Smiley faces make everything okay :)

Today's lesson is more of a guideline to living in the world of Matthew.

Lesson #426: If you have a smiley face, not matter what you do everything is good and happy.

So, that means if you (for example) hit your sister or throw a fit or draw on the wall you are not in trouble IF you have a smiley face.

When Matthew did something yesterday that I considered naughty, I said to him, "Matthew, you're being bad." He responded with, "No, I not. I have a smiley face." He got in front of me and demonstrated that he did, in fact, have a smiley face. When I asked him to show me his angry face, it looked more like a constipated face. But, his smiley face is cute. It's hard to stay mad when they come up with such cute excuses.

The First Swim Meet

Last night was the first swim meet of the year. Because the water outside hasn't been exceedingly warm (water temps in the low 70s - which for pools is a bit chilly...most indoor pools are about 84 degrees in comparison), there haven't been too many practices. Those that we have had have not lasted very long (can you get hypothermia twice in a week?) So, most of the swimmers are a bit rusty.

Amanda has the best starts. She actually dives in. Hands entering first, head down, feet going in last. Julia jumps out...and enters either feet first or spread eagle. Allison enters the same way, only she also plugs her nose before entering the water. BUT, as bad as this sounds it seems to be the preferred method among a large percentage of the competitors.

So, each girl swam 3 races. Amanda, becuase she's moved up to the older division, has to swim 50's (2 laps) instead of the 25's she swam last year. She hung in there and managed to crank out freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke. Julia had the meet of her life (so far). She finished first in each of her races (well, she didn't finish first for her leg of the relay, but the relay team did win). Allison also had a great time. Did I mention she smiles while she's racing? That's not usually what you expect to see - but I think I got a picture of it.

We have a meet every week until we go on my "departure from sanity" (a.k.a. - the summer road trip).

(I threw in a picture of Matthew from Memorial Day - just because he HAD to wear that outfit. What you don't see is him falling on his face moments after putting on the goggles because they essentially make him blind. BUT, according to him, they are needed to "Keep my eyeses warm.")

Last Day of School

Okay, this is a little late - but here are a few pictures from the last day of school. Allison passed out about an hour after getting home (I guess the silly string has other side effects we weren't aware of). Matthew, fearing the noise from the thunderstorm, put on his extra "ears". He then fell asleep wearing them.

Happy Summer! I know, it's really early to get out. That's just not fair, right? Well, think about this: We go BACK to school August 10th. In Atlanta, it is almost as hot as the surface of the sun in August. Would it make more sense to make the year last a little longer in June? Of course! But, then again, sane people don't ever make the important decisions...