The Chicken Dance

Bode went to Rylan and Brenna's birthday party this past weekend.  I didn't get too many pictures, but I did get the following video of Bode doing the chicken dance.

There was, of course, candles and cake.

Finally, Bode and Mommy decided to dance.  Very sweet.

I am on day 7 of my bout with a bad bacterial infection.  Things have not been pleasant, culminating with an ER visit yesterday.  Fortunately, there is no serious infection (e.g amoebic dysentery).  Doctor simply said some times these bacterial infections can last up to two weeks.  I am on some antibiotics and am feeling better today.  I look forward to returning to work.  Pleasant week to all.

Shark Boy

Bode has developed into quite the swimmer.  He started taking lessons in January.  Ten months later, he is a Level VI swimmer aka a Shark at Donna's Dolphins.  There are eight stickers to earn as a shark. Bode has earned two of them.  I hadn't been to a lesson in a couple weeks, so I was amazed at what I saw on Saturday.  He looks like a real swimmer--stroke looks great, breathing quickly, and when he remembers to kick, he's fast.  His instructor, Mr. Brian, said Bode has great instincts in the water (I don't know what that means either; must be swim-speak for something other than doesn't drown).  He said as soon as Bode grows another two feet and adds 150 pounds of muscle, he will be ready for the Olympics.

Not only can Bode do freestyle, but he also is quite adept at the backstroke.  His only issue with the backstroke is he sinks if he doesn't kick fast enough.  When he puts it all together, he looks great.  Like Mr. Brian says, it is simply a matter of building up those muscles to prevent the fatigue that causes him to stop kicking (and the fact that he's five and sometimes forgets to do all that stuff :-)

They have also introduced the concept of flip-turns.  They started by teaching Bode how to do a flip in the water, and then slowly got him closer to the wall.  He's decent at it, but the common theme this post is repetition will make him better.  This isn't to say everyone is thrilled with his capabilities.  The key is to get his form and technique down, and as he grows and starts doing laps (if that is his thing), the rest of the stuff will fall into place.

We always finish swim lessons with a little play time.

Bode's school had its Fall Carnival last night.  The school doesn't have the kids dress up on Halloween, so this was their chance to wear the costumes to school.  Bode's costume is hilarious.  He's a bat!

I only got the following action shot of Bode at the carnival.  Ashley and I had volunteered to help man (woman) one of the booths, so Grammy took Bode around.  We finally caught up to him in the bouncy house.

A "first-time ever" occurred this weekend.  As I said above, Ashley and I had volunteered to work at the school carnival.  Unfortunately, this conflicted with the Auburn game.  Rather than have Ashley check her phone every minute, I suggested we leave the phones at home and go into a communications black out.  I said we could record the game and watch it when we got home.  If you know Ashley, she always must watch the game live.  I think she still believes she has the ability to influence the outcome. Anyway, after much guilting, she agreed.  Fortunately, Auburn won, beating Johnny Football 45-41 in a thriller.  I suggested we should record all games from now on.  She was not amused.  Happy Sunday.

The Patio Project

The great patio project has been completed.  Earlier this summer, Ashley and I dismantled a large wood patio in our backyard.  While this patio was functional, it was an eye-sore.  We decided to put in a rock patio, and by put in I mean pay someone to put in.  Initially we intended to have a large fireplace as part of this project.  Unfortunately, much like Congress, Ashley could not convince me to raise our debt limit.  Perhaps sometime next year (maybe Congress should take notes--not spending money you don't have, a novel concept).  Below are some pictures.  Harley the camera hog decided she needed some blog-time, so she's in most of the images.  First, the view of the patio from our porch.

We think the boulders go well with the existing landscape.  Note Harley in the middle right, above the patio.  Next from the side:

There are two levels.  We only own two outdoor chairs, so for now, the lower tier might be made into a level for large potted plants.  We're still figuring that out.  Next is a picture looking behind the patio at a place I call Harley's perch.

See the bare dirt area under Harley?  That is the future location of a potential fireplace (or more rock, depending on the debt situation).  Next is a picture of the patio from Harley's perch.  Obviously Harley and I switched positions.  We have a lovely view from here.

Our backyard needs a little work.  It's just one big dirt field, thanks to the heavy machinery used to move the stones around.  Ashley and I think we can do something nice with the landscape--maybe a garden, maybe a sandbox for Bode, maybe a waterfall (that debt ceiling again).  We've plenty of time to figure it out, as winter is approaching, so we won't be doing much for the next few months.

Bode has been taking skating lessons.  He's getting pretty good.  Here's a video of Bode learning to go backwards.  I think it's simply a lot of rump-shaking.  He's better than me at going backwards.

Nothing too exciting here.  Work is work for the both of us.  We are not really impacted by the shut-down, and tomorrow, I hear DoD civilians are going back to work.  I took Friday off and really enjoyed my time not working.  I don't understand people who say they would be bored if they didn't work.  Perhaps I don't have a large enough sample size, as I only had the day off.  Still, I think I could find plenty to occupy my time :-)  Pleasant week to all.