One of the wonderful things about having more than one child is that you get to figure out what each child is good at and watch them develop those talents.

When Remy was 9 months we started swim lessons and when he was about 18 months we started him in a soccer tots group and we continued both activities on and off over the years. When he became old enough to do both sports without a parent we were excited to see how he would do. He didn't pass swimming level 1 because he didn't want to put his face in the water. He cried during scrimmage at soccer because he would get knocked down and we had to constantly remind him that soccer is a contact sport. We ended up taking a break from sports not wanting to push him to do something he didn't want to do. It's been almost a year of nothing even though he has begged to play soccer since seeing my friend Ella Masar play over the summer. We decided that we would retry swimming first. Bryan assures me that he is doing well, since I stay home with the little kids while he goes, I don't get to see for myself what he needs to work on. What parent wouldn't want their child to be a natural athlete? However, that is not always the case. Both Bryan and I would love for Remy to excel at sports but if I had to pick one thing that Remy is extremely good at right now it would not be sports, but his ability to figure out electronics. Though a lot of people thought we were crazy for getting him an ipod touch for his 6th birthday (he did have a choice, ipod or birthday party) it was a perfect gift for him and now I don't have to fight with him for my phone.

Then there is Jackie. Where do I begin? Three things that describe Jackie: fearless, determined and stubborn (my sister's child through and through). One of the things that can be frustrating about having a younger child is they want to do everything that older child does. For example if Remy jumps off the couch you better believe that Jackie will think she can do it too. The thing with Jackie is it doesn't end with that, she jumps off of everything, climbs on everything and often falls off everything! Remy has a healthy dose of fear and common since it doesn't take a lot for Remy to learn that maybe he shouldn't do something. However, Jackie lacks both, and it doesn't matter how many times she gets hurt she will always get up and do it all over again. Add to that the fact that she doesn't always pay attention to what she's doing it's enough to keep me in a constant state of unease.  Anyway back to the topic of sports. Let me just say that when it comes to swimming I'm taking all my eggs out of Remy's basket and putting them in hers. Last summer while we were visiting my in-laws in Long Island Jackie fell in the pool. Let me just say it was a scary experience. When she was pulled out of the water she didn't cry, cough, or even appear scared. So, anyway we have finally gotten around to signing her up for swim lessons and so far she has been amazing in the water! I'm looking forward to trying out other sports and seeing what else she's good at.

I'm curious to see what Zane and Zander will be good at as they get older. I'm also a little scared of what they will try following behind Jackie, but looking forward to it all the same.