Kick Hard, Swim Fast

Another swim season came to a close last night. Many hurrahs are in order for the retirement of the swim bag, and the fact that we're doing one less load of laundry per day!

Most importantly, though, we're celebrating how far our little fish have come in the last few months!

Joey started off the season bringing up the rear in most events -- but thrilled to collect his fifth and sixth place ribbons -- and ended the season on a high note at his first OMPA swim championship. He qualified for the backstroke finals by a hair -- placing 20th in a pack of more than 100 boys six and under -- and surprised everyone, especially his coaches, by shaving another two seconds off his time and finishing 13th in the finals. It turns out he was the most "improvingist" on his team this year, and walked away with an extra trophy at the awards night!

This swim mom was a little overwhelmed by the craziness of OMPA, with three kids to shepherd around a huge aquatic center on a 100-degree August day. I'll admit, on learning that Joey had qualified for the finals, my first words were, "Oh no!" I was not excited about lingering at that crazy scene for three or four more hours! But our little Marlin was pretty jazzed!

I think he was inspired by this ultra-cute sign one of his teenage coaches made for him, and left on our garage door in the middle of the night. Just in case you can't read it, it says, "Your strokes are gonna be anything but slowey, mister Joey!"

Clara wrapped up her "Mini-Marlin" season a couple of weeks ago, and earned a medal for all her hard work this year. How much does she love this medal? Too much to say. I can definitely see her trying to work this into her back-to-school wardrobe.

She swam a length of freestyle and backstroke in the annual "Mini Meet," and is pretty excited to be joining the "real" swim team next summer!

It's been a long season, full of fun, friendship and SPF. Here's a glimpse into the CCC world we've been immersed in since June!

Sassy Swim Savant

Our littlest fish has started swimming short distances by herself, up to about 6 feet. She's incredibly buoyant and can wriggle easily on the surface of the water, and loves to "streamline" and hold her breath. She's our only one who didn't get any formal lessons at this age... just a lot of help and instruction from Mommy! 

Unfortunately, we haven't been able to get it on video yet. Our latest attempt was:

...in the evening

...in a cold pool

...and involved a sassy little girl.

See for yourself.

Hopefully we can get some real footage before the summer is over!

Little Helper

Everyone should have a helper this cute when they're doing Saturday morning chores!

A Peek Inside Her Mind

The theme for the week is apparently art. Clara presented me with this masterpiece a couple of days ago, and informed that this is what people who live on the sun look like. Despite her brother's indignant protestations that it would be IMPOSSIBLE to live on the sun, she stayed true to her chaotic, crazy vision.

Also, she's prone lately to putting together fashion ensembles like this:

... and (sigh) kicking fellow dance camp members in the shin "for being in my way." She either has the makings of a future CEO or a prison inmate. Hopefully we'll have a clearer picture after her Ferocious 4th year comes to an end in September!

Kiddie Art Installation v2.0

The latest installation of Cecchin Kiddie Art is now available for viewing, a mere year after the first gallery was unveiled. I know, it's hard to keep up with this dynamo pace around here.

Hold on to your seats (or maybe take a seat in the highchair). Our new gallery highlights the work of THREE artists this year, running the gamut from toddler scribbles to caricatures of TV pigs.



In the upper left corner, we're featuring the work of our 4 year-old artist-in-residence, who put marker to paper and created "Daddy Pig," a hilarious character from the British "Peppa Pig" series.


She had a most appreciative audience when she first previewed this portrait to a select group of peers. It was met with howls of laughter and even tears. Ah, Peppa Pig.

Another piece that deserves special mention: an aerial depiction of a freshly mowed baseball diamond. We're sure the identity of this artist will be no mystery to our loyal readers.



And finally, not to be outshone by her more accomplished colleagues, our youngest artist put forth a maiden effort that is very "Crayola." If you think this is colorful, you should see her hands!


The rest of our 2012 gallery is rounded out with some solid rainbow/ hearts art (times two, it's a popular theme), and a classic self-portrait.

Bonus: Want to see where our little artists do their work?



A third chair might be in order!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Catching the Fever

When asked to rank his many sports in order from favorite to least favorite, Joey had to think long and hard, but finally came up with this breakdown yesterday:

1. Baseball ("Of course!")
2. Basketball
3. Swimming
4. Ping-Pong (I had to stifle a snort at this one)
and
5. Soccer

He left the pool behind at last weekend's swim championship, and is back to the first sport in his lineup... baseball. Although no excuse is really necessary for Tim to visit the local baseball store with his little slugger in tow, a going-out-of-business sale pretty much mandated that he be there with wallet in hand.

The result? Joey's first set of catcher's gear.

He wasted no time in trying it out, during an all-baseball, all-day playdate with one of his best friends, Andy. I have a feeling these two will be playing catch for a long, long time!

100 Years and Still Kicking

Something tells me I should be taking a page from Tim's spry great-aunt Marietta's book... it's taken me almost two months to share pictures from her 100th birthday party in June!

The Cecchin cousins had a blast cavorting with each other, playing football, eating delicious Italian cookies, and toasting the birthday girl!

We succeeded in getting a semi-decent shot of this motley crew:

 Joey (6), Clara (4), Tommy (5), Molly (2), Marco (4) and Lucy (2)

Summertime Hiatus

I've spent five summers as a stay-at-home mom, and by now should be well-versed on the job description. The sweetness and strength needed to negotiate with little people each and every day. The mental and physical energy required to muscle through all the hours of the week.

If anything, with a 6 year-old, a 4 year-old, and a 2 year-old, this should be my easiest summer yet. No spit-up on my shoulder, no midnight feedings, and no newborn carrier to lug around.

But somehow, this summer feels more intense and more draining than any other since I've become a mom. I have three willful little beings, growing more and more independent with each passing minute. Though they don't all need their diaper changed or their bottle warmed or their back patted as they drift off to sleep, they all still need my help. Lathering their little bodies with sunscreen, locating sunglasses, flip-flops and hats, threading arms through bathing suit straps, setting up sprinklers, fetching towels, serving picnics.

And then, when we all retreat inside in the afternoon to avoid the heat: laboring over an intricate Lego assembly, judging art contests, supervising Play-Doh projects, taking over the role of teacher with summer workbooks, and playing referee for sibling wars.

Then there are all the many things that need to happen every day ...straightening  rooms, cleaning up toys, sweeping the floors, making beds, making meals, washing dishes, feeding the washing machine, purging the dryer, and filling drawers. The minutia of motherhood, amplified because our three are home all day, every day of the summer.

These last months seem to have crystallized, for me, just how taxing -- and yet how special -- it is to spend this time with our kids. At the end of each day, after tucking them all in, reading books, singing songs, and turning out lights, I'm exhausted, wiped out, and ready to crawl into bed myself. Way too exhausted to blog about our day, or upload snapshots of our adventures -- both mundane and exciting.

I've logged far too few posts on the blog these past two months, but in the future, I know I'll return in my mind to a snapshot of one long, hot summer: tan, growing babies, smelling of chlorine and grass, shirts splattered with ketchup from lunch, hands tattooed by markers from a morning art project, and a sense of peace in my mothering. The deep, happy exhaustion of summer.  

A Taste of Tahoe

We headed to Tahoe for a quick trip this weekend to meet up with Hop and Mop. We did some swimming, sandcastles, and kayaking at Pope Beach, did a little date night gambling at Harrah's, and gave the kids a fun preview of our longer trip to come ... in just two and a half weeks!

Memorable quotes from the weekend:

Clara

"When will be at the cabinet?"

Clara, while setting the table

"Molly, be careful of these forks. I don't want to stab you."

(???)

Joey, after batting a sleeping bag zipper into his eye accidentally

""Ahhhhhh! That's my batting eye!!"

Clara, back in Lamorinda, after spying a metal guard rail on the side of the road, much like those that line the highway to Tahoe, which she perched on in a moment of desperation when we were at least a half hour away from a real bathroom.

"Those are for peeing on. Can you pull over, Mommy?"

His Happy Place

Some men come home after a long day at work and retreat to their recliner with a newspaper and a remote control.

After a long day of school or sports practice, Joey has his own "retreat," and I'm pretty sure most grown men would be jealous.

He clambers up on a bar stool, makes sure the TV is tuned in to ESPN, and settles in for whatever sport is on.... he vastly prefers baseball, but will settle for almost anything, including professional skateboarding, tennis, and even golf. 

Can you blame him? Every guy deserves a zone free of My Little Ponies, galloping horsies, princess dress-up clothes, and squealing, screeching sisters.

Little Firecrackers

The Fourth of July holiday is inching right behind Christmas when it comes to favorite holidays in our house.

It just happens to be someone's half-birthday (hint: he's now officially six and a half), and coincides nicely with his sister's burst of patriotism this month. Check out her rendition of "God Bless America," complete with gibberish, a bit about fairies, and a lot of emphatic hand gestures.