I love how you can hear him saying, “picture picture picture”. And then the part with him running and all you see is his feet? Ack, I die, it’s so cute.

We’re not really great on planning ahead. This weekend, as you can tell from the video, we went to the library and to Waterworld. We knew we were going to the library simply because I had put a book on hold and it had come in. But Waterworld? Well, that was sort of last second. On Saturday, the weather was so nice, we were bummed we didn’t go swimming after the library.

So on Sunday, a little after noon, I hopped on the bed to wake Alan and said, “LET’S GO SWIMMING!!!” And we went.

When we got there, we saw a big ducky walking around. We thought it was a little weird. Isabelle wanted to take a picture with him but when we walked up she changed her mind. She was scared. We didn’t give the ducky much thought beyond that. If we were more observant we would have noticed a couple of tables with duckies on them.

I didn’t see them until we went to grab something to eat.

Turns out there was a rubber ducky derby to raise money for the Children’s Hospital in Oakland. I wonder if there was a big ducky derby sign on the entrance that we missed as well. That would not surprise me. That’s what happens when you’re herding two kids, so I say to myself.

I’ve never seen a ducky derby before. Is was quite fun to see so many duckies all at once.

I think I was more excited than the kids. No. Definitely. Nathan could have cared less. And Isabelle thought it was cool but I’m the one who dragged her closer to look. And I’m the one who wanted to hang around in the kiddie playing area so I could snap a photo of them.

And right when the duckies were in sight, when I was just about to take my picture with the lead ducks in front and all the ducks streaming behind them, some young people jumped in front of me, past the RED DO NOT CROSS LINE to snap pictures of themselves (I sound so old saying that. I should have typed some young whippersnappers jumped in front of me. Ha ha ha).

I have a few pictures of one of the girl’s fingers. And some of the girl’s face. They were just snapping away while the lifeguard repeatedly told them they weren’t allowed past that section. They ignored him. They heard him. Oh yes they did. They acknowledged him but kept on going. These young people now-a-days, no manners (imagine me as an old woman saying that. Hee hee).

Alan joked that it would have been funny if they had dropped their phone, which they were using to take pictures, into the water. I laughed evilly at the thought. That’s a little mean but bwa ha ha (imagine that as an evil laugh)!

Well, after the rubber ducky derby we shared some ice cream.

And then we went home.

Seriously Bridgette we need to go together THIS YEAR. Let’s make a plan for it ok? Helen and her kids want to come sometime too.

They weren’t really cooperating with my efforts to take photos of them.

Here. Video. A bit better.

Not chicks on Flickr

You can see they’re really not chicks anymore. But are they full grown chickens now? I don’t know. Alan doesn’t think so. They need a couple of months more to start laying. And they sound mostly like chicks still, not chicken sounding much.

Well, the chicks have been moved outside finally.

We got an Omlet Eglu cube for them. Chicks aren’t expensive at all. But housing for chicks? My yes that is expensive.

We thought about making a coop but materials aren’t cheap not to mention the actual making part. After doing some research, seeing how much people were spending to make coops then seeing that Eglus are easy to clean, insulated (which the chicks desperately need in our unforgiving sunblasted backyard), and safe, we went with them.

Yes, safe. Well mostly. I think we still need to get some hardware cloth. I’ve never seen a raccoon but I worry they’ll get our chicks and I’ll find bits of them in the morning. So very morbid and paranoid of me.

In fact, the first night we put them out, I was so worried, I had Alan stay home that night. And then one night we didn’t lock them up safe and tight. When we got home late I refused to let Isabelle check on them, worried that we’d find bits. Obviously they were fine and I am a weirdo.

But back to what I was saying. The cube. Why we got it. It probably helped that the cube was on sale at the time. Also if we want to get rid of it down the line, it is probably more sellable than a wooden coop we make.

And now that the chicks are outside, we’re outside a lot more too. You know, hanging out in the pool for one.

And your basic shenanigans.

Have a good weekend everyone.

It was way busier last time around. See:

And it seems I am again finding it hard to find anything to say. Sigh.

Maybe it doesn’t help that as I’m writing this all I’m thinking about is Nathan. Nathan and how I should be helping him go to sleep. And how I haven’t had my shower yet and I always have a shower before the kids go down.

But instead I’m sitting here at the computer while Alan is helping the kids go to sleep.

So, I’m trying to rush and get a video edited. The pictures don’t take anytime at all. But the video? Video is so much harder for me.

If I breeze through editing a video, I get stuck on music. That’s why I don’t usually add music. It’s too hard to choose something. I can never find something quick and easy. But this time around the wind noise from the video was so distracting I wanted music.

How do other people find music for vidoes? Do they choose something that goes with what’s happening in the video? Or do they go with something they like listening to? If it’s the second choice, what if it has nothing to do with what you’re watching?

Acck! I’m thinking too much about it. Maybe that’s why I just chose something random this time around. In the back of my head I was thinking tick tick tick Nathan is waiting and you’ve been trying to decide for the longest time so grab anything!

Video on Flickr

Ok. Enough typing. Off for my shower and Nathan.

Now that Isabelle is comfortable in the water, well more than comfortable, we thought it’d be fun to bring her to a water park.

Her favorite “ride” is the lazy river. That’s my favorite too.

I would have liked to ride some of the faster “rides” but I didn’t want to go alone. Isabelle is too small, she has a couple of inches to go. And Nathan is definitely too small. So, we basically stuck with the lazy river and the kid stuff.

To my friends reading this, you guys have to come with us next time so I have a partner to ride with!!

And now a video with a whole bunch of dunking:

Video on Flickr

Staying alive on Flickr
Today is better. If I don’t think about how alone I feel. Or how he wasn’t there for me during such a painful time. Or how he made it worse.
Yesterday, I felt like we were broken. I didn’t know how to fix us, if we could. I didn’t think so simply because I did not want to look at him, much less talk to him.
But today…it’s better. I can look at him without anger. One day we will be fixed.

Nathan plays.

Or watches his sister swim.

Isabelle started at level starfish, which is for nervous beginners.

Every week she would bargain with her teacher. We could see her through the glass. When the teacher wanted her to dunk her head under the water, we could see Isabelle putting her hand up to the level of her chin. She wanted to compromise, only dipping her head to chin level, no further.

Then, one week, Isabelle did it. She put her head under the water.

And now…well look at her go:

Swimming Isabelle on Flickr

My little starfish is now a seahorse.

And totally random old video just because.

Video on Flickr

Can you guess where we were? And I said old video. Spinning him round and round wasn’t why he threw up.

I didn’t bring my camcorder this time but used my little camera. It can’t zoom that close in and the lighting played havoc on the sensor or something because here you go. See for yourself.

Video on Flickr

I’m hoping the DVD from the school is better.

And here is the video we got from the school for last year’s ballet demonstration. I finally figured out how to get it off the DVD. Ok…it didn’t take me that long. I just forgot about it. So, yeah. A year late. Here you go.

Video on Flickr