Saturday, November 8, 2008

Cassadie's First Meet

Cassadie had her first swim meet today and she had a lot of fun.  She swam in two events, the 50m freestyle and the 100m backstroke.  She did really well for her first swim in a meet.  Her coach was very proud of her, as was I.  She was very nervous this morning, but I think I may have been more nervous for her.  She was so nervous, she forgot to put her goggles on for her first event.  They were still on the top of her head when she dove in.  I was almost sick to my stomach watching her because I felt so bad.  Her coach told her he was so proud of her, he said any other 1st timer would have just stopped, but she swam on and won her heat.  I tried to download the video (about 10 different times) with no success.  They are on my facebook and myspace.

She ended up taking 10th out of 23, which I think is great considering all.  She was definitely not swimming her fastest.  

Her backstroke went well.  Her coach told her that her arms looked great but he would have liked her to have kicked her legs for the entire race.  When she watched the video back, she said "yeah, I probably could have kicked harder than that."  She could have been disqualified because apparently she has to finish the race on her back and she flipped to her stomach as she was reaching for the wall, but the judge didn't see it I guess.  

She had a blast, and has another meet in Cheney, November 22-23.  We're looking forward to it.





 

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Mmmmm grapes

I love Fall.  I love how the leaves change, how the weather is chilly at night and warm during the day, how you can bundle up on the couch with a blanket and feel all cozy, and how you can be driving along in the Yakima Valley and suddenly smell grapes.  It is the best smell.  It is not the best smell when they are harvesting hops right next to the vineyard and you get a mix of delightful grapes and pungent hops.  I am used to the smell of hops, but it is always shocking when you take in a deep breath expecting to smell grapes and get hops as well.  For those of you who have never smelled hops, it is a bitter smell that overwhelms and lingers.  

Cassadie and Jarod dressed as a witch and a vampire for Halloween this year.  Cassadie decided that this would be her last year to go Trick-or-Treating.  Jarod will never go alone, so we will have to either find someone for him to go with, or this was his last year also. 

We died Jarod's hair black...he loved it.  I also had to draw on some eyebrows since his are nonexistent.  Look at the way he's standing...he felt pretty cool.


Sometimes I think I get a little carried away with Cassadie's costumes and makeup.  It's the only time she actually likes to look like a girl.  Aren't the socks cute...Mom got those for her.


We had lots of fun.  They got too much candy, as usual.  Cassadie just found her bag from last year the other day, and it was still half full.  She doesn't really eat candy, but she hordes it, so she ends up with candy a year later in some bag at the back of her closet.  It happens every Halloween, Easter, and Valentine's Day.  The lesson here is this:  don't get my daughter candy.