Movin' On Up

Yesterday was a very special day for Nicholas and we are so unbelievably proud of him.   A little more than a year ago, we started karate lessons not really knowing if he'd like it or if he'd really want to stick with it, but he has.  And yesterday, after an incredible amount of hard work and determination, he finally accomplished a milestone by advancing to a new belt - the white belt with yellow stripe.  I think the smile on his face clearly expressed the gratification he felt at that moment.  And now we move forward, working towards that next big achievement.  He's got his heart set on a black belt someday so it sounds like karate may be here to stay.

Children's Fire Safety Challenge

Nicholas wants to be a fireman when he grows up.  He's not in the least bit unsure of it and declares it with confidence and determination.  His plan is to work at Edmond's Fire Station 3, which is just down the street from our house.  He chose that station in particular because he can live at home with mommy and daddy and won't need to own a car because he can just walk to work each day.  He's also very reassuring that I won't have to clean house anymore because he'll take care of it for me when he gets off work at said fire station.  Oh, the sweet, heartwarming dreams of a 4 year old boy who wants nothing more than to live with his parents for the rest of his life.  I'm hugging these moments close for as long as I can because I know they'll begin to fade fast. But Lord, what I wouldn't give to keep him this sweet and innocent forever.  Who knows what life he'll choose to lead or what profession he ultimately ends up pursuing, but I'm encouraging this firefighter obsession while it's here.  The Edmond Fire Department hosts a Children's Safety Challenge a few times a year, which allows kids from 4-7 years old a few days at the fire station learning all kinds of important fire safety tips and what it's like to be a real, live fireman.  When they announced the dates for the latest class during spring break, I jumped on the opportunity to make my kid a very happy boy.  He loved it.  Loved it! He was so proud of everything he learned, and explained all the rules to us with such excitement and animation.  For instance, you absolutely must wear your helmet when riding your bike, otherwise you'll hit your head and turn your brain into a melon.  Or worse, your marbles or cream filling might fall out.  Yikes!  Also, it's wise to check how your smoke detector sounds so you don't confuse it going off with the sounds from your favorite video game.  He remembered this very reasonable advice while in the shower that first night and had to poke his head out to tell me all about it.  After 2 days in the classroom, the kids all "graduated" with official certificates.  Then all the families were invited back the next morning to watch the children play the role of firefighter while they ran the obstacle course.  The course was littered with various exercises which simulated fire hazards, like breaking down the door, crawling under smoke, putting out the fire with the fire hose, and dragging victims to safety.  The whole course is set up in the children's safety village, which is a small scale "city" the fire department built for teaching kids real-life scenarios.  Seriously, this village is totally cool.  It has several city buildings, a park, streets complete with traffic signals and street lights.  Their commitment to educating children is absolutely amazing and something I really wish had been around when I was a kid.  Nicholas got to run the course with his friend, Silas, and the two of them were the cutest little firemen I've ever seen!  There is no doubt in my mind that we'll be doing this again this summer.

Step 1: Put on your gear.

Step 2: Alarm goes off while sleeping in your bunk.

Step 3: Drive to the call, sirens wailing and lights blaring.

Step 4: Break down the door to check for victims inside.

 

Step 5: Crawl under the smoke while looking for victims.

Step 6:  Once you locate the fire, use your fire hoses to put it out.

 

Step 7:  And finally, drag the victims to safety.

The Nicholas & Jillian Show

 

We met up with Ryan, Cindy, and Jillian this weekend at the lake. Saturday's weather was absolutely perfect so we spent just about every minute outside soaking up the warm rays. We did some fishing, boating, rock throwing, golfing, BB gun shooting....you name it, we did it.  Nicholas and Jillian played their little hearts out from the moment their eyes popped open until they collapsed into bed that night. They have such a sweet relationship and it's so fun to watch their imaginations run wild.

 

Taken shortly before Nicholas fell in the water.  Just his legs got wet but I think

the cold shock has taught him to be a little more careful in the future. 

 
 

 

 

 Not his beer.  Swear.

Um, please ignore the red blotches on his face.  This mommy feels real

bad that I somehow missed a few spots when smearing on the sunscreen. 

 Luckily, he was fine by the next morning.

Later, gators.

Cannonball King

We just resumed swim lessons after taking a break over the winter months.  Of all the activities we do, I think swimming is Nicholas' definite favorite.  I wasn't sure we'd be able to start up again with our busy schedule, but we made it happen and he couldn't be more thrilled about it.  I think one of the reasons he loved it so much was the coach he had all last year.  As he advanced in class rank, this same coach followed him and they developed a really great friendship.  He just loved her so much and I think she felt the same way about him.  Unfortunately, when class started this month we realized she was teaching a different class which meant he would have a new teacher for the first time.  But he adapted really well to the change and it hasn't slowed him down one bit.  It just surprises me how much they learn and how fast they learn it.  In the last few weeks he's been learning swim strokes, how to dive deep for rings on the pool floor, and has improved his back float by leaps and bounds.  I feel like I'm pulling out my phone to take video every other minute.  At the end of each class, the teacher gives the kids a few minutes to practice jumps or dives, whatever they prefer, in the deep end.  I'm not sure where it came from but Nicholas decided he would try his version of a cannonball, which was really just him jumping freestyle and yelling "CANNONBALL" as he did it.  So right before the next class I demonstrated how to do a real one and he immediately caught on.  Now he's the official cannonball king and has started a new trend among all the kids who quickly followed his lead. 
I hope you enjoy the videos of our little fish in action!