Sink or Swim

I've been taking the kids swimming a lot lately. I make one of them wear a floatation device and the other gets to "sink or swim". They have no fear in the water. They'll both jump in and both try to swim without any floatation, but neither can quite do it yet. Eiley made a huge leap today though. She finally figured out that if she moves her arms, she stays above water a lot better. Both of them have been freezing their arms once they get into the water. Their little legs kick so hard, but their arms weren't going anywhere. I worked with her more on this today, but I'm sure Arya won't be far behind. Hopefully they'll both actually figure out how to swim soon. I'm just glad neither is afraid to go under and they don't care if it takes me a few seconds to pull them out when they sink. I ask them if they want to sink or swim and now Arya tells me she wants to sink.

Both kids were trying to dance like ballerinas in the pool. They were in the shallow end, where they can touch. They were lifting a leg, jumping on the other, and trying to spin in circles. They do this at home too. Arya was doing it tonight. Her favorite thing to sing while she does this is "she's a beautiful girl." It's something she made up, not a song she's heard. I think it's so cute that she does this. I read a blog recently that talks about how mothers should not only tell their daughters that the kids are beautiful, but also that they are beautiful. It's so easy to blow off a compliment, but I'm making an effort to make sure my daughters grow hearing their mother talk about how beautiful and smart we all art.

I've also been working with them on how to tell a knock knock joke. It pretty much goes like this...

V: Knock knock
E: (long pause...blank stare)
V: say "who's there"
E: I don't know

V: no, you say the words "Who's there"
E: (getting super upset) I don't know!

So I tried a different tactic.
V: Eiley, you say "knock knock"
E: Knock Knock
V: Who's there?
E: (so mad at me) I DON'T KNOW!!!!

So I gave up and then the twins started their own version. They now say
E: Knock Knock Elephant!
A: Knock Knock Kitty!
E: Knock Knock Elephant!
A: Knock Knock Latta (a made up word she uses).

And then laugh hysterically at themselves as they get louder and louder and louder.