Pool.... water...?

So, tis the season. We went swimming last weekend. It was a wee bit chilly, but if you just take the plunge, the numbness starts right away. Give it a good 3-5 minutes and you can't feel your feet anyway. THIS weekend, however, not only will it be cooler, but the pool will be empty.

We take our water samples to the pool store, they run the tests and tell us how much of what chemical to add, and we do it. My "pool boy", as hubby refers to him, told us that the calcium is getting to high, and we will soon have to drain the pool. I knew from the previous week from a visit with another pool boy, (ssshh... don't tell my guy), that the levels were high. He was telling me that we could go all season and change at the end. My regular pool boy was saying that we could do that, but the levels will get worse over the season, and will make it really hard to keep my chemicals in check by the end of the season. I am opting to change sooner rather than later, so that we don't have a week without the pool in the blazing hot August.

So, we got the pump out, and have it running. (Note to self: remember to shut off the auto-filler on the pool so that you aren't filling it just as fast as you are emptying it).

What you see from the front yard is a water hose, seemingly left on full blast, over our driveway. Yesterday Jonathan decided to create a dam out of little rocks, and soon enough we are playing in the water on the driveway.

They all had a blast, and got a wee bit wet, as witnessed below. I should be done with the emptying today, and it is AMAZING how much faster it fills than empties (one autofill, 2 hoses, 25,000 gallons of water). Seriously, I don't want to leave the house when I have it filling just so it doesn't overflow.

Reviewing the past

I was cleaning off the bookcase the other day, and getting rid of books we don't, or aren't going to read. Came across The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy, Daily Diary. I flip it open, and can see where I have written dates from my pregnancy with Jonathan.

During the first trimester, 236 days to go, my entry reads:

"Had a late night with class. Brought home 2 home pregnancy tests. The first was a disaster. The second was better, thanks in part to a shot glass. POSITIVE! Ran to the store for another test. POSITIVE!" The next day refers to the trip to the hospital on base for a blood test, and reading the following day. "PREGNANT! Joe called about 20 minutes after I found out, he was so excited."

I would never have remembered the part with the shot glass (!!), I guess diaries are good for some things. Maybe some things are better forgotten, though?

While I won't be keeping the book, it is fun to review those entries. I won't be keeping it simply because those are the ONLY entries I ever put in there! The girls? They didn't even get a book....

Spellcheck, please

Conversation with the boy today:
J: Mom, where is the Middle East?
M: Well, it is overseas, by Africa, on the Persian Gulf. It is made up of Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Kuwait, those countries...
J: Well, why does Iraq not have a "U" on the end of it?
M: I guess that maybe in their language they don't need to put Q's and U's together.
J: I bet they speak the same language as us, they just don't know how to spell.
M: I bet you are right, Honey.

It's like crack....

Ok, this addiction is like crack.





EXCEPT I can stop anytime I want to. Anytime. IF I wanted to.



Fun. Addicting. But I can quit, I just don't want to. But I could.

Corn tree?

Emilee: Mom! I dist saw a corn tree!!





This tree blooms for just a short time. For those with allergies, I am sure that is great. I kinda like the little bugger though...

Getting old...?

Today Emilee was brushing her teeth before bedtime. She had been playing in the mirror, came out and announced to her dad:

"Dad, I have cracks on my eyes like Mommy!"

When I heard about the cracks, I tried to get her to elaborate, but couldn't get much more that for her to repeat the same comment. She says such funny things.

Life is NOT fair

Rewind 15-18 months ago. Jonathan was getting to be REALLY good friends with 3-4 boys from Anchorage. We played together, swam with one, played baseball with 3, and went to school with all. He had, for the first time in his life, a BEST best friend. It was really sad when we left for Cali, one of his last nights in Anchorage was spent with said best friend. When we got here, he transplanted into the 1st grade, though never made another BEST friend there. He started 2nd grade, and has made a good friendship with our neighbor, Z, though they are about 2 1/2 years apart in age. (Z is younger). 5 months ago, he started 2nd grade with a wonderful teacher, and made a new BEST friend. This one is an identical twin, and he can tell them apart because said Best friend has black shoes, and his brother has white! So, after 1 month, we talk to his teacher about moving up to 3rd grade. He should be there by CA school age standards, and was leaps and bounds ahead of the other 2nd graders. It was decided that he would do that, and so in Sept he started 3rd grade. He was placed next to another gifted child, a new friend named "T". T was a great addition in Jonathan's life, and wouldn't you know it that within 2 months, they are Best Friends. They have taken to calling each other a few times, talking mostly about armpit farts and Star Wars. (!!). Today he got to go to T's house for the first time, and he stayed for a couple of hours. When I went to pick him up at T's house, which is just 3 blocks from home, I chatted with T's mom out back while the boys played. She said that the house is a rental, and they will be moving a mile away when their new, bigger house is complete. They will then be switching schools for T and his siblings. I don't know how soon that move will come, but I am so bummed for Jonathan. He FINALLY has something that we thought he could really hold onto after a partial year in both 1st and 2nd grades. He is where he needs to be, and making a new friend, and now as soon as he gets him, he will be leaving. Early elementary years shouldn't be this way, and this is unfortunately a side effect of moving that I DID NOT anticipate. It breaks my heart for him, and fortunately, at this point he is still on the "friend high" and not really identifying what will happen when T has moved along.

Poor Jonathan, he is such a good kid, and tries really hard in all he does. He deserves a long term friend that he can see as soon as he gets to school in the morning. You know, so they can talk about armpit farts together.....