Swimmingly

In the beginning of summer I noticed a lot of people blogging about the amazing wonder that is their kid taking swimming lessons. And I was like, really? You have to take your camera everywhere, even to watch your kids do like, nothing in the "lesson"? I'd bring a book.

And then my mom visited and since she pretty much resembles a mermaid (functional on land, but much more dynamic in water), swimming lessons became a priority if we wanted to play with her at all. And now I get it.

In fact, I did bring a book. I had my nose buried in it for the first few days as I worked on tanning the places where the sun don't shine (just my legs, people...I live in Oregon). So when I would look up to see what they were doing in class, I was truly amazed at the progress they were making in their swimming technique! No more flailing about; more controlled arm circles and moving across the pool! It was very exciting.

Half of the pictures I took (my proudest moments) are of kids underwater, since that is when they are swimming. Underwater. So cool! But an interesting picture this does not make...

The other half of my pictures are of kids sputtering water off of their faces and wiping their eyes, since I'm too cheap to buy goggles ("when I was a kid, we didn't have goggles for swimming lessons! We had chlorine burns and we liked it!").

Morgen played all the tricks in the book so that she wouldn't have to stick her head in the water for the first week. Her favorite thing is hopping up and down in the water...constantly. If she wasn't doing an exercise for the teacher, she was hopping. Hilarious! But in typical Morgen fashion, she eventually tried it, succeeded with perfection and hasn't looked back.

Micah was born in the water. Literally. And since his birth, it has been harder to keep him above the surface than below! So you'd think he'd be a natural...but he's so excited to be in the water that he sometimes forgets to coordinate his arms and legs to actually accomplish some real movement! But no worries...Micah eventually gets where he's going, and he always surfaces with this look on his face:

No kidding. Start to finish, this guy's grinning and laughing. He loves swimming so much!

So sweet. Korah's taking Micah to the "deep end" (4 ft)

In between classes they got to play in the shallow side of the pool (the deep side is separated by that solid wall). It's totally safe and shallow and so much fun! They are apparently doing something hilarious with the Noodle here.... I love this picture.

Where's Noble during all of this, you ask?

Naked, of course. These were 100 degree days we're talkin' about! He was busy learning to crawl! I took him into the water a few times and this little guy (also born in the water) loves it too! He makes little motor boat sounds and loves when I count 1-2-3 (hold breath) and scoop him underwater about a foot and bring him back up. He's always eager for more! And if he's not motoring through the water or diving down, he is splashing with all his might. What a fun little guy.

I love summer. And the sun. And outdoor pools. Let's go swimming!