Swimming, swimming, swimming in the pool....

It's not exactly a little known fact that I love to swim. I used to be a distance swimmer in high school (motto: Distance swimmers do it longer and harder, baby!) and swam the mile. Yes, the mile. I mean, anyway can sprint but who can do the mile? ME!

I loved it. I was in Hawaii then and most of the swimming is outdoor, all year long. It did indeed get mightly cold in the winter but in the summer... when you submerge yourself underwater and the sun's rays break through the pool... there's nothing like it. Nothing like watching your shadow rotate as you race to the end of the pool, nothing like turning effortlessly at the walls, floating like a baby through the cool water. Sometimes I would go under just to BE under the water, have the sweet stillness press against my ears, all sound blocked out, the sun's rays fragmenting against the bottom.

I got Adam into it too. At first he just saw a thousand meters a few times a week. Two years ago, he joined the master's swim program at the gym. Seemingly overnight his strokes improved, he lost tons of weight, gained muscles, self confidence and a fantastic tan. Now he is the one talking about diving, flip turns and pyrmid work.

(Why am insanely envious!)

Our kids, it seems, have inherited this love of water. Joseph is a bit careful and Georgie even moreso. But when you get them in there... they go! Joseph needed a little "Edge" from a friend his same age who was doing flips off the side of the pool. Give the kid some googles and he's diving for missles. Georgie took more coaxing (this is the kid who won't sit down in the tub) but once Adam realized that he wants to jump off the ladder in the deep end... now all Georgie will do is jump off the ladder! My baby bear will sit and jump off the edge of the pool for hours. He even scooted himself in today. (We are working on waiting until I say, "One two three JUMP!") I am  using "elbow, elbow, tummy, knee, knee" to teach him to climb out of the pool. He even frog-kick his feet and scoots his arms around, yelling if I don't move fast enough. Of course, when I try to do "ONE TWO THREE SWIM!" and have him swim between people... he stops moving. Heh.

Georgie and Cole have already blond and reddish blond, respectivly. Camille has some nice highlights and I think Joseph is turning out to be like me- brown with a chance of brown! They have respectable tans; enough to know they are getting some sun but they aren't burned.

Swim lessons start tomorrow and I am excited to hear another professionals assessment of how they swim. Camille can do a basic freestyle but can't breathe to the side. (Perfectly normal for her age.) Joseph could given a few lessons, I think. The babies aren't in swim lessons now, as I would need another person to help me, and I taught them for so long, I can do everything myself.

Gotta pack for swimming... I can't wait to see the kids show off... and, yes, I hope get ready for a swim team sometime in the future!