Underwater adventures

Also, the question was asked, exactly how did I get all the kids to post like that underwater? Here's how it went.

I wanted to make sure that I took a good group shot of all 5 kids before September, so I could include it in my Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year) cards. All of my kids love the water, and I thought an underwater shot of the entire crew would be unusual and fun. In June all of them came to live with me from their various locations. DD returned from college, and DS-16 from his Dad's house. One problem was that DS-8 was scheduled out for a 3-week vacation with his dad from mid July through the first week of August. Also, earlier in the summer, both of the youngest boys were unable to hold their breath underwater. They were in private swim classes, though, and that program emphasized how to hold breath underwater, among other safe-swimming strategies. So I decided that mid-August would be a good time for it, and made a mental note. I needed all 5 kids to be *home* in mid-day when the sun was at it's zenith as well, because evening shots in the pool are too dark. There was a day in mid August when both teens were off work on the same day and all the little ones were home from classes/camps. I informed them that I had heated the pool to 82 degrees and that it was time for our group picture. I went that morning to get a waterproof disposable camera, and they were sold out at the first store, so I had to go to another store, where they had one left. Then I asked the kids to please put on their "long" suits, because I would want to share the picture widely, and I didn't want to feel like I was showing their little chests/bodies around on the net or to all the relatives. I made DD wear my black swim shirt over her bikini, and she wore jogging shorts. Everybody else wore their wet suits. The hard part was that I, too, had to suit up for the water, because *somebody* had to take the shot. I had a brand new pair of goggles, too, that turned out to leak like a sieve. I didn't realized it until then, but leaky goggles are worse than no goggles at all, because they hold the water on your eyes, even after you come up for air. All the other goggles were in use by the kids, so I found an old mask of DS's and it was water-tight, although I don't like my nose plugged up. But anything for art, right? ;-) So I got them into position, DD holding the youngest and DS holding the next-youngest, and the middle one in the middle. We took about 10 dunks total. There were only 2 shots where dd was looking at the camera instead of ds, and I liked the look of that better. That really narrowed it down. Then between those 2 shots, I picked the one where the most kids were smiling. I had 30 pics printed at the drug store, and I've been mailing out 4 by 6s in cards this past week. The relatives love them. And DS-4 got an assignment from his preschool to bring in a family picture for back-to-school night, and that is what I'm sending with him. I bet *none* of the other kids have a pic like that. :-D

New picture of the kids

See the bottom of the blog. I loaded in the underwater picture. Fun, huh? I asked them all to wear their "long" suits so I could share the picture around and not be showing their skin everywhere. I am really tickled about this picture. It was a challenge to do logistically, and that makes it rather unusual, I think.

Feeling accomplished

I certainly did a lot this week. The athletes left on Thursday morning and that went well. They continued to be polite and were a pleasure to have around. DS-8 had horseback riding camp this week and he fell in love with horses. He learned how to groom, saddle and ride them. He said that when he gets a house, he wants to build a stall in the backyard. :-D Today DD and I went shopping and got her some kitchen utensils, a computer desk and swivel chair, and other sundries for her apartment. She is excited to move in after Labor Day. UCLA doesn't start until later in September, but she is anxious to be back on her own. She loves Westwood. DS-16 is still working at Knotts, which is great. He kept his job all summer, which is no small feat for a boy with ADHD. He will stop working after next weekend and school starts for him on Sept. 4, as with his younger brother. I can't wait to get onto the September schedule. The teenagers will be visiting on weekends, DS 8 will be in 3rd grade, DS4 will be in preschool 3 mornings a week, and DS2 will be with me. I envision lots of peace and quiet. Today DS 8 and I worked on a fun project. We checked all of the sprinkler stations. I had heard a geyser going off at 3am last week, so I knew something was out of whack. I found 2 geysers. One I could fix, and the other one is halfway down the back hillside. No way I'm doing down there. I'll ask the gardener to fix it when he comes back. No wonder so many of the plants look dry and tired. Some of them haven't been watered for months. One sprinkler station had so many bad sprinklers that we replaced about 10 of them and put many of those on taller risers so they were not blocked by the ivy. I showed DS all about putting on plumbers tape so water would not leak around the threads. It was a fun project and one that kept us cool. :-D

The rest of the summer should have a fairly slow pace. No more swim classes, except a few private lessons for the little ones. No more camps. No preschool. No mommy and me. And no more jobs for the teenagers after next week. And I am caught up on my bills and even thank-you notes since last week.

I accomplished taking the photo I wanted of the kids. My ambition was to take an underwater picture of all 5 of them, since the 2-y-o and 4-y-o were both able to go under water without sputtering. I got an underwater disposable camera, took about 10 group shots and a bunch of other cute pics and got a decent one. I will enclose that with our Rosh Hashana cards this year. I almost never do Rosh Hashana cards (so I feel guilty when I receive them), but this year I'm so organized I think I'll do them before the end of August.

I plan to do fewer physical projects starting at the end of August, anyway. I tend to get problems with too many Braxton Hicks contractions after the 30th week of pg, and I don't want to cause a problem with the baby that would require hospitalization or medication. I still wonder if the Terbutaline I took with my DS-16's pg caused his ADHD. Terbutaline is a stimulant, and he needs stimulants now to act normally. :-( I have cut back on my workouts too. Shorter walks, but still uphill. I like to keep up my stamina.