Skating Dolphin

Bode is doing great.  He's enrolled in skating lessons and swimming lessons.  Today, he had his third (or fourth...not sure which, and I'm too lazy to look at a calendar) lesson, and he's doing quite well.  We started off in the beginner-beginner class, but Bode picked things up fast.  The teacher, Miss Jane, said Bode could come to the advanced-beginner class, which we did today.  He's quite adept on skates--well, maybe not adept, but he actually glides around from time to time.  Here are some pictures.  At the first lesson, they made the kids practice falling on the mats before they got on the ice.  They were taught to fall on the meaty parts of their legs and sides rather than falling backwards and smacking their heads. Sound advice.

Here is a shot from today's lesson--you can't tell much, other than the fact Bode is up on the ice without any help.  He is the one with the white stripe across his back.

Next are a couple movies.

Bode is also excelling in swimming.  This weekend, he graduated from being a Sea Otter and is now a Dolphin.  We don't have any pictures, but I do have this picture of his progress card.

Note all the filled white circles on the left.  Once Bode successfully demonstrates each task in each division, he gets a sticker.  These stickers are hard to earn, and on Saturday, he got his last sticker in the Sea Otter category.  Hence, he is now a Dolphin and is on the right side of the page.  The individual tasks are getting harder and harder.  The first sticker in Dolphin is to go the length of the pool floating and swimming without any help.  Bode has gotten close to getting all the way, but he needs a little more practice.  We are very proud of our little water boy :-)

This weekend, Ashley decided it was time for manual labor.  We are kicking around the idea of putting in a nice flagstone patio with a fireplace.  Step one was the demolition of our deck-structure.  We took this apart, piece by piece.  Not a lot of fun, but nothing like dragging around a few hundred tons of rock (maybe we'll contract that out).  Here is a picture of where the deck used to be.  Now, all you have are the posts.  Hopefully Harley can dig those out.

The weather has been great--high of 80 today.  Sadly, there is snow--SNOW!--in the forecast for Wednesday.  Maybe we need to move to Florida.  Pleasant week to all.

Florida Trip, Final Post

Bode and Ashley had a great time in Florida.  They spent time with Nana and Papa, which was great for everyone.  Bode helped Papa mow the yard, sitting on Papa's lap on the riding mower and steering (sorry, no photo).  They went miniature golfing at Goofy Golf, the greatest mini-golf place in the world.  A game is only $1.75, the same price it has been for decades.  The course might need a little repair here and there, but you can't beat the bargain.  They also went and visited the Tobiks, which is funny because they were here in Colorado in March.  Therefore, we saw them twice in the span of two months, while it had been a few years since the last time we saw them.  I scolded Ashley for her lack of pictures, because last summer, the Tobik's put in a pool, and it would have been great to see a picture of it.  Sadly, Ashley took minimal photos :-(  However, she did snap these of the kids, which are always the most important ones.  First, we have a picture of Bode watching Carter play some type of video game.

Next, we have Carter, Bode, and Marleigh.  I can't believe Marleigh is almost ten.  I'm sure Tim can't believe it either :-)

Bode has been asking when we'll be going back to Nana and Papa's house.  "Next month?" he asks.  Hopefully we get back soon, because Bode loved sitting on the bench with Papa.

It is April 20th.  We had snow earlier this week.  There is snow forecast for Monday and Tuesday, with a high temperature of 39.  When will winter end???  I am ready for warm weather!  Pleasant week to all.

Florida Trip, Post II

Nana and Papa live on the water.  And where's there's water, there are little boys with shovels and buckets who want to try to empty the ocean, build water dams and dig holes, and simply throw sand around while splashing around.  Bode would have spent the entire trip in the water if Ashley had let him.  Here are some action photos.  First, Bode and his bucket and shovel.

For awhile, Bode was content to just dig and wade.  At some point, he wanted to immerse himself in the water.  Hence, the need for his swim suit, snorkel, mask--basically everything except a SCUBA tank.

He wasn't a big fan of the mask and snorkel.  He's used to swimming with goggles, and Ashley said Bode didn't like how the mask felt on his nose.  Of course, that didn't stop the fun.

Bode spent a lot of time in the water.  Ashley said he was swimming for 1-2 hours every day except for  the one day it rained.  The nice side-effect was an exhausted Bode at the end of each day.  He was so tired, he would put himself to bed--gotta like that!

Florida Trip, Post I

Bode and Ashley were in Florida for five days.  Amazingly, I survived, but it was a little boring without the two of them.  I did catch up on sleep and my lazing around, as it was nice to not have to pick up after someone and help them get ready (I'm talking about Ashley--Bode is pretty self-sufficient :-)

On their first day in Florida, they went to the Gulfarium, which is a Sea-World-esque place (minus the orcas) on the beach.  Ashely said the Gulfarium received a bunch of money after the BP oil spill, so they have been able to update their facilities.  Here is a picture of the interior.

They saw alligators

and penguins (from Africa, not the Arctic kind)

sting-rays, little sharks, and, of course, the dolphin show.

The highlight (in Bode's eyes) was probably when Uncle Jason bought him some popcorn--the kid loves the stuff.

The whole group also tried checking out the scenery using one of those fancy land telescopes, but it appears Bode was hogging the eye-piece.

They also stopped for a quick picture with Nana (Bode, you need to smile more if you are going to get a piece of that inheritance).

The trip wouldn't have been a success without a picture of Bode in a clam.

All in all, the Gulfarium was a smashingly good time.

After seeing the animals swimming in the water, it was only a matter of time before Bode wanted to get in the ocean.  Air temperature was in the 70's - 80's, while the water temperature was probably near 70. Any bets on whether Ashley was swimming with him?  Stay tuned...