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 . . .