Tonight we took Lily and Lukasz to the public pool for an hour and a half of swimming, splashing and jumping. It was the first time Lily had been in the pool since her swimming lessons a year and a half ago and it was the first time Lukasz had been in a pool EVER.
Lukasz is pretty fearless in the tub; I have a video of him in the tub with Lily and he was sticking his face completely under the water and blowing out, and he always came up laughing. Then Lily would say "Again!" and he'd oblige. Lily unfortunately does not like being in the bath at all, and at first it was looking like she wasn't going to go in the pool either. She wanted to stay in the shallowest part with a watering can for the first half of our time there, whereas Lukasz was happily throwing a foam fish and chasing it, throwing it and chasing it and struggling to walk deeper and deeper wherever the fish went. He took a few spills and was completely soaked within 5 minutes of being in the pool, but that didn't phase him.
Eventually I took him in to the deeper part of the pool and he did not hesitate to jump in the water to me from the side of the pool. We had a great time blowing bubbles together in the water, too.
And when Lily saw Lukasz having such a great time in the deeper water, she decided to come down the steps with Tatus and join us. The lifeguard offered us a foam boat for her to sit in, and I wasn't sure if she'd go for it, but she loved it. Lukasz, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with it. He was having too much fun jumping. So we towed Lily around for a while and then she and I laid on a foam mat on our tummies together and kicked to propel ourselves around the pool. That was really fun for me, and she was giggling a lot which was great to hear. After our time on the mat, she was ready to jump in the pool like Lukasz.
We all had a lot of fun, and it was the perfect way to give them some exercise after a rainy day at home. Best of all, we made it there during family swim, so we saved some money on the entrance fee.
Showing posts with label swimming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label swimming. Show all posts
Monday, January 25, 2010
Saturday, August 16, 2008
At the spray park & Korean festival
It was a beautiful Saturday morning when we headed over to the nearby park. The weather was so nice that I ran back to the apartment to pick up Lily's swimsuit so she could play in the spray park. Lukasz slept peacefully in the shade and Tatus and I took turns playing with Lily in the water and sitting in the shade with Lukasz.
We had been hearing a lot of drumming coming from the other end of the park, so once Lily was done in the spray park we walked over and found... a huge Korean festival! There was live music, art, yummy food and LOTS to see. Tatus bought this little fish filled with some kind of bean paste.
Lily helped to eat it. :)
Drumming... SO awesome to hear...
There were lots of sponsor booths handing out free stuff, so within minutes L&L each had their own balloon. We made quite the caravan. :)
It was a really great family outing--and we didn't have to travel any farther than across the street.
We had been hearing a lot of drumming coming from the other end of the park, so once Lily was done in the spray park we walked over and found... a huge Korean festival! There was live music, art, yummy food and LOTS to see. Tatus bought this little fish filled with some kind of bean paste.
Lily helped to eat it. :)
Drumming... SO awesome to hear...
There were lots of sponsor booths handing out free stuff, so within minutes L&L each had their own balloon. We made quite the caravan. :)
It was a really great family outing--and we didn't have to travel any farther than across the street.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Visiting Babcia & Dziadek
Today was a beautiful day, so Babcia came and picked us up so we could spend the afternoon in their backyard. Lily played in an inflatable pool and Lukasz relaxed and slept on the porch swing. Tatus joined us in the evening and lots of berries were eaten. :) 
Splashing herself. From the look on her face you'd guess she wasn't enjoying herself, but she was.
Hanging out with Dziadek:
All that water play tired her out. Now it was her turn to sleep on the porch swing...
... while Lukasz played with Babcia.
Berry time!
Lily notices one of the small windmills in a tree...
...and tries to blow to get it going.
As we were getting ready to leave, Lily was still in the backyard with Dziadek, and she was looking at their flowers. He picked one for her and told her to bring it to Mommy. I was packing stuff into the car, and as I turned around, I heard her yelling "Mommy!" and then she came running from the side of the house toward me, arm outstretched, flower in hand. It was one of the sweetest things I've ever seen.
Splashing herself. From the look on her face you'd guess she wasn't enjoying herself, but she was.
Hanging out with Dziadek:
All that water play tired her out. Now it was her turn to sleep on the porch swing...
... while Lukasz played with Babcia.
Berry time!
Lily notices one of the small windmills in a tree...
...and tries to blow to get it going.
As we were getting ready to leave, Lily was still in the backyard with Dziadek, and she was looking at their flowers. He picked one for her and told her to bring it to Mommy. I was packing stuff into the car, and as I turned around, I heard her yelling "Mommy!" and then she came running from the side of the house toward me, arm outstretched, flower in hand. It was one of the sweetest things I've ever seen.Here's Lily afterward with the flower:
:) Being a mom to you two is just... the best thing that could ever possibly have happened to me. Not a day goes by where I don't think back and remember all the sweet, cute and adorable things you both have done that day... and I just feel so luck you are here, that you are my daughter and my son. And I love you so very much.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Letter to Lily: month 23
Dear Lily,
This month has been an introduction to the terrible 2s. NO seems to be your favourite word, and sometimes there are days where I wonder where my sweet baby girl went. I've become a master of distraction, because often I don't see the point in trying to force you to do something at that moment. I know there will be times when I'll need to discipline you, and I have had to raise my voice at you, and there have been times where I've shaken my finger at you, too. Some nights I lay awake feeling terrible because I yelled at you that day. But I guess we are both learning. So far, distraction seems to work best in situations where you are doing something you shouldn't be, or if you've gotten a hold of something, like my camera, that you don't want to give up. But each day is a challenge of finding ways to diffuse situations without either of us becoming upset. I know you are just asserting yourself and being stubborn and pushing boundaries (as I'm sure you will continue to do), and I really hope that you and I can always find some common ground to meet on without a major fight or upset breaking out. Perhaps this is idealistic, but I have this wish for us to always be as close as-- well, as close as a mom and daughter should be!
I firmly disagree with spanking or any kind of hitting as a form of discipline. And I think perhaps because of the difference in our childhoods, your Tatus and I disagree on this point. But so far you have not been spanked, even though there have been times where you have hit us. So far, our reaction is to shake our finger at you and say loudly "Don't hit." I think you are starting to get it. There are just somethings that you need to learn it's never ok to do, some things that you do that require a more stern reaction from us than others. And sometimes it is HARD to decide what is the proper action to take, especially when I'm feeling short on patience. But I think so far we are both doing pretty well.
On a lighter note, this month we had lots of outings--you had your first month of swimming lessons of which you missed 2 or three because you got really sick. The first lesson went really well because you were so darn excited to be in the water. But I think you just wanted to explore, play and do your own thing, not always what the teacher wanted us to do. Especially when it came to blowing bubbles in the water. Plus you have this habit of blowing UP when you tried to blow in the water, making your bangs ruffle instead of the water. :) Cute. In the last class you willingly went to the instructor as he was on the diving board, and he carried you to the end of the board (you were wearing a life jacket), crouched down, and dropped you into my waiting arms. And during almost every lesson you went under water as well. You passed the class, and we are very proud of how much you did participate. At the end of the last class you gave your teacher, Thomas, a high five, and after he'd left, you called out, "Bye Thomas!". This seems to be a habit with you, saying "bye" after the person has left. But you are getting better. :)
One action you have really mastered this month is RUNNING. You can really move now, and sometimes, especially when I have Lukasz in the stroller, it's hard to keep up with you!
Speaking of Lukasz, or "Woo-chie" as you call him, you are still a very loving and attentive sister. If he loses his soother, you are quick to put it back in his mouth, and there have been times when you've seen him drooling and wiped his mouth for me. :)
Your vocabulary has increased by leaps and bounds as well, and it's the most amazing thing to be around someone day by day as they learn to speak. Words stick in your mind at a rate that astonishes me some days. You are a master of descriptive words now, colours, sizes, shapes and numbers. You can count to eleven now, too!
I can't believe you are nearly 2 years old. I never imagined you would grow up this fast. I thought when I had a baby, I'd have a BABY for a while. But quicker than a wink it seems, you are off and running.
Even though you are not much for cuddling right now, there will ALWAYS be room for you on my lap, no matter what.
I love you, my sweet baby girl,
Mommy
This month has been an introduction to the terrible 2s. NO seems to be your favourite word, and sometimes there are days where I wonder where my sweet baby girl went. I've become a master of distraction, because often I don't see the point in trying to force you to do something at that moment. I know there will be times when I'll need to discipline you, and I have had to raise my voice at you, and there have been times where I've shaken my finger at you, too. Some nights I lay awake feeling terrible because I yelled at you that day. But I guess we are both learning. So far, distraction seems to work best in situations where you are doing something you shouldn't be, or if you've gotten a hold of something, like my camera, that you don't want to give up. But each day is a challenge of finding ways to diffuse situations without either of us becoming upset. I know you are just asserting yourself and being stubborn and pushing boundaries (as I'm sure you will continue to do), and I really hope that you and I can always find some common ground to meet on without a major fight or upset breaking out. Perhaps this is idealistic, but I have this wish for us to always be as close as-- well, as close as a mom and daughter should be!
I firmly disagree with spanking or any kind of hitting as a form of discipline. And I think perhaps because of the difference in our childhoods, your Tatus and I disagree on this point. But so far you have not been spanked, even though there have been times where you have hit us. So far, our reaction is to shake our finger at you and say loudly "Don't hit." I think you are starting to get it. There are just somethings that you need to learn it's never ok to do, some things that you do that require a more stern reaction from us than others. And sometimes it is HARD to decide what is the proper action to take, especially when I'm feeling short on patience. But I think so far we are both doing pretty well.
On a lighter note, this month we had lots of outings--you had your first month of swimming lessons of which you missed 2 or three because you got really sick. The first lesson went really well because you were so darn excited to be in the water. But I think you just wanted to explore, play and do your own thing, not always what the teacher wanted us to do. Especially when it came to blowing bubbles in the water. Plus you have this habit of blowing UP when you tried to blow in the water, making your bangs ruffle instead of the water. :) Cute. In the last class you willingly went to the instructor as he was on the diving board, and he carried you to the end of the board (you were wearing a life jacket), crouched down, and dropped you into my waiting arms. And during almost every lesson you went under water as well. You passed the class, and we are very proud of how much you did participate. At the end of the last class you gave your teacher, Thomas, a high five, and after he'd left, you called out, "Bye Thomas!". This seems to be a habit with you, saying "bye" after the person has left. But you are getting better. :)
One action you have really mastered this month is RUNNING. You can really move now, and sometimes, especially when I have Lukasz in the stroller, it's hard to keep up with you!
Speaking of Lukasz, or "Woo-chie" as you call him, you are still a very loving and attentive sister. If he loses his soother, you are quick to put it back in his mouth, and there have been times when you've seen him drooling and wiped his mouth for me. :)
Your vocabulary has increased by leaps and bounds as well, and it's the most amazing thing to be around someone day by day as they learn to speak. Words stick in your mind at a rate that astonishes me some days. You are a master of descriptive words now, colours, sizes, shapes and numbers. You can count to eleven now, too!
I can't believe you are nearly 2 years old. I never imagined you would grow up this fast. I thought when I had a baby, I'd have a BABY for a while. But quicker than a wink it seems, you are off and running.
Even though you are not much for cuddling right now, there will ALWAYS be room for you on my lap, no matter what.I love you, my sweet baby girl,
Mommy
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Swimming lessons with Tatus
Lily has swim lessons every Tuesday and Thursday this month. She's learning to do front floats, back floats (both with assistance), blow bubbles in the water, and she's also going underwater sometimes! Every Tuesday I go in the lesson with Lily, and Thursday's are Tatus' turn. 
Jumping in:
Jumping in:
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
First swim lesson
Well, Lily, today you had your first swim lesson. I thought you might be nervous going into deeper water for the first time--last summer we often went to the wading pool by our house and you loved that, but a big pool is a bit different. I had nothing to worry about, however, because you loved being in the big pool. We did front floats and back floats and you jumped into the water (with me holding you), sang songs and played games. You are not fond of the back floats, and I'm not surprised because you don't like leaning your head back in the back to have your hair rinsed either. But I hope with time you won't mind it so much.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Ready for swim lessons
Lily's first swim lessons start June 3rd--and here she is modeling one of her little swimsuits.
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