Our Sea Otter

Today was a great day at the pool.  Bode has been trying so hard to earn his last sticker and graduate from being a Sea Monkey to a Sea Otter.  Here are some pictures and movies documenting this momentous achievement.  First, here's a shot of Bode getting pumped up for the lesson.

He was with Brian today--he hadn't had Brian as an instructor in awhile.  This turned out to be a good thing, as Brian was able to find some ways to help Bode accomplish the ever elusive bubble-down and float back up starfish.  This is when he goes underwater, kicks back up to the surface and floats on his back in the starfish position.  For awhile, Bode could not master the starfish, and he had difficulty finding his buoyancy.  The last couple lessons, Bode mastered this and was able to float on his own.  The bubble-down was causing problems, because Bode wouldn't keep his head back and he wouldn't kick properly.  Here is an example of Bode doing a poor bubble-down.

Brian decided to put the shark vest on Bode.  This gives him some added buoyancy.  He also wanted Bode to jump in from the side rather than do a bubble-down from inside the pool.  This might seem harder, but Brian explained jumping in from the side sometimes helps the "panic" response i.e. when they hit the water, the kids are startled and will instinctively kick.  Sounds plausible to me.  Here is a picture of Bode with the vest--note the fin on the back.

Here was his first attempt, which wasn't a very good one.  You can hear us on tape and also Brian telling Bode his hands were out of the water.  It's very hard for the kids to float without their hands.

Brian made Bode do quite a few of these.  This one is a great example of a good job.

After mastering the technique, Bode had to remove the vest and do the same thing.  This is a video of two tries--he does pretty good on these.

After getting a good feel for the technique, Bode then did some bubble-downs starting in the pool.  Obviously Ashley and I were very excited.

After all the hard work, it was time for some play.

We had a blizzard in Colorado today.  Well, the forecast was for a blizzard, but we hardly had any accumulation.  Lots of blowing snow, and it was very cold.  Fortunately, the forecast for the week is for highs in the 60s, so I am ready for some great running weather.  Pleasant week to all.

Birthday Dog

We had another birthday in the house today, this one of the four-legged variety.  Harley-dog is now two years old.  We expect she's just about full-grown.  Here's a shot of the big girl, me, and Bode-man.

She's a pretty good dog, although this past weekend, I gave her a bone.  Usually, she keeps them out in the yard, but every now and then, she tries to sneak one inside.  Yesterday, I caught her on the sofa "burying" the bone next to the cushion.  Lovely.

Mommy bought Candyland for Bode, and it has quickly become his favorite game.  We seem to play every night, which is fine--some good ol' family fun :-)

Bode has a swim-lesson tomorrow.  Here's hoping he graduates from being a sea-monkey and joins the ranks of the otters :-)  Pleasant week to all.

Sledding and Skating

For those of us who are federal employees, Monday, 18 Feb was a holiday.  Thus, we had a three-day weekend.  Saturday, we didn't do a whole lot.  Ashley and I did some yoga in the morning (no full moons this time), and then the three of us went swimming.  Bode is getting very comfortable in the water, and has almost graduated from being a sea monkey to an otter.  He has to do a dive-down, which is basically going underwater and touching the bottom, and then surface and float in a starfish position for five seconds.  We'll see if he gets there this week, although I think it might take him a couple more lessons.

Sunday, we headed up to the mountains.  Dave and Kathy (Ashley's brother and sister-in-law) have family who own a 3-bedroom condo in Breckenridge.  They invited us up for Sunday and Monday.  We arrived for lunch, and then decided to so some sledding.  Bode had never been, and we wondered if he would like it.  Turns out, he loved it.  Here are some pictures.  First up, the clan trudging through the snow to get to the sledding hill.  Note it was a beautiful day.

Next is a shot of Ashley, Bode, and Teddy at the base of the "mountain."

Bode and I went on the first run together.  I thought he'd be a little scared, based on the incredible speeds we achieved.  Surprisingly, he really liked it.

After a number of runs, Bode wanted to go on his own.  Here is a movie.  We were prepared for a yard sale, but he made it down on his own in one piece.  Note at the start of the video, Bode is sitting down in a group near the middle of the picture.  Once he starts going, I was able to track him down the mountain.

Finally, here is a picture of Mommy and Bode finishing up a run in the tube.  Lots of fun!

Sunday night was rather tame.  We went to dinner, and afterwards, Cars was on TV, so we watched that.  Monday morning, Mommy was nice enough to make us some pancakes.  Here is a shot of the boys anxiously awaiting their food.  Bode really enjoys hanging out with his cousins, although there are an inordinate number of burp and fart jokes...

Monday, we went ice skating.  Bode hadn't been ice-skating since we tried it when he was three years old.  That time did not go well.  We were hopeful for a better result.  Initially, Bode was very timid on his skates.

However, once Teddy and Charlie showed up, he really started to zoom around, albeit with the assist from the walker.

As always, we had a wonderful time with the Denver Rankins.  Charlie turned four today, and Kathy made a delicious birthday cake, which Bode thoroughly enjoyed.  We got home in the mid-afternoon, did some chores, and are now all ready for bed.  Evidently the lack of oxygen takes its toll on all of us.  Pleasant week to all.

Another February Weekend

Twas another ordinary weekend in Colorado Springs.  The weather has been teasing us with snow--we get a few flakes, and then the sun comes out.  I think the mountains are getting some, but not enough to relieve the drought conditions.  Saturday, Bode had another swim lesson.  No pictures this time--we think the camera has been making him nervous (not really).  We should have taken movies, because he did great this time.  He floated as a starfish for five seconds, and would then flip over on his face and swim to the wall.  He even "sat-dove" in the water from the side.  He's not quite in the "Sea Otter" category, but we think he'll be there in a couple weeks.  We've decided to have him take two lessons a week, so the additional exposure should be good for him.

I woke up this morning, and realized Harley was in a tizzy.  I looked outside and saw this:

You can probably see Harley (the black shape near the right-middle).  She was running back and forth along the fence line.  If you look above her and to her left, you might be able to make out five or six deer.  I took a zoomed shot, but the focus was not good...

There was also this lone female, sitting down by herself.  She's just about in the exact center of the photograph.

It is neat having all these deer around.  Of course, where there is food, there are predators.  We have never seen any mountain lions, and I don't think there have been any in our neighborhood in years.  Still, it'd be quite a shock to run into big cat while getting the newspaper early in the morning.

We took Bode bowling this afternoon.  We brought the camera, but sadly, we left it in the car.  Little man did great--was running up to the lane with the ball and throwing in down the alley.  He got two spares (although the bumpers get an assist).  Now, we're just hanging out.  For lunch, we went to Firehouse Subs.  Bode got this cool fireman's hat.

Another week of work ahead.  Only two years, three months, eighteen days until I am eligible to retire. With my luck, just as I can retire, the government will be insolvent, so no pension :-(  Pleasant week to all.

The Mighty Falcons

Today was a busy day.  Ashley and I woke up early and did an Asylum workout.  Asylum is one of Shaun T's video workouts--he is the guy that you see doing Insanity on those infomercials.  Asylum is different that Insanity--not as much cardio, but very tough.  For some reason, I was motivated as soon as I woke up and wanted to work out.  I think it has something to do with my ninth place age-group finish in a recent race, so I'm hoping to improve on that performance.  And I also think it's because I've had Bonnie Tyler's Holding on for a Hero song running through my head ever since I heard it on the radio the other day.

After our workout, we grabbed Bode and headed for his third swim lesson.  Bode was really excited for his lesson, but today wasn't his best day, at least in his eyes.  He started off with a review of what he knew--leg kicks, blowing bubbles, etc.

After the beginning, things got difficult.  The first two lessons were rather simple, but today, they were wanting him to step (swim) out of his comfort zone.  This included floating on his back without any support from the instructor.  The position is called the Starfish because his legs and arms are spread out and his head is back.

Bode is not very buoyant, or at least he has not figured out how to be.  Thus, when the teacher would let go of his head, he would sink.  He got some water up his nose a few times, and got a little scared.  However, he did try to do the Starfish three more times on his own, and for that, we are proud of him.  He then successfully kicked himself to the wall...(and yes, that is Mommy's butt).

After some hard swimming, they finished with some entertainment and fun.

On the car ride home, Bode said, "I didn't do the Starfish very well." (Actually he said, "very good," but we are grammatically correct on this blog).  We told him the standard, practice-makes-perfect encouragement (parental B.S.), so we'll see how he responds.

After swimming, we rushed home, showered up, and then headed out to lunch.  Bode loves Souper Salad, which is a salad and soup buffet that also has pizza, mac-n-cheese, and ice cream for dessert.  Bode was very concerned when we arrived, because the last time we went there, the ice cream machine was broken--talk about disappointment!  Fortunately, the machine was in working order and after we dined, we all enjoyed some ice cream.  We then headed up to the Air Force Academy for the Falcon's basketball game against San Diego St, who were ranked #22 heading into the game.  This was Bode's first college basketball game, and he was excited.

And before I go on, yes, it was a beautiful day--high in the 50's!  Bode was even more excited when we got inside and he saw there was popcorn.

Air Force Academy basketball is not, at least historically, competitive.  They had a couple strong years in 2003 and 2004, but recently, they have stunk.  They were picked to finish last in the Mountain West prior to the start of the season.  Surprisingly, USAFA is doing well, amassing a 13-6 record and riding a 4-game winning streak.  More folks than usual turned out for the game--maybe close to 6,000--so the place was rocking.  Here is a game photo (should I sell it to SI?)

Bode paid attention...for a little while.  After the first-half, he was ready to go.  Fortunately Ashley's phone has Angry Birds and Bad Piggies, so he was content.

The game was extremely exciting.  USAFA was up five at the half, went down three at the start of the second half, and then it was back and forth.  I was determined to get a movie of USAFA doing something good, but every time I filmed, they would screw up.  Finally, I was able to capture the following footage.  And the voice you hear saying, "They're gonna score" is me, trying to will the team to some points.

This three-pointer put them up by nine with about five minutes to go.  Unfortunately, SDSU whittled away at the lead, and with fifteen seconds left, USAFA was up by 1.  We drew a foul, and our guy made both free-throws.  Then, SDSU had the ball for one last chance, but they missed a three-pointer, got the rebound, tried another three, missed again, and then the buzzer sounded.  The crowd went wild, and many cadets stormed the court.  We remained in our seats and applauded conservatively :-)

We didn't do much the rest of the day.  I walked Harley, did some tax work, while Ashley did some real work.  Bode relaxed--he played real hard today.  Super Bowl tomorrow...we may watch...or not :-)

More Swimming and the Broadmoor

We had quite the weekend.  Saturday, Bode had his second swim lesson at Donna's Dolphins.  Here are some action photos.  I can't provide much commentary because I was not at the lesson.  Ashley said Bode did great.  He listened to all the instructions, did everything he was told, and was starting to look comfortable in the water.  She said it was very funny when Bode went down the slide (last picture).  He'd never gone down a slide into the water like this one, so at the bottom, he puts the breaks on and comes to a halt, not knowing he should have kept going into the pool.  Very cute.

The reason I did not go to the swim lesson is I ran a race Saturday morning.  Nothing major--four miles.  My goal time for a great race was 26:00, and I ran a 26:19, so I was very pleased (~6:35 per mile pace).  In Colorado Springs, this is good enough for EIGHTH PLACE in my age group.  Yes, 8th.  Usually, I was in the top three or four in local races in Dayton.  And it's not that I'm slower--the pace for this distance this early in the year was very good (for me).  Oh well...I guess I'll have to train harder :-)

Today was a day to eat.  We went to the Broadmoor for their famous Sunday brunch.  We ate a small dinner Saturday night, and Ashley and I both worked out early Sunday morning.  Come brunch, we were famished.  Even Bode knew not to eat so much for breakfast because we were heading to a major buffet.  We decided to wear our nice clothes, probably because we rarely have an occasion to do so.  Before we left and since the day was lovely, we decided to take some pictures.  First up is Bode and Mommy.

Next, Mommy took a picture of Daddy and "Hollywood."

Of course, Bode wanted to take a picture of Daddy and Mommy.  Evidently he needs to point the camera a little higher.

We drove to the Broadmoor in the Beamer, parked, and walked to the feast.  Hard to believe it is January in Colorado...

We had about ten minutes to spare, so we sat by the fountain.  In this first picture, I look a little stiff.

Mommy suggested we loosen up a bit, and nothing loosens us up like the Tickle Monster.

The food smelled great, and we were getting anxious to eat.  Fortunately, our name was called and we headed inside.

We had a great meal--eggs, sausage, bacon, salmon, gigantic shrimp, duck, roast beef, an assortment of fruits, pancakes, waffles, and a bunch of desserts.  I think we both made three trips--but we didn't really pile on the food like we could when we were younger :-)  Bode ate his fill, and really enjoyed the chocolate fountain.

Before going home, we decided to walk around the property to try to burn off some of those pounds.  A passerby was kind enough to take our picture.  I've no idea what Bode was doing...

We were lazy this afternoon.  Bode and I went up to the pool for about an hour, and now I'm really feeling the effects--I think I've mentioned how tired I am after we go swimming.  It's only 4:45, and I'm ready for bed :-)  Pleasant week to all.

Donna's Dolphin

Wow, first post of the New Year.  Who would have thought it would be 19 days into 2013 before we would do something blog-worthy.  Sadly, we've been lazy and boring people.  Plus, the weather has been horrible--the week school started, highs were in the 20's.  The highs!  Horrible.  Of course, we do live in the mountains, so I guess I should not act startled by these low temperatures.  On one Saturday, I did a running race.  Temp at the start-gun was a balmy 15 degrees.  I did NOT wear shorts, although there were some (fools) who did.  I have another race next Saturday, and I think the temps will be a bit warmer, which should translate to a faster time (yes, I'm saying it was too cold for me to run fast, and I'm standing by that story :-)

Today, Bode had a swim lesson.  We've been to the pool at the health club, and the little guy loves it.  However, he's not really swimming when we are in the pool.  He runs around, does the slide, and will even venture into water that is up to his shoulders, but if his feet can't touch, he's history.  We have some friends whose kids are actually swimming in the pool, diving under water, retrieving toys.  Therefore, we decided to enlist the aid of a professional swim organization in an effort to get Bode his swimmer badge.  The instruction is one-on-one, so there's no chance for him to get lost in the crowd.  Thirty minutes with a teacher and Bode solo in the pool.  I didn't think he would do well, as whenever I have tried to teach him to swim, he quickly loses interest and wants nothing of it.  Fortunately, this was not the case.  Here are some action photos.  First up is Bode being carried around the pool with Miss Mel, getting to know each other, and establishing trust.

Next, they did some fun things, like blowing bubbles in the pool.

Then, Miss Mel helped Bode practice putting the side of his head and then his face in the water.  It kinda looks like she is drowning him, but he was having tons of fun.

Next, they did the "starfish" position, or back-float.  I'm amazed Bode did this, because any time I ever tried to get him to do this, he would scream and freak out.  Evidently I'm not the best of swim instructors.  Hopefully my EE instruction is better.

Here is a short movie of Bode floating.  He looks like a log.

He also practiced floating on his tummy with his arms on two kick-boards, and he was even doing a mini-dive into the water, putting his arms above his head and lunging toward the wall.  At the end was a bit of play time in the big canoe.

Bode has a second lesson next Saturday.  I'm tempted to take him up to the pool and see if we can recreate some of what he did this first lesson, but I'm afraid I'll do more harm that good :-)  Ashley and I did a yoga class today.  It was great--and not only because the hot twenty-something in front of me was wearing black-stretch pants that, after numerous cycles through the washing machine, had become somewhat, ah, err, diaphanous.  Downward dog has never been more fun.  Happy MLK weekend to all.