Licorice Days

Sophie had swim lessons for the first time. Mrs Lorie has taught all my kids. Poor Mrs Lorie... Sophie cried a lot. As she helped a crying Sophie along... Mrs Lorie always still smiled happily (she's the best).

Lily LOVES swim lessons, her and Sophie had lessons back to back. One day I forgot about swim lessons and they missed. Lily cried and cried. She kept telling me, "I remembered and you forgot, why did you forget?" Poor Lily, it broke my heart that day.

The picture below of Lily makes me want to be a better mom... because even though she is jumping forward with her feet in the air, she is looking over at me, to make sure I am watching her. This reminds me how much my kids just want someone to be there watching them, someone who will cheer for them and be proud of their accomplishments. I look at this sweet little face and think how could I ever be critical. But then I am at times, darn it. I need to tell them more than anything how proud I am of them.

And for Sophie the best part of swim lessons is the licorice at the end. That sneaky little Sophie would constantly try and sneak over to the bucket during Lily's lesson and take another one.

I have to document though that Sophie is my first child who after her swim lessons with Mrs Lorie wasn't swimming. Sophie wouldn't even turn around and grab the edge of the pool when Mrs Lorie dropped her in, like the others. All week between the lessons she would do "Tickle-Star-Pencil" with her little hands so cute, but not for Mrs Lorie. All she did for Mrs Lorie was take her licorice.