2011 September Archive

Karina can almost always be found with something related to Dora the Explorer. Yes, it is still her obsession. Currently, we have a Dora lunch box and a Dora ice pack that we have added to her collection. When she gets to watch Dora on TV, I have to say so myself, it is very cute, because she does the Karina Breyer happy dance. Her swim teacher recently saw it and made sure she got additional praise on something so she could see the Karina Breyer happy dance again. (Editor’s Note from Mark: She also does her Karina Breyer Happy Dance when she gets out of the car and is ready to go into her school. She stands outside the car and does something different every day . . . and it is always funny. Sometimes she yells she loves me, sometimes she says she loves Cade, sometimes she dances . . . but she is always entertaining when she leaves my car and is about to head into school.)

Infant survival classes are something every parent should consider. Due to the nature of Arizona’s hot climate, many households have a pool which can be fatal for children. Michelle Barker the owner and instructor of Swim Now in Phoenix is very compassionate about what she does. According to Michelle parents can prevent infant drowning by simply taking the time to enroll their children in any infant survival course.

Children can start taking swim survival courses as young as 6 months old. Children 6 to 12 months old are taught to swim under water while holding their breath, and to roll over on their back and float without assistance. Children that have fallen into a pool are often taught to float on their back until they can be rescued by an adult. Children ages 1 to 6 are instructed to float on their back and rotate to swim in order to reach the edge and get out of the pool. An infant survival swim instructor will assess your child’s age and ability and place them in an appropriate swim course. Swim Now currently enrolls around 40 students each summer.

Talia’s chore in the morning is to feed Cade. Poor Cade has had a cold the last couple of weeks but he is still crawling around and for the most part happy. He is even starting to pull himself up.
(Editor’s Note from Mark: Cade is now learning how to feed himself. Well, maybe it is better to say he is enjoying not feeding himself. Whenever you put something in front of him, he will play with it but will not try to eat it until you pick it up and start to give it to him. Then he looks like a cartoon penguin getting a fish . . . mouth wide open looking at you waiting for you to put the food in his mouth.)

Talia has a unique way of feeding Cade. She gets the baby food jar and then she takes a spoonful for herself. Then, after she has enjoyed some of the baby food, Talia gives Cade a spoonful. Since she wants some for herself, she insists on only bananas. Why bananas? Because the banana baby food tastes much better. Talia (and the other kids) refuse to feed Cade if they have to give him any other food. They say the other food smells bad. I have to agree with them. Ever smell or taste squash in a baby food jar? I don’t know how those babies eat that stuff. (Editor’s Note from Mark: Talia’s newest favorite thing to do is jump rope. She wants two people to swing the rope while she jumps. She has gotten very good at it, and also blames me for swinging the rope to fast when she doesn’t jump the rope. Interestingly, Alexis also blamed me the one time she was jumping and I was swinging the rope. I guess the apple really doesn’t fall too far from the tree!)

The failure to stop after causing an accident, also known as a hit and run, is punishable by law and also often devastating to the person that has been injured. According to Arizona law, a driver who is involved in an accident resulting in death or serious personal injury as defined in section 13-105 and who fails to stop or comply with the requirements, is guilty of a class 4 felony. If the driver caused the accident and fled they are guilty of a class 3 felony. Class 3 and 4 felonies involve anywhere from 2 ½ to 3 ½ years in prison. The state will revoke the driver’s license or driving permit of anyone that is convicted of failure to stop.

Being involved in an accident can be a very traumatic experience. To avoid serious criminal penalties all vehicles involved must remain at the scene. After an accident you should park as close to the accident as possible or in a safe area near the accident. Before assessing property damage check to make sure everyone involved in the accident is okay. If a person is unconscious or complains of head and neck pain do not move them, unless the car is leaking gas and you fear they are in danger of a fire starting. You should then call the police, no matter how little damage may be done. Next, exchange information with the other drivers involved in the accident. Obtain their name, phone number, address, driver’s license number, license plate number, and basic information. Do not apologize for anything at the scene, because the accident may not have been your fault and you can unintentionally take legal responsibility. Also, if any witnesses are available, ask them what he or she saw. Get their names, telephone numbers, and addresses if possible. As soon as possible a person involved in an accident should notify their insurance company of the accident. If you have been injured, keep track of your medical treatment and take pictures of your injuries and property damage.

If you have witnessed a hit and run please call our hit and run tip line, you could get a reward if your tip leads to the successful capture and conviction of a hit and run driver! Call 800-6-Hit-N-Run.

Karina has a new love, Dora, and her new baby doll. She got very upset when Pierce, our 5 year old, threw the baby’s food in the trash. I don’t think Pierce quite appreciates how important all the little things are that come with a baby doll. Karina let Pierce know that “Nobody likes you Pierce. Everybody hates you.” after she retrieved the baby doll’s food. Pierce did not seem to care at all which I think got Karina even madder! Pierce loves playing with Karina and his new baby brother, even if he does not understand the importance of fake doll food. (Editor’s Note from Mark: Karina and Pierce usually get along really well. As far as vacation, they both had their share of fun. We spent some time at a water park filled with waterslides for all ages with the whole family. The lifeguards have a whistle for when someone was doing something that was against the rules. Who would’ve thought our three year old girl Karina would get whistled? She went zooming down the slide in a kids’ area without waiting for anyone or anything and over comes the lifeguard whistling and pointing at my daughter to slow down! As for Pierce, he got braver and braver during the time at the water park. At first he stayed in the small kids’ area but before you knew it he was going on bigger slides over and over. However, one of the most fun times he probably had was when his biggest brother, Zev, took him to play miniature golf—just the two of them taking time out at the water park to mini-golf together. This trend was repeated the entire time, with just about every kid in our family getting teamed up with an older kid at some point or another so that Zev, Kailey, and Tate probably had time alone with every other kid in the family except for Karina and Cade, who were too small to go on the bigger slides. Being with Kailey was one of the favorite parts for Talia and Pierce. They were both too short to be allowed on the biggest slides . . . except when they were with Kailey who snuck each of them on a big ride with a combination of stealth moves and chutzpah!)