Panic Button

Our new home has a nice, fancy alarm system which we didn't hook up. It was just one of those things on my "To Do List" in the midst of December craziness of trying to get the house finished before we had to be out of our rental, relative visits, school events, Christmas, two daughters birthdays and moving that got a pretty low priority ranking.

Right after we moved in the carbon monoxide alarm in the basement went off. I called the company who had installed the alarm but since we had not yet contracted them for monitoring they were completely unhelpful. The guy on the phone said it was "probably a mistake." I told him I wasn't super comfortable going to bed with my kids while a colorless, odorless, tasteless, fatal gas could be filling the house. He told me if I was worried I should call the fire department - which I did. As soon as they saw the name of the alarm company (on the sticker on the control box) they groaned and told me that alarm company is terrible. I asked who I should go with instead and they said "Anyone but them." (They cleared out our carbon monoxide issue and left.)

I did some research, got some quotes and we had the alarms all hooked up and ready for monitoring. As the guy was leaving he handed me a small device that looks kind of like a garage door opener. "What's this?" I asked. He told me it was the "panic button" - something I could press even if I was far from the key pads, the alarm wasn't armed, etc and it would automatically set off all the alarms.
 I instantly thought what a dangerous thing that is to have in a house full of kids. I decided NOT to even tell the kids it existed but to squirrel it away where I would have access to it and they wouldn't ever even see it. That was Friday at 5pm.

On Sunday I was in the kitchen when suddenly the alarms started to go off and the loudspeaker repeatedly blared "INTRUDER. LEAVE IMMEDIATELY, THE AUTHORITIES HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED."

Yep, Jacob.
We didn't even last 48 hours before he found it - and what else do you do when you find something with a button on it?

Tuesday night as I went to bed I told Rick "The alarm is on, remember to turn it off before you leave in the morning." 6am the next day the whole family woke to the alarm going off again. Brother!

Maybe we are not the right family to have an alarm system.

Kid Packers!

We had movers for both moves (I highly recommend it if you are planning on moving twice in 5 months) but we packed ourselves. The kids were really great in helping with the packing and packed most of their own rooms and almost all of the toys and DVD's & stuff from the playroom.

The drawers for our entertainment center finally came in last week & the guys came down and installed them. I'm excited to get the last few cardboard boxes out of here, so pulled out all the movies & video games and started sorting them into their permanent home.

It wasn't until I carried the box upstairs with VHS tapes to giveaway, that I noticed how the box was labelled.

Nice.

Of course, they mean "adult" as in "not Disney" but those movers sure might have wondered why we had such a huge box of them!

More Aquarium Drama

The little / loner Fire fish died today.

I'm not sure when. We found him when we went to feed them tonight. I took him out & saved him on a piece of toilet paper. Jake wants to bury him. It prompted lots more sadness and tears and Jacob saying he wished we got a freshwater tank because he thinks those fish are not as fragile :(

Poor little dude (my son, not the fish.)

I think he was OK by the time he went to bed. It definitely helped to have him see the fish dead in the water & approve me taking it out and them to examine it dead on the counter.

On a possibly related note - the top rock and some of the sand is very green. I just noticed this today too. I think it is probably not the cause of little "Fire's" death and is being caused by too much sunlight. I'll put towels up in his windows tomorrow to reduce the light until we get blinds. We need to talk to Randy and see what to do to fix it. Are we also supposed to have something rotting still in there? There isn't any salmon left.

We gotta keep on top of this. Aside from the monetary investment that we could lose, our son's little heart will break beyond repair!

Where Have You Been All My Life?

A few years ago my friend Melissa raved to me about the Sargent Steam machine & it's amazing abilities. I was fascinated because I LOVE a good cleaning product. However, it was expensive, so I didn't really give it that much more thought.

Over the past few years the benefits of steam cleaning have become more widely known and several steam cleaners have come on the market. My washer & dryer clean with steam, the dishwasher sanitizes with steam ....

As we were building the new house the comment I most often heard was "How are you going to clean it?" I wondered myself. In our last house we had 1 full bathroom & 2 1/2 baths. Here we have FOUR full bathrooms and FOUR half baths. Also lots of wood floors, marble and other things that are "delicate" to clean. Then I remembered the steam cleaner. I looked into it & did some research and decided it was the answer to keeping up with cleaning the house.

I ordered one and it came 2 days before Christmas. With moving and unpacking I hadn't had a chance to use it but today I watched the instructional DVD and started to use it. I am already totally IN LOVE.

I started by cleaning Rick's grubby slides that we keep by the door to run the dog out or take out garbage and recycling. They had grass satins and dirt all over them and I figured if I did something wrong and melted them they were more dispensable than my wood floors!

Within seconds they looked brand new! I could NOT believe how easy it was and wished I had taken a "before" photo! Then I cleaned the mudroom bathroom, floor and cubbies. WOW did I get a lot of dirt up. It was very easy and efficient and I got lots of bits of "construction" stuff like drops of glue, splatters of paint, spills of caulk, etc off the floor. The part that made me the happiest? Not only was it clean - it was SANITIZED. The steam is 298 degrees, so sanitized instantly. It's like autoclaving your house!  Also, the only "product" I used to clean was water - so no chemicals hurting the earth and no chemicals left for my kids to come into contact with.

I was getting such a kick out of using it I barely wanted to stop cleaning and go get showered so we could meet friends for dinner! Seriously, this and a powerful vacuum is all I'm ever going to need to keep this place clean. I am sure I will use it everyday. Definitely my new favorite toy!

A Tender Moment with Jane

I just have a few rules for Sacrament meeting in church.

(1) No leaving (get your drink & go to the bathroom beforehand!)

(2) If you can read, you sing the hymns.

(3) Quietly coloring is allowed for kids under 12 but only AFTER the Sacrament has been passed.

On #3 - I figure that they can sit quietly and listen to the announcements and start of the meeting for the first 15 minutes or so. It's good practice for when they are older and will need to be reverent for the entire meeting.

I used to take the crayons & notebooks but now Rick is in Primary he has the bag of stuff & has been packing them. Today when we sat down he handed them out right at the start (after 7 years on the High Council in our old stake, sitting with us in Sacrament meeting is new to him!) I reminded the kids "Not until after the Sacrament has been passed." Of course, my strong willed little girl wanted to push the boundary just as much as she possibly could, so started flipping though her book & turning pages.

"Jane" I whispered "if you can't keep that quietly on your lap, I'll have to take it."

"No, I like looking at it." she told me and continued to flip through it. I reached over to take it from her and she held onto it and pulled away. I quietly & firmly told her I was taking it because she couldn't hold it still in her lap. I pulled it out of her hands and put it under my seat. I looked over at her and she had big tears rolling down her face.

Right then they were saying the Sacrament prayer so I pulled her into my lap and cuddled her. As the young men passed the bread I silently prayed to my Father in Heaven to help me with this child he has entrusted me with. She is so strong willed, so stubborn and determined. Some days I am just exhausted navigating her emotions and our battle of the wills. I explained that I worried for her teenage years and the challenges we may face then. I asked for help in meeting her needs and teaching her, for more patience, more energy and more than anything to know what her unique need are.
Oh how I love this girl and want to do what is best for her!

As I sat cradling her and pouring my heart out, asking my Father in Heaven how best to partner with Him in teaching her, the sweetest spirit came over me and the words "STEADFAST AND IMMOVABLE" came to my mind. What an epiphany! I felt comfort and encouragement. Tears welled in my eyes as I realized that this sweet and spunky little girl can be a powerful force for good in the world. She can be a righteous influence amongst her peers. That unwavering will can become steadfast and immovable and serve her well when the ills of the world swirl around her.

It was a sweet, tender moment.

I am so grateful that I know I have the Lord to turn to as I raise these spirits of His. For the access I have to Him through prayer and the comfort and insight it can give me as a mother.

I am going to make sure that this scripture is on her wall, to remind me of that sweet inspiration as I parent her and to let her know that it is special for her.

"Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable,
always abounding in good works."
Mosiah 5:15

I am also so truly grateful to my "Janie Baby" and her lively influence in our home.

We really would not be without her for anything!

Family Goal Book

Each year the first Sunday in January we would have a Family Home Evening lesson on goal setting and I would have the kids write down their goals for the year on sheets I had printed out. Then I would put them in a file in the filing cabinet, never to be looked at again. Seriously.

In January 2010 after our goal lesson, I was feeling frustrated. I think our family is awesome at working on the goals we set in the summer, and we're great if there's a specific project or goal we are working towards as a family, but we were doing a terrible job as parents teaching them about ongoing goal setting. All I felt we had taught them to do was set stereotypical "resolutions" the way the world at large does - only to be discarded and forgotten before February!

I thought about how best to keep track of the goals and work on them through the year. My amazing friend Laura had put together a "Conducting Book" for our Primary presidency (the children's organization at church) with monthly sections with the theme and scripture for the month, and places to write in who was giving the talk, etc. What if I made a similar book for our family goals? I thought about how we could maybe add a quote to work on memorizing each month, and a section for each person to record their progress. I decided to give it a shot .... then I promptly forgot about it.

I may not be super on top of things, but I am tenacious! I would remember the book from time to time and that summer I finally put it together. Since most of the year was gone - it was a thin book that year but I am so very glad I still did it because it got us in the habit of reviewing our goals. Also, it gave me the template for the following year and in 2011 I had the book all put together and ready to go by the 2nd week in January (I take it to Staples and have them put a plastic cover on the front and back and spiral bind it.).

We used it all of last year and it worked so well for us, I wanted to post about it and offer to share my template for anyone who would like it.

I start with giving each person in the family printed forms to write in goals in each of 4 areas - spiritual, physical, educational, and personal.

Then I type those up for reference pages at the front of the book.

After that I have sections divided by month. Each month has a card stock cover page with a quote we'd like to memorize. I try to find something to "go" with the month.

~ like love for February (the picture is not great, this card stock is really light pink.)

~ or Thankfulness for November

but most of them are just quotes I really like (I think months have "colors" this one is actually light yellow! Bad pictures, sorry.)

Then for each month I add "blanks" for each person with each of the 4 areas of growth, so we can write in progress. I like to teach my kids that the best way to accomplish a goal is by breaking it down into smaller more manageable parts. This section is perfect for listing smaller "parts" of the larger goal.

Then we write in progress. Last year Jane had listed "learn to ride a bike without training wheels" as one of her physical goals. For January - March we wrote in "defer until spring" for that one, because it was too cold, snowy and icy outside. However, because it was on the master goal list we picked it up when the weather was nice & she was riding by the end of summer.

One child had wanted to try a new sport and chose Lacrosse. It started in March and ran through the end of June. She loved it and decided to pursue it and continued with a fall lacrosse clinic - but each page from June - December we wrote in "completed" because she had finished the goal of trying a new sport. Some of her other goals were to read a set of books, get better at drawing, remember to wear her glasses (she only needs them for close up work.) She also set a goal to try new foods. We decided she should  aim for one new food per month, which we listed on the fill in sheets. I love that this gives us the opportunity to meet with them and discuss their goals and get insight into their lives. After we've recorded their goals, we ask how things are going at school and if there's anything that they would like to talk to us about.

(posted with permission - as long as I didn't put her name.)

We just did our goals for this year. We start with a brief lesson on why goals and personal growth are important, and then I give them examples of what might be some goals for each area - like explaining that a physical goal is something that helps your physical body, etc.

Then, I really let them write their own goals! How much am I going to love to look at this when he is an adult and remember that seven year old Jacob set goals to stop farting, run 1 mile and shoot ten baskets. Awesome!

 (posted with permission.)

 

Maybe this is way too involved  for someone who could just tack a piece of paper to the fridge or in their kids rooms and remember to work on it, but for me I need lists! I need a schedule of when we do things and accountability - or I just forget them. Rick and I meet with each of the kids individually each fast Sunday (the first Sunday of each month) to go over the past month progress and plan what they will do for the next month. For our family, it worked like a charm and we're definitely continuing this.

Words to Live By.

I was in the office making the bookplates for this years books (I'm a bit behind this year), while Rick and the kids made cookies in the kitchen.

I heard Emily say "Dad, Mom has 3 motto's" She then explained they are;

(1) Touch it once. (A tidying / clean-up phrase.)

(2) The house can never be too clean.

(3) You can always use more cheese.

I guess my job with her is done!

Cub Scout Craft

I got a new calling at church two weeks ago. I had secretly hoped to go back to Primary (I love it there) but am actually pretty excited to have been called as a Cub Scout leader. I know NOTHING about the Scouting program and I am really looking forward to learning all about it and being more prepared as Jacob becomes a Cub Scout. I think it's going to be a really special thing that he & I can do together.

Tonight they made some crafts and I snapped a picture of a few of them. Jacob's is the one with the taller multi-stripe hat, second from the right. They then wrapped them to be able to give them as a gift.

{iPhone photo}

They also made wooden door stoppers out of cedar and rubbed them with linseed oil (smelled so good) and made some cards for when we sing at the Elder Care Center next week.

I think I'm really going to have a lot of fun in Cub Scouts!

Thankful Turkey

I was at the elementary school and passed the wall where Jacob's class had posted their "Thankful Turkey's." I smiled and started to read the sweet sentiments of being thankful for family, friends and homes. A few even said electricity (not surprising after all the issues we had in our town recently.)

I looked for Jacob's ....

{iPhone photo}

Yep, topping his list of thankfulness -

TV

tows (toys)

food

mune (money)

Perhaps we need to work on helping him realize the blessing the relationships in his life are.

(Little turkey!)

Millie Meets the Ocean

We had heard there are several beaches around here that allow dogs in the off season. I'd been dying to take Millie but things had been the usual hectic, crazy, non-stop and we hadn't had a chance.

Jane had a play date scheduled and we didn't have anything pressing during that time, so I decided to toss Emily & Jacob in the car with Millie and go to the beach.

She's totally a chicken when it comes to water - hates her bath, doesn't like to go out in the rain, jumps over puddles, etc. It was funny to see her reaction to the waves. She was fascinated by their sound, smell and movement but at the same time kind of freaked out by the fact that it was water!

The beach was empty and it was fun to watch the kids amble along and explore with her.

LOVE this girl. She is always so happy and up for anything.

My kids are always especially happy when we are at the beach!

Millie loves being off leash and we love taking her anywhere we can all go together, so it was a great outing.

No trip to the beach is complete without a little shell collecting - even in the dead of winter.

We stayed until the sun set and it was getting dark, then headed home to get Jane and dinner and warm up.

Thirteen Years and an Anniversary Dinner.

Today was our thirteenth anniversary. In so many ways it seems like time has flown by and I can't believe we've been married 13 years already. In other ways, it feels like we have always been together and I can't imagine a time without Rick and the family we've created. I guess both are good :)

We spent Saturday morning at the house looking at the driveway AGAIN. We can't seem to get it just right and this is the 4th time we've moved / changed it. The first three times were because the stone mason didn't follow the plan but this last one was exactly the plan and we still didn't feel like it was just right - so we tweaked it a bit and both feel good about it. It's a big, long driveway with a large parking area (that will double as a basketball "court"). We want to make sure we get it just the way we want it.

After that we went to look at lights and bath fittings (towel rods, toilet paper holders, etc) - which was totally unproductive. I think I'm through traipsing from store to store for these things and will get the rest of the things I need online. Even if I end up sending some back it's got to be more efficient to get them that way.

Just in case we began to think that romance was dead we did plan for a dinner at a restaurant I've been wanting to try for a couple of years. It just so happens that we now live very close to The Schoolhouse at Cannondale, so it made for a perfect place for our anniversary dinner.

It's small - but doesn't seem cramped, just intimate and cozy.

The food was absolutely perfect. The service was also wonderful, they'd put "Happy Anniversary" on the top of our menu - I always like when places do that. They were prompt and attentive without being a nuisance - a delicate balance, I say.

I ordered my favorite - beet salad. It came with the typical variety of beets, thinly shaved radishes, and the smoothest ricotta cheese I've ever tasted, sunflower seeds and a great dressing. So good! 
We also shared a cheese plate that included a Tasmanian cheese with honeycomb that I really liked and not just because it was Australian. 

For my Main I ordered the venison, which was melt in my mouth tender, with kale and butternut squash puree. It was all perfect and made even better by the crisp fall air outside. It just felt comforting.For dessert we ordered chocolate souffle for two with cinnamon ice cream and a bourbon caramel sauce.

It was a wonderful dinner, which was fitting because it's been a pretty darn wonderful thirteen years.

Google, You Tube and Jacob.

I have a pass code on my computer - well, I did. We're not sure what happened but Grandma came to stay while Rick and I were gone and it hasn't worked since (not that I'm blaming anyone Mum, but the evidence is pretty clear .....)

I keep meaning to call Apple and get it set up again and figure out why it still goes into "sleep mode" like the hot corner is still set up but with no pass code to bring it back. Darn my lack of technological ability!

Anyway, the biggest reason I have the pass code is so the kids can't use the computer unsupervised. It was a preemptive move for my younger 3 but I really need to get it set up again because Jacob's new found reading skills now mean he can get to Google and You Tube himself and I don't want him accidentally coming across something he shouldn't see (like when my nephew wanted to know if you can create your own Lego man and searched "naked Lego guy" or my friends daughter accidentally entered Web kittens, instead of Webkinz. Oh boy.)

So, it's on my to do list for this week but I will kind of miss coming downstairs in the morning (that boy gets up way earlier than anyone else around here) and seeing these in my search bar -

wat do turkeys sawnd lik

BeyBlade moovees

Pokemon moovees

sea worms

star wars

He said that the little cut-out from church that I have near my desk that says "I am a Primary Star" helps him because he copies the word star into the search bar and it drops down with Star Wars. I am slightly distressed that he doesn't know how to spell "sound" or "movies" but can easily come up with Pokemon and remember the second B in BeyBlade is capitalized!

The Day My Son Became a Republican.

Today went to sign the kids up for soccer. It was in the big park in our town, (where the dog park is) but other than going with Millie I hadn't really explored the area. The guy on the phone had told me that the rec department was "in the mansion."

He was not wrong.

(Internet photo's, sorry about the poor quality.)

As we walked up I said to Emily "Wow, I guess we found where all your wedding receptions can be." It really is just beautiful (these pics I found online do not do it justice.)

Anyway, as I filled out the soccer registration forms (3 times) the kids kind of bounced around and thumped up and down on the floor. I asked them several times to settle down when the lady at the desk said "It's OK, it's just us up here the rest of the building is empty." I asked what it was used for "Oh, weddings, Bar Mitvah's, corporate functions, filming."

Then she told me that the entire estate (which now has several soccer fields, the dog park, the town pool, two water towers, a retirement home, the High School, paddle tennis courts and 300 acres of woods, ponds, fields and trails) was donated to the town in 1967 and had been used as a private house until that time. I said "Wow, that's quite a donation." We finished our forms and headed out.

As we were driving away Emily asked "Why would someone ever donate that? If it was mine I would keep it." I explained to her that sometimes even if the land is owned heirs of an estate can't afford to pay the property taxes or upkeep of a place like that. So they donate it instead.

Jacob (who usually does not pay attention to anything I say) asked what "property taxes" were. I explained that it's money that you have to pay the government when you own a house or land or any property.

"WHAT?" He asked incredulously. "THAT IS SO MEAN!"

I explained they use that money to run the schools, fix the roads, pay the police and firemen. He asked how much it was and I told him it was different from place to place but where we live it was a lot and where we used to live it was really a lot.

"THAT IS SO NOT FAIR!"

Emily added, "Jacob it's not just for your house. You have to pay taxes for the money you get at work too." I explained further - Jacob when Dad goes to work and earns money he has to pay a bunch of it in tax. Also, when you buy clothes or shoes or food or gas you pay tax on it.

By that point he was just horrified. I tried to give him an idea of how much income tax we pay by explaining the portion of the week that Dad goes to work to cover taxes. My kids don't see Rick through the week and they know he works a lot. Thinking that so much of the time he was gone was to hand money over to the government - Jake was speechless.

The rest of the car ride home I followed up explaining some more of the good things that taxes are used for. Then he asked if everyone pays the same tax (like everyone pays the same tithing) .... taxes were getting harder to defend.

It was kind of interesting to see taxes through the eyes of a six year old.

Maybe we should have a few more of them creating tax policy.

Last Sunday

Since we decided to move last November I have been really aware of our "lasts" and tried to soak them in. Our last Halloween parade, last Thanksgiving in our dining room, last time putting Christmas lights in the big tree, last time watching the ball drop on the TV in our basement, last time mulching my flowers beds (my pride and joy). It has been wonderful to have almost a full year to know we are leaving and try to really enjoy every minute of the things we love about living here, I can hardly believe we are now down to the last Friday, Saturday, Sunday .....

This week might be a bit emotional for me.

I set alarm early to get up and do my bike. With all the packing and swim meets and getting ready to move I have not been at all diligent about exercising myself. I got up & turned it off (thinking "5 more mins") and woke up at 8:20am. Yikes! We all raced to get ready and were only a few minutes late to church - getting there during the opening hymn. Hopefully this will be the last time we are late to church? Probably not!

We saw a family who had moved two years earlier and were in town visiting. That will be something I really will miss - seeing friends who have moved away and come back for a visit. Rebekah bore her testimony, which was very sweet. They sang to Emily, Jacob & Jane in primary & the singing time leader let them pick their favorite games to play during singing time.

When we got home I tired to get organized a bit but it's hard when there are boxes everywhere and shingle sample boards for the new house in the pile in the living room!

Our friends the Taylor's invited us for dinner. We will really miss this family, they are awesome. I guess the best thing about only moving 30 minutes away is that we will still be able to see most of our friends, even if it is not as often.

The swim team awards dinner was that night but I decided not to go. Even though it is on a Sunday, we typically have gone. With moving and everything going on, I decided not to go this year. It's always long (giving out lots of awards) and i just didn't feel up for a late night with the kids. I didn't send the team president an e-mail sating we wouldn't make it, given we were moving 5 days later but she said she didn't see the e-mail until after the dinner - or she would have given us a heads up to attend. Why? Because Emily won the high scoring award for 10 & under girls and the Presidents Award was given to our family for all we have done to contribute to the team (the kids swimming on the team and Swim Across America.) Sheesh, I feel kind of lame that we didn't go.

Rick is headed to Philadelphia tomorrow and this is going to be a pretty hectic week for me home alone with the kids with a few more swim meets and getting ready to move. I debated about staying up late and getting stuff done but decided to just try and get one last good night of sleep in preparation for the next 5 days.

Last Saturday

Today marks the start of our last week in our house. Each day we will be able to say "This is our last ______"

At this point, with the mess and piles of boxes, not buying any real food because I want to use up what we have and all the trips I am making to Connecticut for the building of the house - I just want to get it over with and be moved already!

I do know that as soon as we are settled, I'll miss it here - so I am trying to soak in the things I have loved about our house and our neighborhood as we go through our last week here.

After Swim Across America we came home to get some stuff I had to mail, and tile samples, etc. We left the 2 big girls to their own devices & took J&J. Jane was still repeating "I don't want to go look at tiles!" as we put her in the car. Sorry kiddos, today is just about getting things done!

We bought Rio for the iPad and they watched it on the way up. Thank goodness for technology and the boredom killer it is.

We first went to the granite place to look at a choice for the kitchen counter tops & island. We like the one named "Tiberius" that will please my Dad! I want to consult with the kitchen designer before making a final decision, so brought a sample of that and a few others we liked home. Then, we were on to the tile place a 45 minute drive away, so stopped at Subway for lunch.

I liked the first store for their selection and the nice way it was organized but the builder told us another place was cheaper. I like this marble basket weave. I'm thinking of it in a gray in our guest powder room.

We went to the tile place the builder had recommended.  Rick describes it as "a beautiful tile store ... after an earthquake" It is a jumbled mess but they do seem to have everything - once you can find it. It's cheaper for the same tile, so worth figuring out! Jake entertained himself on the iPad. Jane just drove me crazy. We need two iPads.

Then we stopped by the house to give the builder a check. Before starting the building they scraped all the topsoil into a mountain and weeds have grown all over it. The kids think it is the BEST play area ever, and really needed blow off energy by the time we got there, so I was thankful for it.

The stonework is almost finished on the chimney's.

Rick at the far end of our backyard. (See the little blue figure in the woods?)

They started putting on the roof and it's fun to be able to get more of an idea of what it will look like when it is finished.

And the windows have been delivered.

The second best play area is the sand pile at the house. Who would have though that construction sights are so much fun??

It's great to be able to actually see rooms now and get a sense of flow from one room to another.

I love the dormer windows!

As we headed home it started raining. We got home and ordered pizza for dinner. Then it was baths & bed for everyone. I could barely keep my eyes open and fell asleep lying next to the kids. I only got up long enough to take out my contacts & put on pj's & get right back into bed.

Swim Across America

When we first heard about Swim Across America it seemed a perfect fit for us. We all love to swim and cancer took Rick's Mom back in 2007. Emily is really the only one who can swim a mile - but we plan on more family members joining her in the future!

Today she participated in Swim Across America for the third year.

Here she is after her first swim in 2009.

2010

and getting ready for the 2011 swim.

When I was looking at old photo's from her past swims we realized that she had been number 4 her first year and number 14 her second year, so we were stoked that she could be number 24 for this year!

After she was all signed in she got on her cap & goggles ready to hit the pool! It was a little overcast & chilly but I knew she'd warm right up as soon as she got going.

One down, 71 more to go ....

She mixed it up doing some freestyle, some butterfly, some backstroke some breaststroke. She still has swim competitions this coming week so it made for a good workout!

 72 laps - still smiling!

I did it!

 Mom!  I'm so tired, please stop taking pictures of me.

Then she got to sign the banner. Emily always dedicates her swim to her Grandma & signs the banner to her.

 

Oh, how I love this girl!

A picture with Aidan, one of her good friends who also swam today.

We're so proud of Emily & know Grandma is too!