Practice Makes Perfect!

What a summer!

Once again, the summer has flown by. 

But what a summer.

A summer full of fun.

Usually, I sign the kids up to take swimming lessons at the beginning of the summer, but this year, we had two different camps and VBS scheduled.

So this year, we took the last swimming session 

of the summer.

This year...no tears!

I would call that successful.

Toward the middle of this week, Josh came said to me right before lessons.

"I've sort of been scared at swimming lately.

There's this boy there that looks like he might be the kind to pee in the pool."

I asked him what kind of boy looks like he might pee 

in the pool.  

"He's got freckles.  And he's tall."

Hmmm...

I'm not sure if he thought this boy was a real threat or if he was just kidding around.

Josh has the same dry sense of humor that William has.

I usually have a tough time telling if they are 

joking or not.

Oh!  Did you know that if you say "Gullible" really slowly, it sounds like "Green Beans?"

Yah.  That's me.

Yesterday was the last day of swim lessons, 

so it was "Fun Day!"

Fun Day is the day when they get to show off all that they have learned and then play for awhile.

Josh and Matthew are all ready to go!

Here we are!

Carrie and William are ready to see what Josh and Matthew have learned.

Carrie is taking pictures and sending them to Grandma since Grandma and Grandpa couldn't be there this year.

Ready...

Set...

GO!!!

 Back float...

Front float...

Freestyle...

Back stroke...

Josh and his friend are waiting for further instructions.

Meanwhile, Matthew is showing off his 

newly acquired skills.

Stream line...

Front stroke...

Matthew and his fellow Guppies.

Kicking...

and life jacket skills.

And the best part of Fun Day...Free Time!

I love Josh's face in this picture. 

You can tell that he just swam quite a way across the pool without a breath.

Matthew's not quite ready to jump in yet.  

Down the ladder he goes!

The Audience...

 I dare you to stick your head in the splash!

"I did it!  I did it!  I did it!"

I always get a picture of the kids with their teacher.

Josh's teacher this year was the teacher that 

Matthew had two years ago.

She wasn't able to be at Fun Day this year, 

so here's a picture of her from 2011.

And Matthew.

He was three!

Matthew had an awesome teacher this year...Mr. Chris.

He was really good with the kids and taught them so many pre-stroke skills!

With swimming lessons officially over, we took a few minutes to play at the Splash Pad.

Usually, we go sometime during the two weeks that we have lessons, but most of our swimming days...in JULY...were too cold and windy.

Fun Day was perfect!

Some brotherly love goin' on.

Oh, the trouble with long eyelashes.

They make wearing goggles so difficult.

Poor Matthew.

Always the joker.

We always plan something fun to look forward to after swimming lessons are all over.

Usually I need it for leverage.

"You have to go to swimming lessons so that you can go to __________."

Leverage...

Bribing...

Potatoes...Pototoes.

The last few years, we've gone to Chuck E. Cheese's.

This year, Daddy called to see what time 

we would be there.

He took off from work and met us there!

What a fun surprise!!!

I love swimming lessons.  I always have.  It's fun to sit there during lessons, listening to all the mommy chatter and doing some chit-chat of my own.  

This year was especially wonderful.  

A beautiful mixture of sunshine and cool breezes.  

And happy children!

Putting another year of swimming in the books,