Jellyfish

Lookout! Emma is a Jellyfish!  She graduated from a Goldfish to a Jellyfish tonight...she spent 6 weeks as a Goldfish before moving up.  Tonight she was swimming underwater unassisted, diving off the step to grab rings on the bottom of the pool and performing crazy mid-swim twists. She looks like a baby seal in the water.  We can't wait to see what the next level brings! 

Swimmer Girl

I rolled over in the water all by myself and floated!

She loves swimming and looks like a fish in the water

The Gymnast

E. now has a cartwheel mat to practice SAFELY at home. Last night at gymnastics, she executed a balance beam cartwheel all on her own...it was a lowbeam that sits on the floor...she was supposed to be doing something else and busted out a cartwheel instead. She tried one on the high beam a few weeks ago but didn't execute right or seem to like it.  Different day and now she is all over it. D & I are so impressed!  E. claims she wants to replace the basement playhouse with a kip bar and balance beam...we are marinating on the idea for now...we need a buyer for the playhouse too.

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Happy Lunar New Year...2014 is the year of the horse. Despite the low points we have had happen this week, we are getting into CNY.  Yesterday we decorated the house with lanterns, dragons and prosperity symbols.  We even watched CNY parades and lion dances on YouTube. We were going to go shopping for sobu noodles and lychee drinks today, but several of us are not feeling the best.  Emma has asked me to read books we own on CNY and we assembled red envelopes for her classmates next week.  I asked her if she wanted to talk to her class about CNY but it is still a definite no.  Her school encourages heritage presentations but Emma isn't into sharing yet.

This week we lost our beloved cat, Sport Scott Todd...he was 19 years old...even today Emma is still talking about missing him.  She drew a picture of Sport and put a circle around him...I asked what the circle is and she said, "the hole in the backyard where Daddy buried him".  Sigh.  We need the distraction of Chinese New Year!