn't win out to pink ice cream...

Dancing with Daddy at the pizzeria...


We squeezed in some extra beach time Monday morning before we left.
Mommy and Reese doing the alligator crawl.

Same with Daddy.

But Daddy also lets her climb all over him.

Enjoying the wading pools.

These aren't the greatest pics but are kind of funny because R was pitching a huge fit--she didn't want to leave.

Um....

Here's a shot of the house where my FIL Lorne grew up in Ft. Lauderdale. The house backs to a waterway. David was very excited to go by but we didn't get the best shot because the landscaping truck had just unloaded.

Today is also Lorne's b-day so I thought it would be fitting to end the post with the picture of his former digs.... :)

Into the storm

We're packed up and almost ready to head off to sunny, er, storm-soaked Florida.
Last night we went over to Jane's house for craft night--the craft du jour was backyard graffiti and it was awesome! Reese had her first experience tagging. We only painted for a few moments (because oh, the fumes), but she told everyone there, "I sprayed! I sprayed!" Dinner was awesome and it was fun to see everyone.

This morning, Tatum came over and played. Oh my goodness, are those two girls cute together!
The playdate basically consisted of eating, baby dolls, eating, baby dolls, playing chase, and eating. Oh, and baby dolls. And we also listened to some 80's tunes--Tatum was jamming out so hard to Chaka Khan she actually got dizzy and tipped over--it didn't hurt her, but it totally cracked me up.
Here they are, both standing on a stool together and putting the baby dolls "nigh-night" (as Miss T says) on the changing table.

Then we went to play upstairs and they both wanted to get in the crib and put the babies night-night there.

But then the urge to JUMP JUMP JUMP just got to be too much...

...and they jumped and played in there for awhile.

Tatum, come back and play again soon!
So, immediately before I came down to blog, I put R down for her nap, a full two hours ahead of our normal schedule. I gave her a costume catalog to look at in the crib (so she wouldn't COMPLETELY freak about having to nap already)...and it's silent up there right now...maybe she's debating what to be for Halloween (answer: Tinkerbell), or maybe, just maybe--could it be?--she's sleeping. That would be a wonderful, wonderful thing....
Our flight appears to be on time and while I am not delusional in thinking that we're going to have clear skies upon landing, at least it looks like we'll get there somewhat close to schedule this evening.
I'll update the blog again when we return...have a great weekend, everyone!

Busy, busy, busy

Hey campers,
Hope you are all doing well. We have been extremely occupied with life over here at the Bain house. I've been hopping to and from aforementioned meetings, as well as getting everything set up for the new semester. ACC decided to be clever and COMPLETELY change versions of Blackboard this week. It's been a total headache. Why would you do that right before a major semester begins? Why? Why not during the holiday break? Clearly no one consulted me about this decision. Anyway, I think I've got it mainly under control now, at least enough to jump into the first week of classes.
We went over to the Mehtas a few nights ago for a really fun dinner at their place and I have to say, after seeing all of the work they have done to their place first-hand, I am now even MORE impressed. Wow! It looks great!
We had a great lunch with Cord and Tatum today, and I was kicking myself for not bringing the camera. Reese and Tatum were so cute playing together. They are basically exactly the same age and have a lot of fun mimicking each other, giving hugs back and forth, and generally being sweet. For those who don't know, Anne is on bed rest as they await the arrival of baby #2, so Cord is Mr. Mom for a week or two. Tatum is going to come over and play for a couple of hours tomorrow morning to give Cord a little break and wear out Reese so she naps early before we travel (fingers crossed), so maybe I will remember to pull out the camera and get a few shots of them in action. And then we depart for Orlando tomorrow afternoon. How annoying is it that TS Fay has just stalled directly east of Orlando? Well, maybe it's not as annoying to those of you not traveling there tomorrow, but to me it is a total pain. I've called the airline and the hotel and they are all telling me to move forward as planned, it's all okay, but I am going to keep calling to be sure. We should have a pretty clear idea tomorrow morning. And we are on a direct flight, so even if there are toddler shenanigans, it should be bearable. We're staying at the Hyatt at the airport since we get in around 8 p.m., and they have a feature where they pick up your bags from baggage claim and deliver them to your room. Um, can anyone say AWESOME??!!? That sealed the deal for me. Realizing I would not have to wheel suitcases, drag the carseat and maneuver the child and carry-ons all at the same time was such a happy moment. That, and we can literally walk through the concourse to the hotel and not have to get in a motor vehicle. Sold!
The plan is for David to pick us up Friday midday, head to Sea World for a bit to wear R out (weather may prevent that plan) (do you see a recurring pattern of me trying to exhaust my child into complete naptime submission?? Is that a problem??), then drive down to DelRay, where we will spend the weekend getting David all set up for the next few months. Well, we'll probably go to the beach and pool, eat a bunch and do some fun shopping too. And I will post all about it when I get back next week. So, send "Go away Fay" vibes toward FL and wish me luck. We're off again!

Week/Weekend update

Well, heeeeeelllllllllooooooooo! I'm still here.
We've had a good week. Not a whole heckuva lot to report, but we've had a couple of fun playdates, went to Tatum Shiflet's very fun 2nd bday party, went to a tasting dinner at Hudson's on the Bend (which was absolutely lovely until, as we were literally pulling onto 620, R starts spewing like a volcano, all over the car, herself and the carseat--food was maybe a wee bit beyond the palate of a 2-yr-old), had lunch with Cathleen and lots of fun family time. This is also the time of year when all of the meetings start back up again for me, signaling the rapidly dwindling "summer," although we all know that we will be dealing with the heat for at least two more months. I had an AMOA Board of Advisors meeting this week, which went well. I signed up for the Laguna Gloria committee, and although I have yet to find out exactly what that entails, I am excited to get involved with LG again. Love that place. I also have my first series of Elizabeth Ann Seton Board meetings starting up in a couple of weeks, and the marathon once-a-semester ACC department meeting happening next week. Along with that goes all the preparation for a new semester (okay, so it's not that much at this point, since I keep teaching the same online course repeatedly--I do kind of have the process down pretty well at this point), and starting to gear up for another quick trip to FL this coming week. But there's a storm heading to FL at this time (thanks, Shannon, for the heads up!), so we will be keeping an eye on that one.
Along with this time of year comes the undercurrent of excitement in Austin--yes, UT football is about to begin! So we've been supporting the team and wearing lots of orange and white. R calls all of this garb "my Tex-ass clothes." R is also desperately trying (with some success) to make the "Hook 'em" sign, and almost always requests "Eyes of Texas" for a bedtime song (which I find a little odd, even as a diehard Longhorn, but her wish is my command), during which she says alternately "hold my fingers" (in Hook 'em) and "HOOK EM HORNS!!!!!" Can't blame the girl, the blood just runs that way.
In "Tex-ass clothes", playing peek-a-boo at the ranch

Mainly including this to show off her cute UT game day dress, as well as illustrate how she is allowed to climb all over the furniture at the ranch

We've been watching a lot of Olympics at Casa Bain. How can you not? I especially love the nights with swimming and gymnastics, but it looks like both of those are nearing their ends, more or less. Here's R's gangsta-style (or whatever the ensemble brings to mind) shout out to the runners--that's her "magic 'ton" (ie, baton)--she pointed at the TV and said "Magic 'ton, RUUUUUUN, GOOOOOOOOO"

On second thought, she's got some Royal Tennebaums action going on as well

Saying "cheeeeeeeeeese," and also "don't be SHY!" (I really have no clue where she got that one)

Working her voodoo magic on Mommy

Cute smiles

R is getting increasingly excited about school. We pass by PHBC about 8 times a day (it really is that close to our house) and almost every time she yells "MY SCHOOL!" I think it's going to be a great experience for her. We're working on a few things in the meantime--potty training being at the top of the list. It's going really well, steady but a little slow. The girl can DO IT, it's just a matter of if she feels like it...but we are having very predictable daily successes. I am hoping it isn't too far away.
Really, not much else to report the past few days. I can pretty much guarantee we'll be in the pool tomorrow and Sunday, weather permitting. David's folks are in Germany right now, not sure if they are checking this or not, but if so, guten tag! My folks are in Cali for the Pebble Beach car show, also not sure if they will check in but if so, like, hi! Hope all the rest of you are well too...we'll be back soon!

Back to (pre)school

Good news on the preschool waiting list front! Reese was accepted into the Noah's Ark program at Park Hills Baptist Church. We visited today and the daily activities look great, the classrooms are clean and cute, the playground impressive and the location literally 1.3 minutes from our house. So, we are enrolled for the fall and she will be in class on Tuesdays and Thursdays! Yippee! One MAJOR item checked off the list.
Just a few cute pics from the last night in JH. This is from the patio behind our room at the hotel. The view was not exactly shabby, folks.
Reese being SUPER-GIRL!

Happy child

Big smiles

Mommy and Reesie

Signing off for the day. I just literally breathed a sigh of relief.....

"My mommy climbed up a mountain"

Leya talked me into hiking up Snow King yesterday and someone must have told R that we were climbing up the mountain in town. She's made several comments today, my favorite being, "My mommy climbed up a mountain. She climbed and climbed and climbed. You did it, Mommy? Yay! Good job!" (accompanied by clapping)
Keep in mind, this is the hiking trail that many Jackson Hole locals pop up basically on a daily basis--it's kind of like Austin's hike and bike trail. Oh, except it's at 7000 ft above sea level and it's COMPLETELY VERTICAL. Like, switchback, followed by a switchback, followed by a really steep switchback....you get the idea. Several people jog this trail (crazy) and I swear I saw the same woman pass by us 3 times, meaning she was doing it multiple times in a row (also crazy). But, despite my grumblings and having to make numerous stops to try to get my breathing to return to something resembling a normal pace, it was well worth it. Here's the view from the top of Snow King, looking down over Jackson and toward the Tetons.

Leya at the top--she's an old pro at this trail now!

Proof--I really did climb it! :)

It was a fun experience but I talked Leya into a much flatter hike today...I think my legs will be thankful for that!

Friends and funny faces

R is having a blast playing with Major and Blaize...
Blaize helps her up the stairs at the Amangani.

Blaize loving the nino burrito at Pica's.

Reese, getting in on the funny face fun at lunch!

More silliness at Pica's....

It's our last night in WY. We've had a great visit and have loved spending so much time with the Oswalds--we'll really miss them once we're back in Austin! R will most definitely miss the massive amounts of attention she gets from Major and Blaize--they are so sweet to play with her and think a lot of what she says is hysterical. She thinks pretty much everything they do is pretty hysterical too!

"Jack-son Hooooole"

We're here in JH, having a wonderful time! Reese loves saying, "Jack-son Hooole, we're in Jack-son Hooole!"
Let's get on to the new pics. :)
On our way here, R stylin' in her tights and boots (and way-too-short mini). She has a black eye from a fall a few days before we left....

Posing with Major and Blaize in front of the antler arch in Jackson's town square.

Playing with the patient older kids. We had a lovely dinner over at the Oswalds' place a couple of nights ago.

Working the helmeted bug catcher look....

Riding in the backpack in Yellowstone. Also, flashing the hook-em-horns sign so everyone around us would know we're Texans. We wouldn't want any confusion about that!

Me, standing in front of one of the "paint pots" in Yellowstone.

I don't know if you can really see this, but the bubbles in the picture are spots where the mud is actually boiling.

Reese and Papa pause in front of a geyser. Reese was pretty impressed with all the stinky steam that came off of these things. However, she was completely underwhelmed by Old Faithful....

Firehole Falls in Yellowstone

Yee-haw, I'm a cowgirl....Papa, can I have it?? (Guess the answer)

Did you guess correctly?

More to come, stay tuned!