Life and Death

This week has been a very sad week for us. On Friday, Marc's father passed away. It's very difficult learning the news of the death of a loved one, and even harder when you are so far away. Marc's father lived in Belgium. And try explaining it to such young girls like Emma and Gracie. Both handled it very differently, though, with Emma getting up and running away, to Gracie breaking down in tears and saying, "Can't we visit him one more time?" Heart  breaking, to say the least.

So, instead of a trip to Hawaii tomorrow, we leave on a plane for Belgium on Wednesday. We come back the 7th, and fly out to Hawaii on the 9th for 8 days. It's going to be a crazy couple of weeks, but worth both the trips to see relatives and to relax on the beach after wards. 

Friday, we got haircuts for the first time in about 3 years! I'm not kidding! Other than the occasional trim at home by me (and once a self trim by Gracie), neither girl has had a haircut!

Gracie didn't like the hair cutting thing at all! As you can tell by the look on her face. Emma loved the attention, as usual. But Gracie did brighten up when they gave her a lolly after it was all done! And they only got an inch taken off the bottom, so don't know what Gracie was all concerned about!

Just a couple of Gracisms this week: first she told me that every time her heart beats, it thinks of me. And then she told her dad that he was way more than a cheeseburger! Whatever that means!

Swim lessons, the Essence of Summer

So, since I do not like the water and don't like to swim, I insist that the girls learn how. They are Swinnens; they were born to be in the water. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they were sprouting gills somewhere soon! I didn't have to convince or even bribe them to take lessons. In fact, I think they would have picketed the house if I didn't let them in the pool!

The girls are in swim lessons every day for at least 30 minutes at the pool in the neighborhood by Marc's house. They walk...more like run...down the street. They enter through the white gates to be greeted by nearly all the life guards and instructors. (Gracie impressed, or rather grossed, them all out on the first day when she picked up a cockroach from the sidewalk!) After getting goggles on, they half walk, half run to their perspective ends of the pool for their lessons.

Emma started swim lessons when she was 3 1/2 and was in the beginner class the whole first summer and part of the second. But then she gained enough motor skills to be able to advance to adv beginner and now is in intermediate, soon to be in advanced! She can do freestyle, back stroke, breast stroke, and is starting to do the butterfly. She has the dolphin kick down, but the arms and legs together.....

This session, Gracie only had one other girl in her class, Kylie. Both girls are at about the same level so it was good for them to be together. And they have become friends, too.

That's Gracie swimming towards the steps while Kylie gets ready to  go!

Emma is in the intermediate class this session and has two teachers to teach her! How lucky is that? One gets in the water with her while the other gives commands from the sidelines!

I love watching them swim because I know they love to be in the water. I think one day they will both be on the swim team and become even better swimmers. Only time will tell....

Even when the Emma and Gracie aren't in swim lessons, they still want to be in the pool. Marc takes them on Saturdays or Sundays, and the babysitter has a pool, so they swim there as well. And they run through the sprinklers at my house all the time! I don't think they even need a bath anymore! We wash their hair and make them rinse off after each swim!

We'll be in Hawaii next Monday. It'll be fun to see the girls swim in the ocean; maybe even with the dolphins and sea turtles. Those will be fun pictures to post.

Tooth Fairy duties

Yep, Emma lost another tooth this afternoon! She sat at the kitchen counter eating an apple and squealed that it just moved. She put her fingers in her mouth and squealed again that her tooth came out! The thing is sooo little I could barely see it. I made her put it in a cup and put it under her pillow so I could find it.

It's the tooth on her right, your left as you look at the picture. Actually, it's the hole!

Funny story: last time Emma lost a tooth, we  put it under her pillow but the girls were so excited they couldn't fall asleep and by the time they did I was exhausted and forgot my tooth fairy duties! So the next morning Emma came out all upset because the tooth fairy forgot her!

I scrambled around getting them ready for school as I got ready for work. I asked them both to get in the car and told Emma not to forget her tooth because she was going to Dad's to spend the night and hoping the tooth fairy would find her there. BUT, what she didn't know was that the sneaky little tooth fairy (aka MOM) had gone in while they were brushing their teeth and put the money and lollipop under her pillow!!!

Again, a squeal of delight! Gracie found her lollipop, too (because the tooth fairy is nice and leaves the sister something, too!) All was again okay with the tooth fairy.

So, duty calls once again. Hope I don't fall asleep before I work my magic....

It's definitely summer!

Yesterday I picked up Marc and the girls to take Marc to the airport. He had to leave for a trade show in L.A. On the way we were explaining to the girls why he had to go and that it was for work. Emma said, "But it's summer vacation, no one works. Why are you working?" Try explaining that one to a 7 year old!

The girls and I got home from the airport and Gracie was crying and sad and said she missed Daddy already. She went to the cupboard, got some paper, got some crayons, and sat down to draw a picture. While she was drawing she asked me questions like, "What color are my eyes? What color are Daddy's eyes? What color is my hair? and so on....

This is what she drew. She's on the left, Daddy on the right. And at the top it says, "Gracie and Daddy together." 

 

Today we went to church. The girls love to dress up in their favorite summer dresses...and they have a LOT to choose from!!

After church we went to Wendy's for lunch with Derek and his friend Ed. It's the only time we ever eat fast food! Of course we must have frosties!!! After that we went to Target to buy a present for our previous babysitter, Valerie, who is having a baby boy in September. The girls found nail polish in the dollar bins and each were allowed to buy one.

 The nail polish is dry and the girls are proud of their work!

Going back to last week

Last week was the last week of school. Both the girls had parties and other festivities going on that added to the stress and chaos of the week. But they both put on happy faces! Gracie graduated from Kindergarten. She was so happy to get her little diploma!

There were snacks after wards and she grabbed the biggest chocolate chip cookie! 

Emma didn't graduate, but her class had a big end-of-year party that I had the honor of coordinating.

There was face painting, games, prizes, pizza, and ice-cream. Emma was happy with her wrist painting, sunglasses, and monkey!

The last day of school brought some smiles, some tears, but overall some excitement. Gracie wanted to dress up that day, so she got to wear her new dress. 

Emma was not in a good mood, so this is all we got of her!

Poor thing! She just wanted to go back to bed!

But all in all, it was a good week and now they are happy to sleep in, not do homework, and play all day long! I'm happy there is no homework, they can sleep in, and wish I could play all day long, too! They are such cute, girls! Don't you agree???

Summer begins

Well, summer has finally arrived and Gracie and Emma have come to life! 

The last day of school was last Thursday. I think they were a bit stressed because they weren't sure what was going to happen next. But on Friday, Valerie took them to Jungle Island and the stress and uncertainty disappeared!

The weekend was spent riding our bikes and hanging out at home painting rocks. The girls love to ride their big girl bikes now and will go quite a way before they finally decide to turn around and go home. 

They put on all their gear by themselves: elbow pads, knee pads, gloves, and helmets. Emma loves going over the curb to feel the ''big bump'' but often falls off afterwards. Thank God for the pads or else she'd never get back on the bike!

We've been going to bed later now that it is summer. They were up until 9:30 pm last night, but slept in until 8 am, so I guess that is good. I like a quiet morning. 

Tomorrow starts swim lessons! They are so excited. We went and bought them new bathing suits and let them pick them out themselves. They each got two and wanted to wear them right away, but were good about keeping them for tomorrow. Their new babysitter, Acacia will be here at 9 to take them over to Marc's house and lessons at 10 am! They can't wait!