Day 1,094 - Ellie the Gardener

Bethany and I are big advocates of giving our kids responsibilities. There are multiple reasons why we do so. One is that they honestly love having something that is their job alone to get done. 

For example, one of Ellie's main jobs is to keep our guest room straight and organized since that is where she has her daily quiet times or naps. It's not farfetched for us to find that she has made the bed after a nap in there. Even if it's not perfectly done, it's still awesome that she is taking that kind of initiative. For Ethan, his main job is to take his diapers to the diaper pail in the garage. That's a bonus for me since I don't really want to mess with them.

We don't actively pay our kids to do their jobs around the house either if for no other reason that they're both still a little young to grasp the concept. However, this week has marked a first for Ellie as she is actively earning a paycheck for doing a job for the very first time!

Ellie's job is simple enough. We are making daily pilgrimages over to a friend's house so that Ellie can water their outdoor plants while they are on vacation. In case anyone is curious as to the type of plants, there's cucumbers, tomatoes, raspberries, and various flowers that need water. It's really the perfect job for Ellie as due to the current heat and the type of plant, she can't really "kill them with kindness" as she is wont to do at times.

 

When we first took on this job, I honestly assumed that I would be the one watering while Ellie just played on the trampoline in the backyard. While it's true that she's enjoying said trampoline, that's not stopping her from being responsible for her job first. The only thing I'm really having to do is help her fill the watering can and carry it across the yard to the garden bed for her. After all, carrying a heavy watering can without spilling can be a difficult task for a five-year-old. Once we get it over to the garden beds, she can do most of the work by herself.

I'm happy to say that after four days or so of watering, Ellie has managed to keep our friends' garden thriving thus far. We'll see if she keeps up that trend for the rest of their vacation. I'm optimistic that she'll do great and when it's all said and done, she'll have a nice little paycheck to boot. Hmm, I wonder if she will expect us to start paying her for jobs?

Also, if anyone wonders what Ethan is doing while Ellie is watering plants, he's wandering around their backyard, slinging a football (left-handed, of course), and singing "Pat Mahomes, Take Me Home" loudly for all to hear. In other words, basically the same thing he does 95% of the time he's at home. I think he might be ready for football season.

#DaddyWrite

Day 1,087 - Let's Get Wet

Some days it's hard to find a theme for a day. Other days, it just falls onto one's head like a raindrop from the sky. In other words, today is a day that's all about getting wet.

I knew very early on that Ellie, Ethan, and I were destined to get wet at swim lessons today. We wouldn't only be getting wet due to the obvious factor of a swimming pool but also due to the rain storms forecasted for today. While swim lessons in the rain didn't really sound like much fun, the fact that today is the kids' last swim lesson meant that we weren't going to miss it for anything. While Ellie and I were fine with waiting until swim lessons in the rain to get wet, it just so happened that Ethan couldn't wait that long.

It happened innocently enough. I was in our master bathroom getting ready for the day when I suddenly heard someone turn on the bathtub in the other bathroom. Then, who should appear at the door but Ellie to relay the message of "Ethan's in the bathtub!" With that, I quickly finished up what I was doing and ran out of our bedroom only to find a drenched Ethan standing in the hallway waiting for me. It just so happened that Ellie neglected to mention one little thing about Ethan being in the bath: he was still in his pajamas! Lucky for him though, it was time to get ready for swim lessons. That meant "Goodbye, wet pajamas" and "Hello, dry swimsuit".

While I knew the weather was going to be a little rough for swim lessons today, I didn't anticipate just how quickly it would change. While we were all getting on our swimsuits to leave the house, I would have referred to the rain as 'sprinkling' or 'drizzling'. By the time I opened the garage door, it was completely pouring!

Upon our arrival at Gorman Pool, we found ourselves with about ten minutes to kill before we could realistically go poolside for lessons. While the gates were open, it seemed a little foolish to spend that amount of time getting rained on when it wasn't absolutely necessary. When it was time to head in, I was happy to see that the rain didn't dampen the kids' spirits at all. Instead, they became even more stoked to get in the water.

For Ellie, lessons involved nothing out of the ordinary for her final day. Ethan only had the slight difference of being the only kid in his class. The big change was due to the steady rain pouring down all through the lesson. Also, another change was that the lesson was cut short. It wasn't due to Ethan getting cold and wanting to wrap up in a towel though. Instead, it was due to a burst of ominous-sounding thunder which prompted the lifeguards to order us out of the pool.

In case you're wondering, Ethan passed his "mommy and me" swim class with flying colors. Unfortunately, he did not pass the "Seahorse" level class he was taking at the same time (which I had no idea he was taking). For her part, Ellie did pretty well in her "Starfish" class but not well enough to pass. She just needs more extension with her arms while swimming to pass though.

Oh yes, there was one more aspect of getting wet today that I almost forgot to mention. Did you know that if you forget to put a child in a swim diaper and instead leave them in a regular diaper, that regular diaper gets insanely large and heavy? Ethan knows and can attest after this morning. Good work me! #DaddyWrite

Day 1,085 - Sink Like a Stone? Not Anymore!

I have a little science lesson to share with everyone. First, I need to change the name and branding of #DaddyWrite to that of "Jesse Nye the Science Guy." 

Just try seeing this picture without hearing the theme song in your head.

 

Have you ever thrown a stone into a pond before? What does it do? That's right it sinks. I'll ask another question. What happens when you throw a small child into a pool without a life jacket. That's right; they sink, too! How do you stop the child from sinking? Well, the best option is to enroll them in swim lessons.

That little science lesson was my way of sharing that Ellie and Ethan are currently in the midst of their second week of swim lessons. Great way to start a blog, right? The great thing about Ellie's and Ethan's swim lessons are that they are 100% free courtesy of Clay County. Both kids are enrolled in classes that are tailored to their current level of comfort in the water. Obviously, Ellie's class skews a little older than Ethan's. Also, due to Ethan's age, I'm required to be in the water with him at all times. Hardly a sacrifice for me except for the random cold morning we had yesterday.

It's been really fun to see the comfort levels of both Ellie and Ethan grow over the last week, Ethan especially. Since I'm in the water with Ethan, the amount of time I can spend actually paying attention to Ellie's class is limited. Luckily, one of Ellie's best friends is in the class with her so his mom takes plenty of pictures and videos for Bethany and me.

Ellie's class only has three students, most days, so she gets plenty of time to practice. At first, her lessons mostly consisted of standing on an elevated platform in the water and taking turns blowing bubbles in the water and dipping her head under the water. Now, in week 2, she's actually floating across the pool on her back unaided by her instructor. Don't worry, the instructor is right there in case she sinks. Ellie is also jumping into the water and being allowed to practice swimming back to the ladder. While the water is only four foot deep, it's still a cool experience for her.

 

 

Ethan's class moves a little slower but that seems appropriate for his age. Each day though, he seems to get a little more comfortable. Today, he practiced jumping into my arms in the pool and was willing to let the water go above his nose on multiple occasions. It's pretty cute to watch him pinch his nose shut and count to three before springing off the side of the pool into my arms. 

Ethan's also grown in his desire to be challenged during his swim lessons. While he initially wanted to be in control of what was happening at all times, he's learned to trust in both me and his teacher to keep him safe in the water. The last two days, he has been willing to float on his back across the pool while being lightly supported by me. He's also been willing to practice kicking while supporting himself on a lifeguard's floatation device.

The thing I love most about watching my kids in the water is just how unafraid they are of the water. While I certainly want them to respect the water and be safe, I'd rather have to teach them something like that instead of having to teach them that the water is nothing to fear. Hopefully their love of the water doesn't go away anytime soon.

As long as they don't sink like the aforementioned stone, then all should be fine, right? #DaddyWrite

Day 1,082 - Pants

Throughout most of her life, Ellie has been better about responding to Bethany during those times when she's upset. Regardless of how kind or calm I am, it's more likely that any of my attempts to calm her results in large amounts of screaming, crying, or door slamming. It certainly hasn't been easy. However, courtesy of Ethan, Bethany is finally experiencing what it's like when an upset child won't allow you to calm them.

Flashback to last Friday. The kids and I were spending some much needed time outside together while waiting for Bethany to come home. Our activities were nothing too out of the ordinary: bikes, water guns, and the like. When Bethany got home, I decided to head inside to get a batch of tacos made up while she continued playing outside with the kids. At some point, I needed to talk to her about something real quick and stuck my head out the front door to find that she and the kids were missing. Figuring they went on a short walk, I thought nothing of it and returned to my tacos.

A few minutes later, my phone rang with Bethany on the other end. I answered only to find an exasperated Bethany on the other end declaring, "I need your help! Ethan's laying in the grass next to North Oak screaming and I can't get him and the bike home." It just so happened that between a screaming Ethan, his bike, the water bottle she was carrying, and her phone, Bethany had run out of hands. Not to mention the fact that her shorts didn't have pockets. Inconvenient, right? Therefore, I turned off the stove, took my taco meat off the burner, and ran down to North Oak to help.

When I reached North Oak, the first thing I found was Ellie's bike laying on its side in the middle of the sidewalk. There was no one in sight though so after moving her bike into the grass, I continued on my way. After turning the corner from 103rd St. onto North Oak, I discovered Ellie running down the sidewalk towards Bethany and Ethan. As I got a little closer, I saw that Ethan had moved from the grass right next to the street to the safer patch of grass on the inside of the sidewalk.  However, somewhere in the process of the move, he had lost his pants. Yes, you read that correctly. Ethan was pantsless. He was still sporting his diaper but the pants were laying in a pile by themselves on the sidewalk.  

Upon my arrival, Bethany basically said you're in charge of Ethan, took Ellie, and headed home. As I looked at my son laying on the grass and crying his eyes out, I wondered how to fix the situation. Lucky for me, the first thing I did solved everything. I asked him if he wanted to go home and eat tacos. While Ethan responded with a joyful "yes", he also made it clear that he didn't want to wear his pants. While that wasn't an ideal set of circumstances, I decided not to fight it.

That being said, he did have to do one thing before we could go home. He had to pick up his pants and hand them to me. This was part of his "punishment". Lucky for me, he did that pretty quick. So therefore, that's the story of how Ethan and I walked home from North Oak with only one of us wearing pants. It's a good story, filled with wit and charm, but lacking in one crucial department; PANTS! #DaddyWrite

Day 1,078 - Rain, Fevers, and the Floor of the Red Robin

Sometimes I wonder if the actions of past Jesse have a direct impact on the actions of current Jesse. Let's face it, sometimes past Jesse is a total moron when it comes to his decision making. Actually in this instance, current Jesse isn't the one suffering due to the actions of past Jesse. Instead, it's current Ethan who may or may not be suffering due to the actions of past Jesse.

Allow me to flashback to yesterday. Once naptime and quiet time ended and the kids emerged from their respective rooms, it was only a matter of time before Ellie started campaigning to go outside and ride her bike. Over the past couple of weeks, Ellie has become quite the adept bike rider. While she initially bristled at the ideas of us removing her training wheels, she has ultimately adjusted like a true champ. It's not an uncommon sight for our neighbors to see Ellie flying down the sidewalks with a big smile stretched across her face. Since it yet raining, we headed outside for the kids to get some time on two wheels.

Unfortunately for Ellie and Ethan, their time on two wheels was rather short as the rains moved in. While the initial sprinkles were nothing to be concerned about, the harder drops were enough for me to pull the bikes into the garage. That may sound harsh or extreme but I didn't want anyone to fall and get hurt on slick pavement. While our bike riding had come to an end, that didn't mean our outdoor fun had to stop. After all, what's more fun to a kid than playing in the rain?

 

It turns out that there is one thing my kids like more than playing in the rain and that's taking a walk in the rain. So, I grabbed my umbrella (since I'm lame and didn't feel like getting wet) and off we trekked. 

Honestly, I loved watching Ellie and Ethan take a walk in the rain. It was a ton of fun to see them both spreading their arms out wide and looking up towards the sky as the rain dumped on their faces. Their smiles at getting soaked to the bone couldn't be discounted either. The fact that they were so wet didn't bother them at all. After about 30 minutes of being outside, I decided it was time to head for home. After all, it was a little chilly and I didn't want anyone to get sick.

Oh, how foolish I was. Low and behold, as we were out at dinner with my parents that night, Ethan curled up on Bethany's lap, buried himself into her chest, and proceeded to try and go to sleep. When that didn't work, he even tried to lay down on the floor of Red Robin to gain some relief from the fever that had suddenly hit him. Lucky for us, we had two cars at the restaurant so Bethany eventually left early to go home and put Ethan to bed while I remained behind.

This morning, Ethan was still running his fever but it has definitely decreased in intensity as the day has gone on. While I'm happy he's feeling better, I can't help but wonder if I was partly to blame. That being said, I feel like the kids getting to play outside in the rain was probably worth a day with a fever if that even was the cause. Bethany had her doubts about that being the case and well, she's probably right. Right? #DaddyWrite