Swimming lessons

A few weeks ago we decided to try a swimming class at our local kids' gym, so we switched Owen out of his gymnastics class and into the swimming class on a different night. We wanted him to get some practice in over the winter so that he's ready for the upcoming summer swimming season. Even though he loves playing in the water and swimming with us, he's still very terrified of getting his head wet, so we thought some practice and water time would help him.

He's loved the class from the start, but last week was incredible! They had a zip line set up for the kids to try towards the end of the lesson. I didn't think Owen would go for it, but he never hesitated or even looked to me for encouragement. He just went for it! I was so happy to see him excitedly try it out and was thrilled when he landed in his teacher's arms. He smiled at me once he was back in line for his second turn.

The whole scenario just melted my heart.

floating practice

even though this picture is blurry, i love it because he was so happy riding this whale

p.s. yes, yes, i did want to jump for joy, but instead i just played it cool by busting out a double thumbs up and a goofy smile on my face.One day soon he's going to figure out that his mom is a total dork.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

random updates:

I came home from work with my two sweet little valentine's to a clean kitchen and a beautiful bouquet of flowers- such a sweet an unexpected surprise!

The boys had a party at school and today was their Preschool Prom photo shoot. We wanted, but forgot, to get cute shirts for their picture over the weekend. Oh well! Their teachers told us they cooperated and that they got some great shots. Now I can't wait to see them.

Yesterday, we went to a kids Valentine's party at a friends' house. It was great fun. Cathy (the mom) had lunch bags for the kids to decorate and exchange valentine's, a scavenger hunt, yummy snacks and desserts, and all sorts of toys for the kids to play with inside and out! Our friend Miki took photos and the ones of Tucker were especially great!

2011 resolutions

Since my friend Stephanie posted her inspiring 2011 NY resolutions on her blog, I have been thinking about my resolutions. Even though it is mid- February, I thought I'd jot them down so I could look back on them at the end of the year!! My goals aren't perfectly measurable or very unique, but that's okay. Here's what I'll be focusing on this year:

1. Blog More Often - I am working on this now!

2. Cook at least 2 new recipes a month - one as a crock pot meal. I settled on this goal, hoping that it would be easy to accomplish. I hope I try many more than 24 new recipes during the year. I'm happy to report that I'm making solid progress. In January I made a new delicious oatmeal apple cookie recipe and a new pork carnitas crock pot recipe and in February, I have made Chicken & Dumplings (yum!) and Tortillas Soup (out of this world!).

3. Learn more about our camera, how to edit photos, & how to edit videos - I love taking photos, especially of our family and friends. I want to know more about our camera so I can capture and share the special and magical moments with more ease.

4. Rarely eat out - Last year, we managed to make every meal at home for one solid month during the summer. It's a stretch goal, but I'm hoping to eat out less than once a month, on average for the year.

5. Get stronger - It's been a long time since I have really worked out. This year, I hope to re-focus my energy and build strength. Family bike rides are a great step.

6. Embrace the chaos. - Have as much fun as possible and embrace our crazy schedule and messy house! Relax a wee bit on my "to do" lists and spend as much time playing outside as possible! Life is short.

First family bike ride

Last weekend, we went on our first family bike ride. We had a blast! Owen rode his balance bike and Tucker cruised in the bike trailer. We figured out a way to strap Owen's bike to the trailer so he could ride one way there and relax on the way back. It worked out perfectly. We loaded up with snacks and water, and rode to their school, along the Folsom bike trail. It was beautiful out and it felt wonderful to be out exercising and enjoying the unusual warm weather while being together as a family.

We made a picnic stop and arrived at our destination about 30 minutes later. From there, we decided to go check out the bike-skate park. Lucky, for us, we ran into one of Owen's best buddies, Aiden, and his family. Owen and Aiden practiced riding the balance bike down the hill and then they had a blast jumping off a rock.

We rode home, over the new Folsom foot-bike bridge, and really enjoyed the trail. It was the first time on one of the paths and we enjoyed the serene trail immensely. There are a bunch of hills, and I even though I had to use the lowest gears, I impressed myself by making it up every hill without walking (these are minor hills, but its been a LONG time since I have that type of work-out)! I figure- it helps to count the small wins!

Owen learns to ride a bike

For the last few months, we've been on the hunt for a bicycle for Owen. It's been a challenge because he's still on the smaller side and most of the standard 12 inch bikes don't fit him. Last weekend, our search ended. We stopped at a local bike shop for a helmet for Tucker and while we were there, Owen tried two of the small kid bikes. We didn't expect them to work out, but we were happily surprised to learn that both bikes fit him! We couldn't buy the one we liked best right away because it was purple and Owen simply told us that purple bikes are for girls. A few days later, we went back and bought the red one they pulled from their warehouse. We took the bike home Monday night, and he practiced pedaling with the back wheel up. Once he had that down, we took off the training wheels and started to count down the days until the weekend. We bought bike pads Friday night and chatted about his new bike all week. He was pretty excited, but the truth is, we were the super excited ones!

Saturday morning, after an early breakfast, we went out to the local school, and Owen learned how to ride a bike. We brought his orange balance bike because he wanted to start with that one. After awhile, he agreed to try the new one. He was a little nervous at first because he thought pedaling was hard, but within seconds he was going without Kris' help. He picked it up immediately. After a short but successful ride, he wanted to play on the playground. He took off all his pads and he and Tucker played for a long time on the slides and climbing gyms.

After awhile, he tried out his bike again. The second time around, something clicked, and he started to love it. He was making laps in no time and asking to ride down the small hill at the playground. From a balance perspective- he had it down perfectly. It really was absolutely natural for him. Pushing backwards on the pedals to brake and starting were a little harder, but by late morning he had made some progress with both areas. We were at the park for nearly three hours and after nap and a short snack, he couldn't wait to get out front and try it again.

The balance bike experiment worked exactly like we hoped it would. It's so cute to watch him on the bike. We need to practice a bit more with the pedal brakes and starting without help, but he'll have it down in no time. Soon, we'll be able to try out another family bike ride with Owen riding his bike instead of pushing/gliding on his balance bike! As I write this, Kris and Owen are outside - Owen couldn't wait to get outside today and try his new bike! WOO!

The first video below shows Owen's first try and the second video is a few tries later, after the playground break.

little Tucker on his bike!

Tucker's 1st Birthday Party

To celebrate Tucker's 1st year milestone, we had a sledding birthday party!

We went to a great sledding park in Tahoe and set up base camp at the bottom of the beginner sledding slopes. We had a small table for snacks, a couple of blankets, about five or six chairs, and lots of sleds! It was pretty much perfect. The weather cooperated and the crowds stayed away until mid-afternoon, at which point the kids were content to climb up and down on a big snow mound and play king of the hill in an open snow field situated right behind our chairs. It was low-maintenance, but very fun, and somehow even the muffin and juice celebration worked out smoothly and maybe more importantly, mess-free!

Tucker absolutely LOVED sledding and all the kids were in heaven playing in the snow together. We had a blast and I'm pretty sure we'll have the same party for the next few years!

A few of the many pictures and one video!

Kris, Tucker, & the Galvins chilling @ base camp - situated next to a small card table, behind 2 blankets, just across a walking path at the bottom of the sledding slopes and a big snow mountain, and in front of a big snow field

sleeping baby Evin

More muffins please!

Tucker's 1st Year Doctor Appoitment

On Monday, I took Tucker to his first year doctor check up. Overall, he is doing very well. He developed a cough on Sunday, but the doctor confirmed it was just a cough and nothing to be worried about. It was a typical check-up appointment, with a general health scan, measurements, and shots. He did cry for a quick second when he received his shots, but it was very short and he was quickly comforted. Tucker is growing according to his normal curve, but just like last time, the Doc was surprised by his weight; he expects Tucker to weight more than he does every time he sees him.

Unfortunately, Tucker became very sick on Tuesday. We are not sure if he caught a random fly bug or if he had a reaction to the shot, but he ended up with a terrible stomach bug which wiped him out and caused him quite a bit of pain and discomfort. We were very grateful that it didn't last much longer than 24 hours and that by Wednesday afternoon he was nearly back to his normal self.

Stats:

Height: 29 inches - 30% percentile (Owen 29.5 - 40% - hard to imagine how the 1/2 inch difference makes for a 10% difference, eh!)

Weight: 21lbs 2 oz -30% (Owen 19lbs 8.2 oz 8%)

Head circumference: 18.5inches 75% (Owen 18.03 inches - 33%)

On a side note, Tucker has been experiencing separation anxiety at day-care. Over the last month it has been pretty bad, with more days than I care to admit where I know he cried an awful amount at school. It started to improve last week, when he transitioned into the toddler room full time. I think the fact that there are more things to climb on and the fact that he actually goes outside daily and can play (walk around and climb on equipment, etc) makes a big difference. Every day it seems to be getting a little better, but it has been rough on him and on me! I have stopped going to day-care at lunch now that he's in the bigger room and on the toddler schedule (I miss it!). He can eat lunch at the table with his pals and now nap on the cot. He's still learning how to fall asleep on the cot with gentle pats from his teachers, but he seems to be getting the hang of it. I hate that he's had so much anxiety, but I have to say, that I'm impressed with the level of care he has received and I feel much better about his last few days. The doctor reassured me that the behavior is "normal" and not cause to worry about anything serious.

Owen & Tucker playing in the bus at school this week. There is no anxiety on the bus!