Wrestling 2015

Every year Stark spends a few days working as Tournament Manager for the Girls Wrestling High School State Championship. Although he's extremely busy managing staff, referees, coaches, teams, media, and the inevitable parents, we always make an effort to stop by and visit daddy. This year daddy made a special effort to take Della out among the mats and introduce her to a few of the girl competitors and female coaches. Girl Wrestlers are the perfect role model for Della. 

Over the past 6 years its been amazing to watch the high school Girls Wrestling program progress from just a few brave girls to several hundred girls across the state. These girls are amazing! 

Strong, athletic, confident, dedicated, respectful -- everything you'd expect from a Wrestler yet with a definite female twist --- carefully braided hair and perfectly applied nail polish and lots of sass. These girls don't compromise. They wrestle with all their heart and soul but remain all girl.

Della LOVES to wrestle. She's been 'wrestling' with us every night since she could first stand up and push back. She has yet to fully grasp the traditional form of wrestling favoring instead a daily moment of parental love and attention in the form of mock kicking, carefully planned pushing, lots of flying thru the air, and massive amounts of tickles. To Della, wrestling is a very positive part of her life and we easily envision her growing into a amazing true wrestler. 

***should she so choose***

 Huck was more interested in stacking cards in a box than watching wrestling. It's always fun to watch Huck's evolution in new places. When we first arrive he's always a bit shy and clingy but once we find our spot he quickly grows comfortable and starts push boundaries. On this particular visit he decided that he'd rather be running amidst the crowd and we were forced to leave simply because I couldn't keep him wrangled and couldn't let him be trampled by coaches and kids who weren't watching for a rugrat darting between their legs. 

Maybe next year I'll actually be able to sit and watch some wrestling. 

Sorry ... no pictures of actual wrestling this year. I was too busy holding onto Mr Huck. 

Swim Lessons

Our little mermaid is formally learning to swim ... beyond splashing around in our hot-tub. 

Twice a week daddy or I accompany her to the local aquatics center where she continues to amaze us.  Although she has her moments of shyness Della continues to be an incredible outgoing and social creature who loves to make friends and be a leader. 

Thanks to her misspent youth splashing and jumping around in our ancient, deep, and lukewarm hot-tub, she is extremely comfortable in the water. Possibly a bit too comfortable as she would rather swim under the water than work on surface technique with her teachers. 

Someday her advanced physical coordination and normal 4-year old mental development will find a peaceful equilibrium but until then Della will be the little girl who surpasses her classmates in swimming ability and courage but really doesn't want to sit still and listen to direction. 

She kicks as if she's running horizontally with her knees bending at 90-degrees. If you can get the video below to work it's adorably cute to watch. 

Teachers ... Bless their hearts for being patient and trying to capture their attention.

Thanks to swim lessons Della now puts her head underwater, eyes open, to pull the bathtub drain plug each evening. We LOVE you Miss Della!

Valentines Day

Valentines Day ... Otherwise known as Seating Sunday in our House. 

In preparation of Managing the Girls High School State Wrestling tournament Stark spent his day away at meetings to coordinate and seat the tournament. 

Home alone, with a bad cold, and rain in the forecast, we did manage to survive the day with lots of LOVE  

For the record, here's the step by step.

we cut out hearts to practice our scissor skills. 

for Huck it was more of a 'hold the paper with the scissors and tear' session

 The point at which Della realized we should be making crowns. 

 My first attempt at making paper crowns -- Della is pretty good with a glue stick.

 Rain Snow or Sun Huck will go outside! Even if his sister won't.

 Our dining room chairs are very good at migrating into the living room. 

I'm sure it was supposed to be a Fort but it ended up more of an obstacle course.  

 Huck has renewed his interest in puzzles lately

Yet his love for Helicopters and Olives remains steadfast. 

 That evening as I borrowed into bed with sniffles and a fever Della brought the funny farm to me.

There was also lunch, naps, and some epic tantrums but it was memorable enough for Della to still be talking about our Valentines Day. 

Let's not tell her that I completely forgot to hand out the valentines day candy we'd bought late the night before! I don't think she missed it.