Swimmingly...

Alex started taking swimming lessons at Goldfish Swim School about a year and a half ago.  We had done a few baby classes together before that, but with me in the pool she was reluctant to let go (like fingernails digging in me neck reluctant).  With me out of the way and on the other side of the glass, she took off.  They are great and she learned fast and loved it and rose in the ranks.

They have many levels for classes, and a set of skills you must accomplish to move on.  Last week her instructor moved her up again...

Yesterday she began Goldfish Pro level.  The last level before you start on the swim "team".  She was nervous and excited...

She did great, but was not quite ready for the work load.  They swam a lot.  Like a lot.  More in one class than she did in a month in the last class.  No rest.  Little instruction.  Go.  Go.  Go.

By the end, when she was expected to swim 10 continuous lengths of the pool, she was done.  She would make it a few strokes and then just tread water until the in instructor came to her rescue.  At which time he gave her a push and a hardy "keep going!".  It was a struggle, but her rosy little cheeks never stopped smiling.  I think we'll be in this level for a while...

Pop goes the weasle...

Alex digs music.  Maybe not the music we want her to dig.  She is all about pop music... she calls it "her" music.  As in, "Daddy, may you please turn on MY music?".  As in, "Daddy, that's not MY music!". 

She either knows all the words to the songs on XM Hits 1, or mumbles along to pretend she does.  It is often disconcerting (due to the content of the lyrics), but if she is anything like her mother she doesn't actually care what the song is about.  They like the music... I am the only one burdened by the words.

She has chosen her instrument as well...

God help us.

*Conversation in the car yesterday immediately following a Justin Beiber song...

A:   Daddy, is Justin Beiber a boy or a girl.

W:   A boy.

A:   Huh.  It's hard to tell.

Could only be funnier if she meant it to be.

Alex the photographer...

Recently Alex has been very interested in the camera.  She keeps asking to use it and then runs around the house for an hour snapping shots and immediately admiring them on the little screen.  She is almost always impressed with her work.  Frankly I am too... here are a few examples from last night (only a few... there were a bunch).  Some of these are pretty interesting...

For art's sake...

Alexandra has not historically been a big drawer.  Mostly lines and geometric shapes and big dark smudges made with markers pressed too hard.  Lately though, she has started to draw actual scenes... without prompting.  Three examples from this week...

Left:  A recurring theme lately... multicolored flowers holding up her name.  She draws this daily and I have yet to tire of it.

Top:  I first thought this was random shapes, and I loved it.  Now I am convinced that it is an angry ninja... winking.

Bottom:  I did not see her draw this, but I did hear her.  She drew this scape as she sang an original song about how the flowers love the sun and asked it to draw them a rainbow.  And then sang each color and why it was great.  She's great.

Getting the business...

Michele has been warning me for roughly five years that the way I talk to Alex is going to come back to bite me in the butt eventually... and then...

INTERIOR SUBURBAN HOME - EVENING

A loving father toils in the kitchen preparing dinner while his five year old daughter plays quietly in the next room.  He hasn't heard any sounds for an alarming amount of time.

FATHER

Alex honey, what are you doing in there?

ALEX

(With the sass of a sitcom teenager, presumably wagging a finger)

I'm minding my business... you should try it some time...

END SCENE

No one to blame but myself.

Bigger girl, bigger bike...

Alex got a new bike for Christmas, but the lovely Michigan "spring" we are having has not left a lot of room for riding.  But we finally got out and she is loving her updated ride!

She still has old-school-slam-the-pedal-backward-brakes, but also is starting to practice with the hand brake... though she usually forgets to let go when she wants to start moving again.

She is fast.  Last year we had to institute the "stop at every corner and wait for me to catch up" rule. 

She is very good about this.  But I'm pretty sure I will have to get a bike of my own soon just to keep up...

Alex is on the road again...

Alex enjoyed riding her tricycle last year... in fact so much that she had two of them. When the weather finally broke this spring she rushed to sit on them and begged to go around the block. Upon relenting, we couldn't help but notice that her tiny little knees were quite close to giving her a tiny little black eye every time the pedeals went round. Time for a new bike. A big girl bike!

She was in love from first sight and couldn't wait to go. She is still trying to figure out how the brakes work (when she was going too fast on the tricycle she just bailed out) and has to focus on not watching her feet while she pedals, but overall got the hang of it pretty quick.

And, the bonus is, we get around the block, to the park, or wherever about twice as fast as before.