Little Patriot

Do you see my boy? He's the short-stuff standing to the right of the flag.

The little kids lead the pledge of allegiance at the start of each meet. When Nicco saw his coach pull out the flag, he asked if they were getting ready to say "the words of the flag of the United States" and if he could say the words too. I was proud of my little patriot, wanting to say the words.

I read an article today in the US News about a Harvard study proving that patriots are Republicans. The study finds that July 4th parades energize only Republicans, turn kids into Republicans, and help to boost the GOP turnout of adults on Election Day. “Fourth of July celebrations in the United States shape the nation’s political landscape by forming beliefs and increasing participation, primarily in favor of the Republican Party,” said the report from Harvard.

I read another article from the NY Times saying that the 4th of July is "an opportunity for atonement" of our carbon sins against the planet..."FOOD is responsible for 10 to 30 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. By many estimates, cooking represents more of a meal’s carbon footprint than transport. For certain vegetables, it accounts for more emissions than agriculture, transport and disposal combined."

So, Republicans celebrate our independence, our founding, our freedoms. Democrats want us to eat only non-cooked food. I guess that means no more french fries and fat cakes for Queen Michelle. Oh. Wait. Nevermind.

In anticipation of Independence Day, I say go to a parade! Light some fireworks! And, grill on, Patriots!

It Must Have Been Bad

Every morning when Nicco wakes up, we go through a series of questions:

How are you this morning?
How did you sleep?
Did you have sweet dreams?

This morning he told me "one was the scariest dream ever."
I asked what his scary dream was about and he said, "You don't even want to know."

Weekend Update (part II)

Take a look at what my industrious hubby did:

He moved all the river rocks from behind the bar to make fresh new borders along the tile and pool deck and around the palms, he moved nearly 2 tons of gravel to fill in the dirt spaces and make a fresh, neat, and clean groundscape. And he did it all in just a couple of days! In 105 degrees! Now all that is left is for the bushes that nearly died in the freeze to grow back or for Patrice's metal fabricator friend to build us a nice wall to hide the pool equipment.

Working in the sunshine (without a shirt or sunblock, silly boy...) created a picker/peeler's paradise on his back. I just have to vacuum and wash sheets every day until he's done shedding.

(Almost) Weekend Update

Nicco had a play date with his girl Danielle. When we arrived, we were promptly informed of pending nuptials. Danielle said, "Nicco said I'm pretty, so I think he is handsome. We'll probably get married." I visited with her mom until the little sister was ready for a nap at which time I was invited to run errands (or whatever...) until around 4:00. When I told Nicco I would be leaving for a while he said, "YES!!! Go ahead, Mom. You can leave." When I came back he said he wanted to stay forever. I think it was only on account of Frankie that I was able to convince him to leave.

We went directly from Danielle's house to swim races. Nicco did great except for his freestyle race. I didn't get to him before his race to make sure his goggles were properly "sucked on," so when he got in the pool they filled up with water. He pulled himself along the lane line, crying all the way. He was upset, embarrassed, mad, and disappointed all rolled into one. Poor buddy.

Nicco's twins' dad is something of a hero. He was helping to evacuate people and animals in the fire danger zone for the past week. He told us some amazing stories. America's favorite senator, John McCain, has been getting some heat for suggesting that at least one of our fires was likely started by illegal aliens without any facts or evidence to support that claim. While it is certainly a likely possibility, you just don't say those things when you are in someone like McCain's position if you can't back it up. On the other hand, if you are on the fire lines and you see someone actually light a fire and drive away in a truck with mexican plates, that's a different story.  But don't worry, these are just people looking for a better life and our border is totally secure.

It's hot here. Over 105 for the past several days, pushing 110 for the foreseeable future. I'm "cooling" my house to 85 and the AC just cranks away starting around 10 a.m. I don't know how people can bring themselves to pay the bill it takes to cool a house to 75 in this weather. All I can say is thank goodness for the pool!

Butterflies and Dinosaurs

After reading the Boys Adrift book, I got all motivated to provide hands-on educational experiences for my kid. We sprouted apple seeds (he's convinced he's going to grow an apple tree...) and we ordered caterpillar larvae to observe the life cycle of butterflies. He was very excited at each step in their developmental process, checking on them several times a day and running to our room to report any developments. One caterpillar was significantly behind the other and I even thought it died, but it grew suddenly and made its cocoon before the other one emerged so that was good. I wanted to be sure we set them free before their 2-week life span ended. I did not want the progress report to involve any "sleeping" butterflies.

Here is Nicco with the empty cocoons on the release day:

Here he is coaxing the butterflies out of their house:

Here is one of his butterflies in the fresh air and sunshine. It was hard to catch it with its wings open. Contrary to what it looks like, the butterfly is not "sleeping." :

It was a very successful experiment. Nicco had fun and even learned about caterpillars and butterflies. We may try a tadpole next!

Nicco has recently developed an interest in dinosaurs. We checked out a whole bunch of dinosaur books from the library, he can tell me quite a few facts about them, and he knows that a meat eater would make a bad choice for a pet. One of his books said that dinosaur bones have been found on all 7 continents, so who knows! There might even be fossils in your own back yard!

The Daddy was working in the back yard this weekend (do you love our tropical paradise, with the addition of 3 new palm trees? Ahhh....) so Nicco got his tools out to dig for dinosaur bones while his Dad was digging holes and moving rocks and gravel.

He found a "tooth."

He brushed off the dust and dirt...

He washed off the remaining dust...

He dried his collection of "teeth" on a paper towel, and now he is convinced he is going to build a dinosaur.

I may be able to come up with a satisfactory substitute for a real fossil dinosaur model. Stay tuned!

Daddies

This is my cute little Daddy. He was 4. Doesn't he look proud!

This is my handsome young Dad. My Mom carried this picture with her for 2 years while Dad was serving a mission for his church in Argentina.

This is my Dad reading stories to me.

This is my baby's Daddy, contemplating the mysteries of the new life he's cuddling there.

I love Daddies. 

To be a man, a boy must see a man. I'm confident and thankful that my boy will grow into a man by learning from and looking up to his father.

Happy Father's Day, and thanks...both of you.

A Small Request

Nicco said to me the other day, "If we ever get a dinosaur for a pet, make it a plant eater."

I Remembered!

June 18, 2004

Little Church of the West

Las Vegas, Nevada

Hmmm....(A Post That Is Not About Swimming)

Nicco is playing COOTIES.

I said something about the cooties on the roof of the barn.

He told me they aren't on the roof, they are hiding.

I asked why they are hiding.

He told me they are hiding from their mother and father.

I asked why they are hiding from their mother and father.

He told me (with an impish grin) they have chores to do.

More Swimming Stuff

Here's my little swimmer, getting his game face on before his races Tuesday.

We've had some developments over the past couple of weeks. Nicco has decided that he H-A-T-E-S the butterfly and he will never do a butterfly race. He's been showing more improvement in his two favorite strokes, especially on race days. He's been eating us out of house and home. They practice twice a day and when he's not in the pool, he's asking me for a snack. And breakfast. And lunch. And a snack.

We had races on Tuesday with three teams, one of which had about 1,000 kids. It was a late night. When we got in the car to go home, Nicco told me to turn off his music because he didn't want to listen to anything. "I just need some sleep." He also said, "When we get home, I don't want a sippy. I don't want to watch a show. I don't want a delicious dinner. I don't want to read a story. I don't even want to play wii. I just want to go to bed. I'm sooooooo tired." And he was.

We had races again yesterday. He swam the backstroke leg of the medley relay, lead leg of the freestyle relay, and a 25 m. freestyle. He's always been close to a minute in his backstroke and yesterday he swam his leg in roughly 45 seconds. I didn't get an official time. He also swam his freestyle races in about 42 seconds. I even think that in his relay he may have gotten under 40 seconds. Their little relay cut 30 seconds off their time from their first meet.

He always pops his head up with a big smile at the end of his races. I'm glad he's still having fun and some success.

What the...?

This is part of an announcement for the summer swimming programs at the pool where Nicco swims:

There are at least 30 kids on the team. So why was Miguel singled out as the only one who had a fantastic swim? He didn't blow the competition away. Hell, he didn't even win. What makes him so fantastic and deserving of an ALL CAPS congratulations in an announcement sent to the parents of all the kids on the team? Could it be because he weighs roughly 350 pounds?

I'll say this: I imagine it takes great fortitude and strength of character for someone of his stature to swim at all, not to mention to put on a speedo and do it in front of lots of people you don't know. Good for him. Really.

I'll also say this: I don't think it is any more difficult for Miguel to perform than it is for Nicco. I don't think Nicco needs or deserves special attention and extra congratulations because he's the only 5 year old on the team. I don't think he's extra fantastic because he did it and he's only 5. I think he's extra fantastic because he's MINE, just like every other parent thinks their own kid is extra fantastic.

Frankly, if I were Miguel, I would want to be as anonymous as possible, but maybe that's just me.

Singling out one kid of the 30 or so is mildly offensive and extremely annoying. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt though...maybe the next announcement will spotlight a different "fantastic swim."

Anyone taking bets?

When Animals Attack

Frankie was a very snuggly baby. Not so much anymore. It's hard to tell if she's being mean or playful. Whichever it is, it is definitely self defense.

Quote of the Day

Nicco and his dad were playing and messing around together. At one point in the teasing play Nicco said to his dad, "Are you stuck in pirate mode or something?"

Winner!

The times and awards from the first swim meet finally got sorted out and the kiddos got their ribbons today.
Nicco's first place ribbon is for the medley relay, in which they were the only competitors. His third place ribbon was for his backstroke, with a time of 48.28 seconds. I thought he got 3rd in his freestyle race, but I guess the other boy edged him out (by swimming all the way to the wall, rather than coasting and bouncing on the bottom, I imagine).

Now we have goals to work on. He swam the breast stroke in their intrasquad meet and his time was around 56 seconds, so we'll see if he can improve on that next week.

He said that "even though the white ribbon is pretty, blue is better because it's for first place. You're more proud of me for the blue ribbon, aren't you?" At this point, I'm mostly proud of him for racing at all, but it is good to see him recognize that first place is best and something to work toward. He's planning to get a "collection" of ribbons. I need to get him a special box, because I might run out of door handles.

Swim Update

This could get old. Feel free to ignore my first-time-with-a-kid-in-sports-itis over sharing tendencies.

It is like the swim gods heard my complaints (who would that be...Poseidon? Neptune? Triton? or would swim gods be minor gods, subject to someone more powerful, like Poseidon, the sea god?) Anyway, for all my wishing that the swim coaches would do some dry land drills and repetitive technique drills in the water, I finally got some gratification. They have spent the last 3 practices focusing exclusively on breast stroke and starting from the blocks. Yay!

Maybe it wasn't the swim gods at all, but that the coaches and administrators overheard my conversations with the other parents I hang out with during practices.

Passive-aggressive WIN!!

Swim Report

Nicco had an intersquad meet tonight. It was great because it was just their team, nice and laid back. We practiced starts again in our pool and we talked about the four things he needs to do to go faster:

1. Get a good start
2. Get his arms all the way out of the water on each stroke
3. Tuck his chin down
4. Kick, kick, kick!

The first race was a relay and he started in the water. The second race was backstroke, so he started in the water. His third race was breast stroke...because it was so laid back and the littles haven't really learned the breast stroke or butterfly, the coaches gave them the choice to swim or not. I told him to swim like Mario. He did great! His fourth race was freestyle and he had a pretty decent start. Much better than the other day. His last race was a freestyle relay and most of the kids started from the water, but our new friend Chad was by the blocks with Nicco and dared him to start his leg from the blocks. He did it, and it was not just his best start ever, but it was as good as any of the big kids who've been swimming for years. He got the biggest cheer of the night just for that start. It was very gratifying as a Mama. Fun stuff.

Eyes in the Back of My Head

Nicco is (still) eating lunch. It's only been an hour and a half, so I guess I shouldn't complain. I told him that when he finishes we can go swim. I went out to the front yard to trim my poor dying fern (what? a plant dying, on Tamara's watch???) and cut the weeds which are making us the eyesore of the neighborhood. As I was trimming the fern, I heard a pitter patter of little feet and without turning around I said, "Get back to the table and finish your lunch." Nicco said, "How did you know I was here?" I informed him that as a Mom, I know everything and see everything. I have eyes in the back of my head. He laughed, but then got serious and said, "If you did, you would be an alien."

Now he knows my secret.

Lulu

This is Lulu. The smallest, cutest lizard ever.

We discovered Lulu while we were playing in the pool this afternoon. Nicco insisted on quiet play so we wouldn't frighten him. Or her. Lulu could be a girl's name. That meant no jumping, no splashing, no water guns, no yelling, no practicing starts. Lulu sat there still and quiet for about an hour. S/he slipped into the pool at one point but luckily,s/he quickly climbed out. I don't think lizards can swim. We've discovered a few bloated corpses in the past year.

Nicco wanted to know all about Lulu, so he asked where he lives, what he plays with (maybe hi-ho cherry-oh, matching, hippos, uno moo, all the same games as us, but lizard size), if Lulu is the name his family gave him too, if he lives under a rock in our yard or if he came from a moon rock (or a Jupiter rock, or Mars, or even Venus, because there are lots of planets and galaxies, and they probably have rocks too.)

Nicco determined by the lack of response from Lulu that he must be from France. (I think he just doesn't understand me. Maybe he speaks French.) But when he asked "Parlez-vous Francais?" and again got no response, he decided Lulu must be from Asia instead.

He really wanted to put Lulu in a cage in our house to keep as a second pet, but I talked him out of it on account of Frankie. That cat's good for something after all!

Nicco's First Swim Meet

Nicco has been on on Team Monsoon for two months. The official season started yesterday, and today is their first meet. Today is also the first time the coaches had the kids on the starting blocks. Yikes. I watched Nicco do his starts and knew what we would be doing when we got home. After lunch he and I got in the pool and did start after start after start. Today was also the first time any of the kids were timed, but not all of them were timed. Based on a couple of the other kids' times, my hope for Nicco today is that he will finish all the way to the wall without stopping in 47 seconds or less. Mostly I just hope he has fun.

The company that runs this little swim team really lacks organization. That is my biggest complaint. There are many small things I would do differently if I were in charge, but I'm not, so I try to keep my complaints to myself. And my husband. And one other couple of swim parents. That's it.

So it was no big surprise that the kids didn't start their warm-ups until 5:15, when they were told it would begin at 5:00. It was also no surprise that the meet didn't start until 6:20, when it was scheduled to begin at 6:00. That's okay though, I suppose. Nothing I can do about it anyway. I just sat across the way watching my itty bitty 5 year old being part of a team.

They started the event with all the little kids saying the pledge of allegiance. That was kind of adorable, and I wish I would have taken a video. Ten minutes later, things were underway. Kind of.

This is the team all together, doing a team cheer. Nicco is in there somewhere.

This is Nicco (at the top of the picture, nearest the wall) during warm-ups.

Here he is getting ready for his relay. He was the anchor leg. Not because he's the fastest. He was anchor because that's the freestyle leg, the only stroke he's really proficient at. He's getting better at backstroke, but if you told him to do butterfly or breaststroke, he would probably look at you like you were speaking a foreign language.

Here he is at the start of his relay leg. He's kind of the team mascot...he's the littlest, everyone kind of watches out for him. There were a bunch of people I don't know cheering for him. It was cute.

Here's my proud little racer with his proud papa.

This is his freestyle race. We need to do some more work on starts. :)

His first meet turned out just as I hoped it would. He finished every one of his races, he finished in less than 47 seconds (I'll find out his official time later, probably some time next week) and he had fun after all. When I tucked him in, he said "I'm proud of myself," just before passing out.

I'm proud of him too!