thanks for the realtor recs. I had known about zillow and already checked it, but that gives approx values. But I did find out the neighborhood skinny, which is that the house is up for auction and the starting bid is $525. Also there's something weird because it's listed as well below the sq footage of our house, but the two look fairly close in size. I guess they added-on at some point.

msbelle, Owen is just geting into 6's--I've started shopping for him in the "big" boy dept. instead of toddlers.

Had a parenting fail tonight. We were cooking out at my sister's and after dinne the kids were playing on the teeny beach by her pond. Four adults were watching the kids, who were about 30 yards across the yard.

Liv and Owen started inching into the water playing. Before I could call the in, the pair of them ended up over their heads. My BiL's friend, bless him realized it a split second before I did and sprinted down into the pond in his clothes to pull the kids out.

I vaulted over the deck rail and got there right behind him. The kids were sputtering but fine. I feel stupid and after I bathed the kids and got them dressed stripped out of my wet clothes and cried in the shower.

The good news is that Owen's swim lessons paid off because he was boucing off the bottom and moving into safety. Liv was just too heavy and holding onto his shoulders which bogged them both.

So fucking scary. This is why we do not live close to water.

Liv hasn't had swimming lessons yet, huh? Might be time.

Irrational TV irritation: Big screen computer monitors for presentations where the mouse in your hand calls up exactly what you want just by pointing it at the screen and clicking, although there are no UI elements on the screen. Interrupt your presentation and take a left turn? No matter. Click! Clack! There are the files you wanted.

Stop with the psychic 3D mice. They irritate me. I much prefer having someone at a keyboard controlling an extra monitor. I even think it looks cool, and Criminal Mind's Garcia would agree with me,

A&E showed a marathon of the first CM episodes and they were all such cuties. Shemar in a suit, Thomas Gibson with floppy hair, dolls.

Oh that's terrifying!

I'm glad they're ok. They move so damn fast.

ita, Liv's had a few lessons but she was less receptive to them than Owen was this summer. Not sure if it was the private instructor I found. Owen got some really good concepts down. I think Owen did better with one-on-one instruction. Liv's going to prechool at the YMCA which will also be doing her swim classes this fall.

It's been tricky with those two. They each have such different learning styles. This didn't faze Owen at all. I think Liv will learn ti be a bit more cautious around water.

I have learned that I can run the 30 faster than an NFL back.

I am so glad it turned out okay, Cash, but eek! on the scary.

Not a fail at all though.

You could not have gotten me into a pond at their ages. I could only do sea or pools. Rivers at a pinch if I really trusted the current. No ponds. Didn't make it into a lake (as opposed to rowing through one) until I was in University. And even then just a handful of times.

But I was one of the kids that would wander off "to go see Daddy" and it would take my mother a few beats to realise my father was the dot bobbing far out in the ocean and I intended to walk to him.

Owen is a lot like baby ita.

I personally don't care for water that isn't clear enough to see through.

I'm glad my kids aren't afraid of anything but DAMMIT, my kids are NOT afraid of anything.

Scary, Cashmere! I'm glad everyone is okay.

A college friend had a story about how her mother would always, always, always tell the story of how her brother saved her from drowning when they were about Owen's & Liv's ages. He was the kid who could do no wrong and she was always trouble. At some family gathering, when her mom started to tell that damn story again, she retreated to the kitchen, only to find her brother there. She muttered something about how he should get out there to bask in the hero worship, and he said something like, "what are you talking about? That story is all about how I nearly killed you by throwing you in the water. I hate that story." To him, it was all about how he was the bully and she was the innocent little sister.

Scary scary scary, Cashmere. I am so glad nothing bad happened.

Noah has had swim lessons since forever (eek! I know it's his second year but I couldn't figure out how they could have been last year because he was still on oxygen and we had just brought him home. Um. No. He's been home since July 2007. I lost a year), In fact, he's being moved up a group. I think the only thing they have done so far is make him overly confident and comfortable about water and more apt to wander in or to try to push us away.

Then again, I was and still am a water baby. I love the pool. Love the ocean less because the ocean here is cold and I am not a fan of sand in weird places. Lakes are meh but rivers are good.

I know it's not HPAA approved, but many of the staff at TK will talk to us about other kids in the facility. During the respiratory training, we were told that many of the older kids in the facility are there because they fell into a pool, didn't know how to swim and when rescued no one bothered to breathe for them with CPR. So fucking sad. (Even sadder, the newest girl in Grace's room is being weaned off methadone. She's an INFANT INFANT, like maybe 2 months, is on a vent and cries constantly. Poor poor noodle.)