Community College Swim Class (Or How I Learned To Embrace Middle-Age)

I'm going to be 36 in two months. Its not something that keeps me up at night, nor am I desperate to do anything that makes me seem younger. I'm actually happier and more at ease with myself than I've ever been. That said, I have been having a hard time fully grasping the fact that I'm not really a young buck anymore. The guys at the mall who used to hand me passes to hip clubs, ignore me now. My pop culture references miss the mark about 95% of the time. But today was my first swim class at Santa Monica College. As I was standing there, I realized that when I started community college in 1992 many of my classmates were just being born!!! That just blew my mind. I felt really old.

That said, there was a silver lining. I absolutely loved the class. I think i'll be able to hit my 2.5 mile swim goal by the end of the year. Additionally, I was the fastest swimmer in the class. Granted, it is a beginner class and a good portion can't swim at all, but it made me feel good to beat some of these young kids. Its ok getting older, in fact, I'm kind of digging it.

Meet the newest member of our family...

his name is Mickey. For Family Home Evening tonight, we went and watched the airplanes land/take off, and then headed over to a pet store. We walked all over, and then decided that perhaps we can have our 1st pet, a goldfish, whom Liam named Mickey (of course). We are all very excited to have him.

the Year of the Dragon

I hesitated about buying a pair of dragon boots for Caleb and Julian that I saw at the Gymboree outlet over the Christmas Break when I was with Grace and Emily. They seemed like a flagrant waste of money- we so rarely see rain that they'd probably wind up spending their wearing life tucked up in the closet, like another pair of boots I bought for them two years ago. These boots did not get worn once! But I just couldn't resist them so I decided not to learn my lesson. I brought them home and we cracked them open that very afternoon.


Caleb and Julian had so much fun stomping in the puddles around the Hulewsky place that Ian got out some boots too and joined in the fun. I thought it might be the only time they got to wear them, but even then it was worth it.


When we got back to LA we were delighted to find more rain was in store for us, and even more delighted when I happened upon the unworn pair of boots I bought two years ago. They were brand new and fit Jack and Christian perfectly. Ironically they, too, are dragon boots. They wear them all the time. Now if only we could get a little more rain... ;)

3-Year Old Soccer

I've been wanting to get Caleb and Julian involved in soccer for a while now. Especially for Caleb as I hoped it would be a good way to get his right leg strengthened. They are too young for league soccer (AYSO's youngest group is Under 6, which we won't be eligible for until fall 2011). There are a couple of small classes available, but they are ridiculously expensive, which is compounded by the fact that we have two to enroll in everything. So, we decided that I would try coaching a team at the Church ball field. I was pretty nervous about it as I don't consider myself either a particularly good teacher or patient. My anxiety was compounded by the fact that we ended up with 13 kids wanting to participate (not to mention that Jack and Christian were sure to be in the mix). But I bought a DVD for coaching little kids and hoped for the best.

Well, we've been at it for about 5 weeks now and I have to say its been super fun. All the kids are a bit young, so focus and following instructions are a challenge, but they just love being with each other kicking balls and scoring goals. Its a blast to see them figuring stuff out and acquiring skills. I think they could all be really good little players if they stick with it.

It has also highlighted how very different Caleb and Julian are. Julian can't get enough. He absolutely loves playing soccer and he loves getting his shorts, shin guards and cleats on. He is by far the most enthusiastic kid on the pitch. Caleb, on the other hand, is a little cool to the whole concept. He's very social and loves to see the other kids, but he's reluctant with the ball and pretty easily distracted. That said, he's warming up to it and it has been great exercise for him.

Hopefully we'll take more pictures this week to post.

Emily

Emily said I should post this on the blog so here it is. Emily wanted to play softball so we took her in for a physical. During the physical they discovered a heart mummer. Long story short after several more tests we just got a call from the pediatric cardiologist informing us that Emily has significant heart disease and will need surgery to repair/replace her heart valve. At this point we are all in a state of shock but we are of course optimistic that things will be fine. Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated. Love you all...