October Update

Yikes!  Where did the month go?  We've been so busy enjoying Fall that time just got away from us this month.  Mom has been saying she would get up a video of my last swim class when I graduated to Level 5 (and I was awesome), pictures of Campbell's first swim class, carving our pumpkins and learning to ride my bike without training wheels.  All that is what we MEANT to do, then our trusty camera that has been recording videos of us for nearly 5 years and documented so many wonderful trips and family events hasn't been feeling too well and needs to go to the Camera Doctor.  Mom thought she had it fixed w/ a new battery and loaded lots of great new video on the camera, but the camera is now holding our media hostage.  In effort to not let it slow our updates down we will TELL you about all those great things and you can enjoy pictures from our trip to Brown's orchard last weekend:

As I mentioned, my last swim session went great and Miss Karen had me doing the front and back crawl for about 10 yds, the elementary backstroke across the deep end (about 25 yds) and a pretty good-looking' kneeling dive.  I can even do a standing dive but I knocked my thigh on the edge a few times and I'm currently re-evaluating my form.  In effort to improve my standing dive I have decided to cross-train and have resumed gymnastics while I take a break from the water.  Campbell has taken over my presence by starting a Mommy & Me class.  She was so excited to start and meet her new classmates: two 10-month old little girls and another 2-yr old boy.  Campbell loved meeting the babies and asked their mommies "Can I talk to your baby?" and went to say hello.  They both seemed to like Cam and touched her on the cheek and arms so that made Cam smile.  When they got into the water, Cam was very concerned about her ear plugs and since one fell out immediately she kept looking for it the whole class.  Somehow, this did not seem to impede her running commentary of the first swim class… "I'm kicking"…. "That baby is crying"… "That boy is floating"… "I'm splashing"… "The baby is coming over by me"…  "Can anyone hear me?"  She had a few successful immersions, but overall has to get used to it being okay to get her ears wet.  She got a little braver the next session but still isn't too keen on trying to float.

While Cam was working on her skills in the pool.  Dad and I have been working on riding my bike without the training wheels.  I do a pretty good job unless I get a little distracted and don't pay attention to where I'm going.  The other limiting factors are how long Dad can continue to bend over to hold my seat and how long we get before Logan, our neighbor, comes over to play.  I think it's going to take a few more weeks, but I hope to get a successful attempt in before it gets too cold outside.

We carved our pumpkins this weekend - well, Dad carved our pumpkins and us girls supervised.  Mom & Dad brought home the owl from the Pumpkin Carving Party they went to for Mom's work, then we decided we wanted a "scared" face for our other pumpkin.  The bar has definitely been raised on our pumpkin creativity belts so Dad will have to step it up again next year!  Nice job, Daddy!!!

Stay tuned for pictures of our Halloween costumes this year…. I am going as a Rock Star and Campbell is going to be a bear, but a FRIENDLY bear.   I can't wait until Halloween!!!