Summertime, Swimmer time!

The big kids are finishing up week one of two weeks of swim lessons. It's been (glup!) two years since they had swim lessons but, in that time, I had worked with them in the pool and we had gone swimming a lot. I knew they had advanced from the levels they had been in so I took a look at the level descriptions and guessed. I got it right and both are doing really well!

Camille can swim a decent freestyle and breathe to the side! She gets her left arm up slightly higher than her right but that's normal. I saw her do an elementary backstroke the other day and she can float easily. Joseph can also swim the freestyle, dive and play all sorts of pool games. They have gotten so confident in the water and it's nice to go to the pool without having to overly worry about or help every.single.child of mine!

Speaking of confident, George will wear a lifejacket and swim with a noodle! Two years ago, the child would barely get in the water! He saw his best buddy swim with a life jacket and had to try it. He loves it and would swim into the deep end with Adam. He paddles after the other two and tries to play with them. He even holds onto the wall and scoots to the deep end. So proud!

Cole is a little attention hog in the pool. I have to swim him around, catch him, give him my undying attention or he gets mad. I can't help or play with any of the others. He likes to swim but we're learning to share Mommy in the pool.

I can't believe I am typing this but I am getting a little tired of the pool. I take the big kids to swim lessons every day and the we normally head right to our neighborhood pool. The kids swim for a few hours and then one of two things happen: a) the little boys power nap for an hour and are recharged and ready to roll at 8 pm or b) no one is tired and are still going at nine! Either way, I am exhausted at night but the kids are still going strong! I'm hoping now that the summer solstice has come and gone, they might go to bed earlier. Maybe.

They have one more week of swim lessons and then maybe I'll put the little boys in lessons. They have been begging and begging to go. I am a little hesitant because VBS was such and epic disaster for George... and Cole will probably just get up and jump into the deep end without warning. We'll see. Still so proud of the progress all four have made, though!