Xavier and the Grinch
Hello to you all.
Rebecca and I have had a movie gift certificate for nearly a year now, but have never been able to find the time to use it. The two times we did take in a move, we forgot the certificate at home.
I took this week off of work. We had many quality family adventures this week. One of those was seeing the latest Grinch movie, where we actually redeemed the certificate.
After the movie, Xavier posed with the Grinch and Max. This may be this year's Santa picture.
Happy Thanksgiving 2018
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
We enjoyed a fine Thanksgiving today. Several guests joined us and we ate on our best china. Indeed, we feasted well!
Xavier helped decorate the table. He discovered giant acorns at one of the parks we frequent. These he laid about the table and place settings.
Always helpful, he assisted Rebecca in preparing several dished, including the mashed potatoes.
Swim Lessons Pay Off
Hello to all.
After sending Xavier through four rounds of swim lessons at the local rec centers and seeing no advancement, we decided to kick it up a notch.
We took Xavier for a free lesson at a facility that specializes in teaching and coaching swimmers.
Rebecca called and set up the lesson. She told the staff how Xavier learned nothing from the rec center classes. The Swim Labs folks said, "Yeah, we hear that a lot."
We took Xavier in. I was skeptical.
Half way through his first lesson, I turned to Rebecca and said, "Sign him up!"
In fifteen minutes Xavier learned more than he had in the twenty-four rec center lessons combined.
Today was Xavier's seventh lesson. When we arrived, Xavier was presented with a ribbon. He had obtained all the skills for Beginner 1. Today's lesson was Beginner 2!
So, what skills does Beginner 1 entail?
- 5 safety bobs holding instructor's hands
- 5 seconds face submerged with nose bubbles
- 5 seconds independent front float
- 5 seconds independent back float
- 5 seconds assisted front kicking with face submerged
- 5 seconds assisted back kicking
- 4 strokes assisted freestyle with face submerged
- front to back float with assisted head turn
- back to front float with assisted head turn
- jump from bench to instructor with full submersion
Xavier now swims about twelve feet on his back unassisted and can cross six feet on his stomach unassisted.
Who Knew Denver Had One?
Hello to all.
A college friend of mine (and the Best Man at our wedding) flew out this weekend for a visit. When Googling things to do in Denver, we discovered a surprise.
Denver has an air and space museum. Not just one, but we found two.
Andy (my college friend) loves airplanes, so Xavier, Andy and I headed out to where Fitzsimons Air Force Base once was.
Developers have turned it into apartments and shops, but right in the middle remains one of the bases's hangars.
Kid friendly, Xavier played in a replica of the International Space Station, examined the cockpits of DC-10s and Boeing 707s. Xavier even designed a supersonic aircraft and was able to test pilot it in a simulator.
Xavier made friends on the ISS bridge while Andy and I enjoyed an actual Star Wars X-Wing Fighter they have on display.
Joy Of Cattails
Greetings to all.
The weather today called for a walk outside, so to a park with a lake we went.
Xavier, for whatever reason, does not like to walk the mile circuit around the lake. Often, either Rebecca or I will stay with Xavier at the playground while the other walks the lake.
Today, we all walked the lake. I showed Xavier some things to do with ripened cattails. He was glad to walk the lake today, although I was tasked with supplying him with cattails.
New Bedroom Set
Greetings to all.
Xavier, though thin, is growing upward. He only has less than three inches of bed left. In fact, his toes nearly touch the railing when he stretches out.
We have been watching Xavier run out of mattress over this past year. We kept pushing off buying him new furniture for various reasons.
With Rebecca rolling off her ADOS tour, we decided how best to spend her last paycheck: a new bedroom set for Xavier.
It arrived this afternoon. This morning, Xavier assisted and dismantling his daybed and cleaning up his room.
The delivery men assembled the his new bed for us, a surprise to me, and a welcomed one. Now Xavier has a twin mattress to grow into.
Also with his new bed, a new responsibility: making the bed daily.
The bed has six drawers under the mattress platform and a headboard with cubbies, three USB ports and two electrical outlets.
Along with the bed, Xavier got upgraded to a matching dresser.
He is excited to sleep in the bed tonight (the picture above he is only posing for the photograph). He is excited to cuddle with Daddy as we read our books tonight.
We have plans to paint his room. Perhaps we'll get to that next year.