Gemma conversations

Gemma is going through a language explosion. She is learning so much, so quickly it is amazing! She is also hilarious recently. Here are a few:

1.
Gemma:(sneezes)
Gemma: bless you, me!

2.
(William and Amelia are fighting in the backseat about something)
Amelia: not it is not!
William: you are wrong!!!!
Amelia: no, you are wrong!
Gemma: yes it is!
Amelia: no it isn't!
William: no it isn't!
Gemma (with a gleam in her eye): yes it is!

She has since tried to bring back this argument any time we drive anywhere.

Gemma: yes it is!
.....
Gemma: yes it is!
....
Gemma: yes it is!
William: no it isn't!
Gemma: yes it is!



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It's swimming lesson time!

The kids have swimming lessons this week. The temperature has been cooler than usual, which I have enjoyed from the sidelines. The kids aren't enjoying the cold as much. They are, however, making great strides in their swimming skills.

At the beginning of the lessons, William was able to swim, although he wasn't very efficient. He is knows how to do front and back crawl and bread stroke. He isn't super great at executing them yet, but he is miles better than where we started.

Amelia desperately wanted to be able to swim. She is determined to keep up with William and it made her crazy that he could swim while she couldn't quite do it yet. She is now familiar with the front and back crawl. At her last lesson, the teacher was able to start working with her on the breast
stroke. Pretty exciting!

Before the first lesson, William was adamant that he would NOT be going off the diving board. I agreed as I have learned that it is just better to pick my battles with William. It turned out that the diving board was not available at the first lesson. At the end of the second lesson, Amelia jumped off the diving board, much to William's dismay.

With a big sigh, he turned and said, "did Amelia just jump off the diving board?"

I agreed.

He then asked the swim teacher, "was she very scared?"

Nope.

And then he requested a turn on the diving board.

Those two just push and pull each other to improve and develop. It is astonishing how much they motivate and push each other. While they are somewhat in competition, they are also best friends and play together all the time. (Yes, they fight all the time as well).

Watch for video to follow

Falling asleep

One way we survived sleeping in one hotel room with 5 people was to make a game for the big kids. We gave out huge prizes for the winners of the sleep game as well as some special privileges. There wasn't any real money involved, but sometimes you got the first pick of seats at the table or the last packet of fruit snacks.

The winner was defined as the person who fell asleep first and another winner was the person who slept the longest. Mom and dad were disqualified from this game, but it really helped the big kids.

A major problem is that William prefers to read himself to sleep until he cannot hold the book anymore. It isn't unusual to find him passed out with the book across his lap, chest or face. We've seen it all. He comes by this genetically. I'll let you guess where it comes from. William is the back up again around 6 am and he has no sense of how loud he is when others are trying to sleep.

Amelia falls asleep very quickly (I suspect she still needs a brief nap, but refuses to take one. This, she totally collapses at bedtime.). She also usually sleeps in a little longer. However, in true little sister style, if William is up, she is ready to go. She will not miss a minute nor be a step behind.

Gemma needs the most sleep, but at the youngest, she is the last to let go. If there is going to be a party, she will NOT miss out. She will hold out for quite some time just in the off chance something exciting happens.

Getting all 3 of them to sleep in the same room is very tricky.

Enter in the sleeping winners. If the big kids are quiet and even just pretending to sleep, then Gemma will let go as will Amelia.

One night, everyone was in bed and everyone was supposed to be sleeping. Amelia was all tucked in, eyes shut and very still. I would have guessed she wasn't sleeping, but I wasn't sure.

I quietly reminded William that he needed to settle in and go to sleep so he could be a winner tomorrow.

Which is when this conversation happened:

Amelia: William won't be the winner. I am the winner because I am asleep first.

Daddy: Amelia, you aren't asleep if you are still talking.

Amelia: yes I am.

William: if you were really sleeping, you wouldn't be listening to us talk.

Amelia: yes I am. I am talking and listening in my sleep.

Daddy: that's enough. It's time to sleep.

Amelia: I'm already asleep. And I'm a winner.
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Safety town

Amelia just completed a two week day camp called safety town. It is put on by the city we live in and covers all kinds of topics to help kids stay safe. The kids talked about stranger safety, crossing the street, railroad tracks safety, car safety, poisen control, gun safety, how to call 911, and a few other topics.

The last day was a graduation ceremony and the kids wore their graduation hats while they sang a song and recited her poem. Both are too long to put up here, but Amelia did a great job.

Hot tub, please

We were eating lunch this week and I was talking to the kids about their upcoming swimming lessons. Gemma perked up when she heard the word swimming.

Gemma: swimming? Swimming mom? Mom! Mom! Swimming?
Mom: yes, we will go swimming.
Gemma: I swim!!!! Swimming suit!!! Yes!!!

(All of a sudden, she swung her head back toward me as if an idea had just occurred to her)

Gemma: swimming suit?? Hot tub?? Babpa? Babpa? Hot tub?
Mom: you like to sit with grandpa in the hot tub?
Gemma: (head in hands with a dreamy look in her eyes) yes. Yes.

Then I had to figure out a gentle way to break it to her that she wasn't signed up for lessons, so she wouldn't need her swimming suit, and grandpa wouldn't be there.

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Amelia conversation

Background:

We were at the resort with my family and we were discussing getting ready to go to the pool. With so many of us, there is always some strategizing to get people anywhere. Who is going? For how long? When are you going? What are we going to do after that? Has anyone seen my missing ____________ ?

Amelia picked up on the fact grandma might be swimming immediately.

Amelia: grandma! Grandma! Do you really have a swimming suit?
Grandma: yes, I do.
Amelia: you do? Why haven't I seen it?
Grandma: well, the swimming suit is ancient and I'm not sure I want to wear it.
Amelia: you should wear it! It will be so fun! I'll show you how I can (insert pool tricks Amelia has mastered).
Grandma: well, I'll look at my swimming suit and decide if I think it will be okay.

(Later, at the pool)

(Grandma walks in wearing her swimming suit)

Amelia: oh! Look! There is grandma! She looks beautiful in her Egyptian swimming suit! I've never seen an Egyptian swimming suit!

Apparently, if something is ancient, it must also be Egyptian.

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Gemma is not allowed at the splash pad

There is a park by our house that has a splash pad area. Basically, it is a small concrete area that has sprinklers shooting out of it at random times. There is a more standard swings and slides park adjacent to this park. This summer has been a small battle as some days aren't conducive for splash pad. If we have to go somewhere else, the kids will be soaking wet when we get there. I also don't always have towels and extra diapers on hand in the car. Other days it is too crowded/rainy/muddy.

This day, I told the kids NO SPLASH PAD. I can't remember why, but everyone was very good about listening. That is, until Gemma discovered the drinking fountain was malfunctioning.

The fountain still worked, it just had too much pressure. When the button was pressed, the water over shot the fountain by several feet.

Gemma was fascinated. She would not leave it alone. After a few minutes, she had it figured out. If she pressed it and then stuck her head out far enough, she would get her head wet. Despite my protests and attempts to distract her, Gemma managed to play with the fountain until she was totally wet.

Good thing the splash pad was off limits, right?