Life-saving Day
They love the water, they love to swim, and the love their teacher, Myrna. She has actually been teaching children to swim for over 50 years, and is the best teacher EVER! I have known Myrna since I was a teenager, and her and her husband are wonderful friends of our family. In fact, she taught most of my brothers and sisters to swim! We are so blessed to have her teaching our own children to swim.
When Captain was almost 5 years old, he was not speaking very well at all, and we were looking at the possibility of him needing speech therapy. Myrna heard about this, called me, and told me that she would like to give Captain some private swimming lessons. By the end of the 2 week session, he was speaking. It was amazing. I guess the cross patterning of swimming helps develop the part of the brain used for Auditory Processing. In fact, Captain has been excelling with his tutor this last week and a half and is progressing by leaps and bounds in reading. This afternoon he walked up to me and read me a whole Dr. Seuss book without making a mistake, which is a huge achievement for him.
Anyhow, today was day 7 of their 8 swimming lessons. It is also known as “Life-saving Day.”
Today Myrna worked on teaching the children a swim-survival-safety technique that she has developed over her 50 year career. “It is based on a controlled method of teaching infants/babies to roll to their backs after submersion and to be able to sustain a floating position until help arrives. This bridges the “danger” gap until the baby/child is old enough to learn to swim and take breaths on their own. This method has been credited for saving many toddlers and children’s lives around water.”The boys had to arrive today, to their swimming lessons, fully dressed (with their swimsuits under their clothing). Myrna taught them what they would need to do in the event that they fell into a pool, lake or any body of water.
She had the children jump into the pool, and roll onto their back into the “starfish” position.
She also had them practice with life-jackets on as well.
“Ready… GO!”
(I just love watching Rascal jump/dive!)Then she taught the children how to join hands and form a circle…
…and then how to cuddle to stay warm.
They also learned the position to get into to signal “help!”
Today she ended the class with a “pony” race.
Captain was very excited to finish in 1st place.
Twinkle Toes watched intently. The girls will be taking swimming lessons in August, and are really looking forward to it as well. In the meantime, they have been enjoying the pool Snuggles received for his birthday. Too bad Snuggles isn’t enjoying it… He likes it about as much as he likes getting a bath — which is NOT AT ALL!!Thank you Myrna for blessing us with these wonderful lessons. We love YOU!!!!
At the Hotel
On day 6 of our trip we pretty much spent the whole day at the hotel, just visiting with my hubby’s parents and getting ready for the Ordination the next day.
The kids were SO excited to see their Grandparents and be able to spend some time with them.
The kids were also very excited that there was a pool in our hotel, and that they were able to swim for the first time this year. Even daddy got in the pool with his girls.
We really were quite busy that first week of our trip, weren’t we?!? WOW!!
Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo
On Day 5 of our trip, we visited Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo. This was our second visit to this zoo, and if we ever find ourselves back in Nebraska, I am sure we will make a point to visit it again. It is an awesome zoo!
We started the day with a visit to their IMAX theater. My children have never been to a movie theater, let alone an IMAX theater… (Actually, I just remembered that Captain saw a replay of Secret Garden when he was a toddler… 6 years ago!) So, for the children’s first real theater experience, we decide to “take a 3D underwater adventure” and see Dolphins and Whales! The girls were a little freaked out by the 3D effects, and hubby was not too happy about the environmentalist agenda of the film, but the boys loved seeing all the dolphins and whales.
After the movie, we headed to our favorite spot from our last visit, the Lied Jungle. It is the largest indoor rain forest in the world measuring over 80 feet in height.
Here are a few photos taken in the jungle:
Our next stop was the Scott Aquarium.
One of the highlights of the aquarium is the underwater “Shark Tunnel.” It is really neat. This tunnel allows one to experience being on the ocean floor with large sharks and rays swimming past you on both sides and overhead. We were very excited to find out that we had arrived just in time for the Shark feedings!
My hubby got a few graphic videos of the sharks eating… I just am not sure how to get the video off the camera and onto the computer. Oh well.
After checking out the Aquarium, we headed back towards the jungle for lunch at the Durham’s Tree Tops Restaurant!
Any ideas on, where Rascal gets this from?
He really enjoyed that little disposable camera we gave him!
Our next stop was the Kingdoms of the Night. It wasn’t quite as scary as I remember it being. During our last visit, Captain & I went through it alone, and I ended up picking up Captain and running through the exhibit towards the exit. I remembered it being a lot stinkier and spookier last time. But nevertheless, I still didn’t want to linger too long in this exhibit. I did get a few pictures as I hurried through the exibit…
Our next stop was much nicer! The Brand New Butterfly and Insect Pavilion. Twinkle Toes was especially excited about this exhibit, since it hadn’t been all that long since she studied Butterflies, and made her Butterfly Lap Book. It was so cool seeing all the butterflies flying around and landing on everyone!
Then it was on to see the lions and tigers and bears…
This particular lion, was not very happy… At first he was beating the door repeatedly with one paw, and then after a minute you would hear beating sounds coming from the other side… Finally he stood up on his hind legs and beat the door over and over with both paws as fast as he could. It was crazy. I went around to see what was on the other side of the door, and it was another lion. Those two were not getting along!
By the end of the day, someone was getting very tired of walking, and found a nice place to take a nap.
Before leaving though, we headed to the Carousel for a ride…
…then after a quick stop at the gift shop, we headed back to the hotel to meet up with my hubby’s parents and brothers for dinner, since they had all just arrived into town.
The Simple Woman’s Daybook ~ June 30th
FOR TODAY
Outside my Window… it’s partly cloudy (or is that smoke?) and cool for the moment. The deer are running around like crazy on our back hill, and my window is open, so I can hear all the birds chirping! We are expecting some more thunderstorms this afternoon, which is fine, as long as they leave my power alone this time, and don’t start any fires–at least here! 🙂
I am thinking…about how much work it is to have a yard sale!! We had our first one ever on Saturday, and even though we live a little ways from town, we still had some people show up, even though the “city people” took down most of our signs… Now why would they do that?!
I am thankful for… the fact that Regina is moving. Do you know that she actually had the nerve to go through the pictures on my camera and delete all the ones I took of her? Argh!!
Actually, I am still really going to miss her and her family… Regina, you guys CAN’T move!!!! 🙁
From the kitchen… lots of leftover brownies and cookies from the boys snack and drink stand that they set up at our yard sale.
I am creating… or trying to create a plan for this coming school year.
I am going…to take the boys to their swimming lessons this morning.
I am wearing…my jammies. (I really should be getting ready to go!)
I am reading… Education Is. The free E-book that Elizabeth Foss recommended! Then, I hope to catch up on all of Elizabeth’s posts discussing the book.
**Oh! I just clicked over to Elizabeth’s blog to get her link, and noticed her Daybook for today! She is actually reading the book I have been reading the last couple weeks!! I am so glad you are enjoying it Elizabeth! I have just about finished my copy, and love love love it!! Archbishop Fulton Sheen really has a way of writing that totally captures your attention. I am so glad that they are looking into his Cause for Beatification and Canonization! He was such a holy and inspiring man.
I am hoping…. to use my new ice cream maker to try and make my own Coconut Bliss. It is delicious, but way too expensive to buy often! So… I am going to make my own!
I am hearing…the wash machine spinning and my hubby getting ready to leave for work. All my kids are still sleeping!
Around the house…there is tons of laundry to get caught up on (The kids daily swimming lessons always make me fall way behind.). There is also lots of leftover yard sale items that need to be boxed up and donated.
One of my favorite things…is getting together with friends! On Thursday we had these friends over to celebrate a special girls birthday! Then, yesterday, we were invited over to these friends home after Mass (along with these friends–who are visiting for the month!) and stayed all day… I hope we didn’t overstay our welcome, but we had a great time, and got to meet our soon-to-be newest Goddaughter!
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week… Swimming lessons Mon-Wed; Captain’s Auditory Processing class Tues-Thurs; and then Mass & Benediction on Friday in addition to any and all errands that need to be done while in town. I also hope to get my house back in order… It sort of fell apart this weekend with everything we were doing. It looks like it might be another busy week!
These little guys were running all over the place Saturday during our yard sale, and were just too cute! This picture was actually taken by my neighbor. Isn’t it darling?
To see more Daybook entry’s, click here.
Sisters
For there is no friend like a sister, in calm or stormy weather, to cheer one on the tedious way, to fetch one if one goes astray, to lift one if one totters down, to strengthen whilst one stands. On Sunday, I had a rare opportunity to spend the afternoon and evening with my mom and most of my sisters! (I am the oldest of 12, and I have 5 sisters and 6 brothers… My sister Jamie lives on the opposite coast, and was dearly missed!)
Mom, Me, Mary, Jennifer, Julianna and JoAnnAbout 3 years ago, my sister Jennifer (who is only 14 months younger than I) moved away, and I have only been able to see her a couple times since. This past weekend she was up visiting. It was so nice to see her!
We all met up at Mucho Gusto for lunch. It was so yummy!
We then went to see a movie. It is so hard to find a decent movie anymore, and they weren’t too interested in seeing Prince Caspian, so we watched “Get Smart.”
Have you ever taken someones picture in a dark theater, while you are waiting for the movie to start? The flash is BRIGHT!!! It caught Julianna (and Mary) by surprise!
After the movie Jennifer showed us a house that she is considering buying since she is hoping to move back!
Then we all headed over to my brother Brian’s house to say “Hi!”
I got there first and snapped a couple photos (surprise!):
He was like, “What are you, the paparazzi?!” No… Just your favorite big sister! 😉
We had such fun visiting, and then mom took another couple pictures of us girls…
I sure am starting to look older… Especially when I am in between my 16 year old twin sisters! I can’t believe that I am practically TWICE their age! No wonder I look wrinkly! At least Jen can still say she is in her 20’s!
Nevertheless, I had a great time, despite my age! 😉
Before we left, we had to get a picture with Brian as well:
Yes, I am the only normal self-conscious one! Oh, and you should see all the pictures I am choosing not to show you… I promised to be nice!
Here’s a better shot:
Numbers 10, 1, 7, 6, 2 and 9 of 12 children!After mom took this last picture I said to her, “Can you believe this is just half of your children?!”
Big families are AWESOME!!!!!
Thank you mom and dad for being open to life and giving us each other. Now, if we could just get together more often!
The Strategic Air & Space Museum
I can’t believe that it has taken me so many posts just to tell you about the first 3 days of our trip to Nebraska… Unfortunately, I am not planning on speeding up the process any time soon… Sorry! 😉
On day 4, our first full day in Lincoln, we took a little trip, a bit further east on I-80, to Ashland, Nebraska, to visit the Strategic Air and Space Museum.
The Strategic Air & Space Museum is a museum focusing on United States Air Force military aircraft and nuclear missiles. It was formerly the Strategic Air Command (SAC) Museum at Offutt Air Force Base before it was moved to this 300,000 square foot building in 1998 and renamed in 2001. This museum is regarded as having one of the top collections of strategic aircraft!
I was so busy worrying about where we would be staying come Friday, that I forgot my camera back at the hotel. Luckily, Rascal had his camera (a little disposable — that we gave him right before we left, and which he had been carrying around everywhere!) with him, so we did get a couple photos…
This is a picture of us (taken by Rascal) in front of the SR-71 Blackbird:
and Hubby and Captain even flew in the Flight Simulator!
Not to be left out, Rascal and Snuggles flew in a child size “flight simulator” as well.
We saw B-29’s, F-16’s, and one of the only two XF-85 Goblins ever made – a 14′ long plane meant to be carried by a bomber and used for missions that exceeded the distance of land based fighter planes.
The boys were disappointed that they didn’t have their bomber jackets with them, but before we left, they each got to turn a penny into a souvenir, which they totally loved!
First Birthday Highlights
Snuggles turned one on Saturday! We were going to have some friends and family over for a BBQ, but due to a couple of our kids still being sick, we had to cancel. We still had a nice little birthday party just the same. Here are a few pictures from his big day.
The Birthday Boy:
A Turtle Shaped Cake:
All 5 of our children:
What IS that?
Snuggles needed help blowing out that candle:
Did you notice that concerned look on his face in the last picture? Was it just too much attention on him? Or maybe my awful attempt at cake decorating scared him… He wasn’t too happy about getting the frosting on his fingers! Whatever it was, he did NOT like it. It took about 20 minutes for him to calm down and taste his cake!
He did however love his presents, especially the tissue paper:
Happy Birthday my little one year old!
The Simple Woman’s Daybook ~ June 23rd
Outside my Window… the weather is absolutely beautiful! The sun is shining. It’s hot, but not humid… Perfect!
I am thankful for… finally having groceries in the house!
From the kitchen…there is lots of banana bread, muffins and smoothies! For dinner we will be having home cooked flour tortillas, pinto beans topped with cheese, rice, and corn. Plus, leftover cupcakes for dessert!
I am creating… a Blog Book using Blurb BookSmart. It is so much fun!
I am going… to drop the older boys off at their first swim lesson of the year, and then the 3 little ones and I will be going to a funeral this morning for a friends father. He passed away last Friday at the age of 61. He was such a good man, and actually oversaw the addition to our home a few years ago. May he rest in peace!
I am wearing… a knee length (black white and burgundy) skirt, black tank camisole and matching sweater with black beads on the neck and cuffs, silver hoop earrings, and a pair of black pumps made by Mudd.
I am reading… or rather, still reading: Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s St. Therese – A Treasured Love Story
I am hoping… that Snuggles is ok. He has a weight check Tuesday morning, and I should get his lab results then as well. He seems to be doing better, for the most part.
I am hearing…the children rummaging through their dresser drawers, looking for their swimsuits.
Around the house… I have found over 8 dead black widows outside. I am so glad we had the house sprayed right before our trip. I would rather not have a “bumper crop” of Black widows… Eeewww!!!
One of my favorite things… is blogging! Isn’t it so much fun?
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week…
We will be going to a funeral this morning. Then it is swimming lessons, Monday-Friday, for Capitan and Rascal. Captain will be working with his auditory processing tutor Tuesday-Thursday. And, as I mentioned above, I will be taking Snuggles to the doctor tomorrow. So it looks like it is going to be a totally crazy week! Oh! And not to mention, that we are hoping to have a yard sale on Saturday… Is that an unrealistic goal?
I meant to post this Monday morning, but ran out of time!!! With my schedule this week, I’m not surprised!
To see more Daybook entry’s, click here.
I hope you all have a simply wonderful week!
No Room at the Inn
We arrived into Lincoln, Nebraska at about 4pm on May 26th. We had reservations at the Embassy Suites downtown. However, when we arrived a number of things went wrong.
Prior to the trip, I called many hotels looking for a place to stay that would work well for a family our size, and yet still be affordable. My hubby works for the Government, and so often times hotels will offer us a government employee rate. Initially we had booked a room at the Comfort Suites (since my hubby’s relatives would be staying their as well), but we decided to see if we could find a bigger room. When we called Embassy, we told them we were vacationing, but asked if they would still offer a discount for government employees. They said sure, and so we changed our reservation to them since we could get a 2 room suite for the same cost as over at Comfort Suites. We then canceled our reservation at the Comfort Suites.
Well, apparently, the woman that gave us this rate was not suppose to, and when we arrived they said the best they could do was reduce their rate to $139 per night! This was DOUBLE what we had been quoted. Not to mention, there was NO parking downtown, and we were going to have to pay parking fees or valet fees in addition to the room rate.
We went back out to the car to figure out what to do. I had the number to Comfort Suites in my binder, so we called them up to see if we could still stay there instead. The man on the phone said he had a room available until Thursday night. We decided to take it for that night at least, and then call around for another hotel for the rest of the week that was more in our price range.
We headed over to the Comfort Suites and they actually gave us their largest room, which would work out great. Unfortunately they were still saying we would have to check out Friday morning. Friday morning was the Ordination!
So, I got on the phone and started calling hotels. I soon found out that practically EVERY ROOM IN LINCOLN was booked. All I was able to find was a couple hotels that had a “smoking” room with a king size bed. That wasn’t going to work. It turns out that ALL the Public High Schools in town were having their Graduations, in addition to a number of other big sporting events, that particular weekend. I seriously called over THIRTY hotels Monday night, and then again Thursday morning! How could every hotel be booked like that in a town the size of Lincoln? We even tried getting the room at Embassy back, but it had already been taken.
Anyhow, I guess God was trying to teach me that I really am not in control, and remind me that I need to trust in Him. Unfortunately, I failed miserably, and was totally stressed out. HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?!?!? I had put so much work into making sure everything would “run smoothly!”
I was pretty upset, especially since I had verified beforehand that it was alright since hubby wasn’t “on the job!” There was no way we were going to be able to afford the difference in the rate, especially since we planned to be in town for a week.
It was hubby’s turn to be the calm one and told me not to worry, it would all work out…
That night I thought about getting online and asking for prayers… But instead said a few of my own, asking for the intersession of St. Joseph. I did get online to check my emails, and briefly mentioned our dilemma briefly to Tracy while responding to a question she had emailed.
Wednesday morning, I got back online to find an email from a brave soul, a friend of Tracy’s that happens to live in the Lincoln area! She was willing to take all 7 of us in for the weekend!!! Plus, it just so happens that this friend also went to school with my hubby’s sister. I can’t believe what a small world it truly is! (So, there you have yet another benefit to blogging! Thank you Tracy and Anne Marie!)
In addition, as soon as I got off the computer, I received a call in our room from the front desk saying they had just had a cancellation, and we would be able to stay. Thank you St. Joseph!
Hubby was right, there was no need to worry after all!
Our Baby Boy Is ONE Today!
Today our little guy is turning one! I cannot believe how quickly time goes by… Here are a few photos from his first year of life:
Happy Birthday Snuggles!! You have been such a blessing to us, and have added so much joy to our lives. We love you so much!
If you could all please say a prayer for him today, I would really appreciate it. He has had a rough month. He hasn’t quite gotten over the flu that he had on our trip, or else he has caught another, and so I took him in to see his doctor yesterday. His weight has dropped drastically, and he is only weighing 16 pounds, 9 ounces, which is way below the zero percentile for his age. (At birth he was my biggest baby, weighing 8 lb 5 oz.) The doctor will be running a few tests, and I will be taking him in for a re-check this coming Tuesday. Thank you so much!
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! God Bless!
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