Firsts

Another summer has come to a close, wish we could drag it out an extra month. Our summer was filled with alot of fun and firsts.

Alek is swimming really well, he makes it about 20 yards (no floatation device) before he has to stop and he has finally learned to float on his back.

Maks went from being afraid of the water to floating on his front and back and swimming doggie paddle.

Both boys learned how to swing by themselves.

Maks can ride Alek's bike with the training wheels.

Maks said his first 3 word sentence: "go beach house" followed up by "I do it". So his speech therapy is going well, right now they don't feel he will need the intermediate unit, but we will have that testing shortly!

Alek has finally mastered knowing his street, town, state and country (just in case and because mommy is a neurotic safety nut), so now we will start on the phone number.

Maks had alot of firsts on some rides at the boardwalk, he was a brave little guy.

Alek had his first time in the bumper cars with Megs, he is hooked!

We rounded out the summer down at Pop and Noni's on the beach. It was a gorgeous weekend and the kids had a blast.They love exploring the beach and looking for shells, stones, fish and crabs.

While we were down there, I had the pleasure of our first phone conversation with Alek's bmom ("S"). S was shy and hesitant at first, so it was a bit awkward, but we pushed passed the strangeness and learned some things about each other and the kids. We have quite a few things in common. It was truly a pleasure to speak with her and I feel very lucky to have this contact. She ended our conversation by stating that she hoped we could become friends and our children could as well. It really warmed my heart and I am so grateful to her. It is amazing to be so far apart in terms of location, yet have this incredible connection.

Next up:school.

This is Alek's pre-k year. Hard to believe my baby will be in kindergarten next year!!

He is already excited to go the the big school next year!

Maks is transitioning into the preschool group as well, since he turns 3 in October. He is doing really well so far with the transition and also has been doing great on the potty training front, hoping to be out of the pull-ups before his 3rd birthday!

Alek is also starting karate this week, our goal being to help with self control, respect, concentration and courtesy (some areas we have been having trouble with the last few weeks of summer!). It is a non contact class at the Little Gym, so we are all looking forward to it!

They are also giving him a trial run of piano at school since he seems to really show a great interest during music class, so we will see how that goes.

Going back to my previous post, I was reading the comments and it is good to know I am not alone, especially comforting to hear from the teachers! I know many times parents live through their children, which I have seen in sports, it is just hard to comprehend being that competitive, especially with young children--I wonder if it benefits or hurts them in the long run being pushed hard at an early age. I can see how easy it is to over schedule your kids though, especially if they show an interest in many things, I know this will be something I will have to check myself on! I think my parents rule was one sport per season and if you started it you finished it. I will have to keep that in mind.

Well, looking forward to a good school year and a fabulous fall!