Erin joins swim team

Erin joined swim team at our pool. Erin's never been a real risk taker in the pool, and up until recently didn't
want to put her face in the water. Swim team started almost 3 weeks ago. They meet for 1/2 hour Monday through Thursday. One of her friends quit in tears after the first day. Erin was doing well and jumping in the water, but wasn't always putting her face in the water for freestyle and backstroke was nonexistent. Tuesday night was time trials night, which is really a practice swim meet. (They're a lot of fun. You eat a lot and cheer a lot.) That day she said she didn't
want to to the race, and I said, this isn't a race, it's just practice. Then her friend Sam said she wasn't going to swim and Erin
said she wasn't either. Finally somehow they got swept up in the crowd.

Erin's first race was freestyle. It was just Erin and Sam in their "heat", which was great. (We're learning all the swim meet
terminology and routines. Like I have to write Erin's name on her back with a Sharpie pen and the codes for her events on her arm).

Erin did great! Face in the water, big arms! She might have grabbed the rope here or there but for the most part she did great! Then later was her backstroke event. A boy who raced in the heat just before Erin got stuck trying to swim but went nowhere. He was flailing about, so one of the coaches jumped in and flipped him around and had him swim freestyle. Rene and I looked at each other and we guessed that Erin might suffer a similar fate. But when the race came, Erin backstroked fine, head up, big arms, going straight, and didn'tgrab on to the rope once! We were shocked and amazed!

Erin had a great time, so I guess we're continuing to do swim team! It runs through the month of June.

Next week, in the mornings we start our one week of Barbie Ballet Camp. Both Erin and Lauren are going, in different classes. Lauren has wanted to do ballet since she was one, and insisted on wearing a ballet outfit to sit in the waiting room while Erin took ballet. (And continued to do that through this year, too.) So finally Lauren gets to take ballet. Erin is going to take some morning art classes later in June sponsored by the local art museum.

Summer is here.

Kindergarten graduation

Today Erin graduated from kindergarten. Yesterday her class had a party that a few moms organized, and Lauren and I went and helped. It was a fiesta theme and a good time was had by all.

This morning Lauren and I went to see Erin's kindergarten presentation. (Rene was stuck in a meeting, so couldn't go). The kids sang a song about first grade (to the tune of New York, New York). They then peformed the ABC's of kindergarten. Erin's line: "J is for good jobs and praises we have earned." Then her teacher awarded each child a "candy award". Each child got a different candy bar as she told everyone why that candy was appropriate. Erin got sweet tarts for being sweet and nice. Each child also got their graduation certificate. Then there was a slideshow presentation with pictures of the kids, and if that didn't get you teary enough, a video where each kid said what they liked about kindergarten. The finale was the kids singing "The Greatest Love of All" (Whitney Houston song) that really got me crying.

After that, the kids could stay or go. Erin wanted to go, so we met Rene at McDonalds. Now I'm sitting in the front yard watching the girls play. Summer is here.

Plague seems to be gone!

Yeah! No fever today! Hooray! So business as usual for a rainy Saturday. Swimming lessons for Erin in the am, followed by a trip to Target and the library, and then Indian food. Yum! The afternoon was lazy. We had planned to go to the Pops Under the Stars concert tonight with our friends, but the rain cancelled that for us. So mellow evening is planned. A good night sleep for all is in store, so plague be gone!

I've been home with sick children from Thursday, April 26th through Friday May 4th. Do I get some kind of mommy badge for that? It could have been worse, for sure.

Plague continues

Lauren still has a mild fever, congested, coughing, now sleeping on the couch. Could this be the fever / virus thingy a few friends had before Masters week? That lasted 8 days for them. Blah.

Diagnosis

Doctor says Lauren does not have plague. Or strep (anymore). Just a cold virus coughy thingy with a fever. That's it? Why did she nap at 10:30am? Why did she ask to nap again at 1:45? Surely there is something seriously wrong with this child.

Mom is getting stir crazy.

Still plagued

Erin went back to school yesterday, but Lauren still has a fever, so we're off to the doctor, AGAIN. Blah.

Almost done with the plague

Kept Erin home on Tuesday too, as she had a slight fever and said her throat still hurt. But yesterday afternoon and this morning were fever and pain free! So off to school she went. Lauren did not go to school today as she still has a fever. :( She's not complaining of anything, so that's good. Come on antibiotics, kick in!