Isaac's Journal

March 17, 2012

We have been blessed with an amazingly warm winter. All through January and February I kept waiting for winter to “kick in” and it never really did. Most days were at least 40 and we have had very little snow. Now that it's March, the skies are blue, the temps are in the 60s-70s and the grass is turning green! It's been awesome (though I wonder what this means our summer will be like?). Being able to send you outside is such a sanity saver (for both of us, I believe).

We've been doing swimming lessons again and you are amazingly good. I signed you up for “Polliwogs” and you got promoted to “Guppies” after the first lesson. You're doing a front crawl with great form and treading water as well. It makes me feel good to know that you're a strong swimmer and that you don't have to be afraid of the water! Your class is after Abby's so I actually have you put your stuff in your own locker and then I leave after I check that you're in your lesson okay. Then you get yourself changed and wait in the lobby for Daddy to pick you up on his way home from work!

You also got to try out skiing on three separate days at “homeschool ski days”. Daddy took each of those days off of work in order to go with you. You loved it! Daddy taught you to keep your skis parallel and slalom down the hill – even intermediate slopes. You are so physically gifted – your coordination and balance amaze me. (Your gymnastics coach also said you could consider competitive gymnastics, but unfortunately they don't have a boys' team!)

I've also noticed you playing the piano a lot again. I taught you Chopsticks and Heart and Soul – you can play both parts but not at the same time. You've also been “composing” some of your own stuff with beautiful harmonies and chords. I've still never offered lessons and you've never asked, but I have a feeling that once it's the right time you will pick up everything very quickly!

Daddy's been in Europe for the past ten days. The second day, in Amsterdam, he was accosted by a man with a knife who demanded his money. Instead of agreeing, Daddy knocked the man over, ran and got away. You thought that was “so AWESOME!” It's always hard on you when Daddy's gone – you ask me all the time, “What time is it where Daddy is?” but it's really helped this time that Papa has taken you biking a couple of times and Aunt Natalie has taken you hiking with her boys a couple of times too. You just so enjoy being out and about, not to mention needing physical activity. We also took an overnight trip to Brookings with Grammie and the Slacks to see Uncle Andrew, stay in a hotel (with pool!) and go to the Children's Museum. You loved pumping up the water and shooting little plastic balls through a pipe and onto a track and SPLASH down again into the water.

I love your hugs and I love that you still want to be with me. You're getting bigger and doing more stuff without me, and I love seeing you realize your own competence. I think you're thriving with a little more independence, but I'm glad that you still want your Mama sometimes too.