Summer Swimming

In anticipation of the summer heat, Jeremy bought a largish wading pool for the kids. It turned out to be a great purchase. We had a week of highs around 120 in June, and the kids could still go outside without melting (though we limited pool play to morning and evening to avoid sunburn).

 I love her cute suit . . . but how is she looking like such a big girl already?!

The older three like to play "swimming lessons," with one designated as the teacher instructing the other two. Clara likes to scoot around on her bum in the pool, drink and splash a little, and then get out and putz around the yard with buckets filled up with pool water. I think the big kids' antics get a little too wild for her comfort.

Lydia

Abby

 Everybody likes to man the hose

We did three days of actual swim lessons last week and two days this week--all with the swim teacher we used last summer and fall. I thought it would be good for the kids to get a refresher and hopefully make some swimming progress before our week at the lake in Michigan. I also feared they had regressed a ton since last fall, since the few times we've been in a friend's pool, all three kids have been very reticent to do much real swimming.

Well, the lessons were a great success! The kids hadn't forgotten as much as I thought. Abby cried for about 30 minutes the morning I told her I signed them up for swimming lessons. But she got over it and went in bravely--and surprised me (and probably herself) by enjoying the lessons immensely! She was the one who cried when swim lessons were almost canceled because of rain yesterday.

Abby has made great progress, both in skill and in overcoming her fears. Last year she hated diving for toys and freaked herself out about going under. This time diving for toys is her favorite part of the lessons, and she does a great job at it.

All three can jump in without hesitation and swim back to the side of the pool. They can dog paddle, float on their backs to get a breath, swim on their backs (propelled by kicking--no backstroke yet), and do a bit of forward crawl. Today all three swam the length of the swim teacher's pool with minimal help. I love seeing their confidence, enjoyment, and ability grow--and it's fun to see it happen so fast. I'm hoping their swimming skills will make our vacation a lot more fun, since they'll be able to do some swimming in the lake and jumping off the dock. Of course, we'll have to watch out for Lydia's over-confidence . . . that girl sometimes believes she's invincible.

This is from the third day (end of first week) of swim lessons--Abby does get a little confused about swimming back to the wall after jumping in, but today they all had it down!

Clara and I hung out poolside and kept an eye on the swim teacher's two-month-old baby while the older three had their swim lesson. Clara kept me on my toes--she wanted to join the big kids in the pool, and in lieu of that liked to throw cheerios or her cup into the water or attempt to touch all the potted cacti.