Spring Break 2008

Spring break isn't just for the school-aged anymore: Violet's daycare was closed all week last week. Violet spent Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with Grandma and Grandpa Swartz, who made the trip to Boise for Spring Break '08. It wasn't Padre (I think the snow gave that away), but the three of them had as much fun as any MTV special. Including singing and dancing.

Violet also got to spend some time with her Grandma and Grandpa Stickney over the break when we celebrated Easter with at their house with Aunt Kristin and Uncle Mat. After brunch and a brief egg 'hunt,' Grandma Stickney presented Violet with her prize - a handknit purple sunhat. Cuter than any Easter bonnet I've ever seen.

Little Bunny Foo Foo

We recently added a portable backdrop stand and a roll of seamless paper to our cache of camera equipment, and I figured Easter was a good an excuse as any to try them out. Fortunately Violet was willing to indulge me.

Happy Easter!

Hanging Up My Vest

The cooler (and then cold!) weather that came on only a few months after Violet was born might have kept us from getting out as much as we would have liked if I hadn't found the Peekaru babywearing vest. A fleece vest that fits over both of us when I'm wearing her, our Peekaru has kept both Violet and me warm through a winter's worth of walks. As cute as it is to see her pilot-capped head popping out of, I'm ready to retire it for a few months of warmer weather, which we seem to be approaching. Bring on spring!

Water Baby

If her second swimming lesson is any indication, it looks like Violet may be bound for the career in killer whale training I longed for before I signed up for the law. The girl loves being in the water. Violet seemed to have not only retained what she'd learned during her first lesson about floating on her back (straighten those legs!), but to have become completely comfortable doing so. As is so often the case, it's her mama that's reluctant to let go.

Having blown through the basic back float, we progressed quickly to the other exercise depicted in the photos above (the ones that probably look like I'm attempting to drown our daughter): the dunk and roll. Wherein I hold her in front of me, counting to three as I bob her in the water, and on three, dunk her headfirst, let go (gasp!), and then help her turn her head and roll to her back to float. We did this once, and the countdown of every repetition thereafter was met with her widest of grins. Wrapped the lesson up with some 'swimming' and splashing, and left already longing for more fun next week.

Weekend Warrior

Another week has blown by, and we're all ready for the weekend. We're looking forward to more of the fun we had last weekend - starting with swimming lessons tonight. Violet's first lesson was last Friday, and we loved it. It's a parent and child class at this age, so I was able to be with her in the water the whole time while Eric played the role of family photojournalist. Violet was wide-eyed as we waded into the pool , bobbing until we were wet all the way to our shoulders. After several short exercises to get more comfortable in the water, we practiced letting her float on her back with me ultimately supporting only her head, to help her learn that straightening her legs and tipping her head back (rather than tucking her chin) would make it easier for her whole body to float. Then I held her on her tummy and let her kick her feet as I moved her forward, to give her a sense of the feeling of swimming. And yes, I did dunk her. Twice. Her brief underwater experiences were met with an expression of surprise, but after a couple of quick blinks, she was smiling again. It's a good thing she liked it, because I was in heaven, and can't wait to get back in with her tonight.

While most of last Saturday was consumed by household maintenance, Sunday we headed back up the mountain for some more skiing. This was only after Violet's breakfast of papaya was interrupted by the Monkey, who was wondering what was on the menu. Violet, as always, was more than happy to share with him. We try to discourage this, but they seem to be conspiring against us already. You just can't come between a girl and her dog. Unless you are her cat (Anthem), and then the competition for her slavering devotion is on.

We had a great time on the cross country track Sunday afternoon, and even had enough time left for Eric to make a few downhill runs before heading home. We're hoping to make it back up again this weekend. Just wish we didn't have to give up an hour of sleep to 'spring forward' the same day. No rest for the perpetually sleep-deprived . . .