Summer Update

With the start of the 2007-08 school year just under a month away I thought I'd bring you up to speed on a few small things that have made this summer special, aside from the fact that it's my favorite season.

Swimming in the pool: While conditions have to be perfect for me to take any extended time in the pool, V and M will go in in virtually any conditions. They continue to progress in their swimming ability by leaps and bounds. This year neither of them need a floatation device in order to safely enjoy the water. V is able to stand flat foot in the pool and the water is just over M's head, so that he has to keep bouncing around in order to stay above. They both have become adept at holding their breath and going under the water. It is evident that they are both feeling more at home swimming under the water, which is fantastic. I've always said my kids resemble fish this time of year.

M's interest in playing sports: Starting last summer when M first asked me to play catch with him, his interest in baseball has grown. He's able to throw a lot better this year, though sometimes he doesn't look where he's throwing and does so wildly. This year he's caught on (pun intended) to the proper way to hold his glove and his catching ability has improved substantially in a short period of time.

M's current baseball glove is kind of small and rather than buy him a new one (which would have been cheaper), I decided to have my (circa late 1970's Jim Rice model) old glove re-laced for him, since tanned leather doesn't go bad under normal circumstances (unless it's abused, which wouldn't be normal I guess...) and it makes the glove become an heirloom. This place did a wonderful job and was very efficient in getting the work done and sending the glove back to me. Total turn around was about 10 days from the time I mailed it off. If you have an old baseball glove in need of repair, I highly recommend checking them out for yourself. Unfortunately, M's hand is still a bit too small for the bigger glove, so he'll probably start using it in earnest next spring.

M's interest in football is growing as well. He wanted to participate in his town's flag football program this year. He's in a league and on a team of 1^st-3^rd graders. Twice a week practices started last Tuesday and the coaches are teaching the kids the fundamentals of the game. His league will play games on Sunday afternoons in September.

Like father, like son: Last fall M had more of an interest in watching Patriots games on television with me on Sundays. This season should be better because he's more able to understand how the game is played. He even knows some of the Patriots players by name, position and uniform number. M has had an interest in the Red Sox since the start of the baseball season back in April. He's wanted to watch many games with me and he asked me to teach him how to keep score. As with football, M's knowledge of the game is improving the more he watches and he also too knows some of the players by name, position and uniform number.

V's interest in playing baseball: While not as great as M's, V does enjoy playing catch with us on occasion. She even asked me if I'd get her a glove, which I did for her birthday in May. And she'll never have to share it because no one else in my family at present is a lefty. One more reason why V is so special.

One interest I'll never understand: This isn't particularly a summer thing, but both V and M love collecting and trading Pokemon cards with their cousins. They even like to play Pokemon video games. Harmless fun, I suppose, though I'll never understand the infatuation.