A proud mama!

I will have to apologize upfront that I have no picture to accompany this post. I know you are all probably tired of hearing about our swimming adventures...but...I just have to take a moment to brag on my children for how well they are swimming. When we started swimming back in May neither kid could swim at all. They were both comfortable in the water which was a huge plus but they certainly weren't swimming.

Avery has improved leaps and bounds since then. She quickly learned that most kids her age and even many Samuel's age could swim in the deep end unassisted. In her defense, she has not spent nearly the time in the water these other kids have. After some blood, sweat, and tears (our blood and sweat, her tears) she can now swim across the deep end of the pool! She sort of looks like she's dying, but she's doing it and enjoying it. This week she also has taught herself to do a front and back flip in the water. Today she jumped off the side in the deep end and swam to the top of the water and then to the side. We told her she is now ready for the diving board at my friend Rebecca's house.

Samuel is a nut in the water! He almost always has his arm floaties on but loves to put his head in the water and kick until he runs out of air. He loves when his daddy and I pull him down to touch the bottom of the pool and then he shoots back up to the top (wearing the floaties of course). I've been trying to get him to take the floaties off and try to swim but he wouldn't hear of it... Until today... He asked for his floaties and I told him he couldn't have them because they won't let him wear them on the slide (I didn't know if this was true or not but it sounded good). He pouted for about 2 minutes and then got back on the slide. While we were watching Avery practice her swimming and flips I asked Samuel if he could swim under the rope. He did without hesitation and was hooked. He stuck his tiny butt in the air and swam back and forth under that rope about 100 times. He loved it and was so proud of himself. I was so tickled by the whole thing that he told me "Mommy, I need you to stop laughing at me." I don't know if he would survive if we threw him in the deep end at this point but he is headed that direction very soon. That is the direction of survival, not us throwing him in the deep end.

As a parent, there are so many times when I am proud of my kids. It is an entirely different thing to watch them be proud of themselves. Swim on Carrier children, swim on!