Swim Lessons

One of my goals for summer 2017 was to get at least one of my kiddos swimming.  Before we moved we knew a few people with pools but in Oregon having a pool is much less common so the kids really just haven't had much exposure.  We did do swim lessons the year we moved with Sadie and Wyatt but they didn't get much time in the water aside from that and didn't make a whole lot of progress.  Then the next year Grammy bought an above ground pool and we tried that but I was big and pregnant with Evie and the water was cold and while they grew a little more comfortable in the water we again didn't make a ton of progress towards actually swimming.  So this year it really was a priority to start getting them swimming.  

We took lessons over at the Salem Aquatics Center with Auntie Amy and her girls and it was great! One of my favorite things about taking lessons here was the fact that you are allowed free access to the pool throughout the duration of your lessons.  This was awesome for us because it gave the kids the extra time in the water and the practice they needed to really get more comfortable.  After the 2 weeks of lessons Cooper wasn't loving it but Sadie had made a ton of progress and Wyatt was really working hard so we took 2 weeks off and then Sadie and Wyatt took a second round of lessons.  Unfortunately a week in Wyatt had an ear drum rupture much to his and our dismay which meant no more lessons for him, but Sadie finished the week and was able to jump off the diving board without a floaty by the end which was a HUGE accomplishment!

 Sadie and Wyatt were in the same class which can be a bit of a challenge for the teacher as they tend to distract one another and often have a little too much to say but their instructor did a great job and Amy and I really got a kick out of him.  He was nice enough but there was no messing around.  If they didn't listen it was more bobs for them while Amy and I laughed on the side lines.  In fact at one point Wyatt though it was funny to splash him for whatever reason and it was 20 bobs for that.  It only happened once ;)

 Cooper and Autumn had class together although Cooper was less of a fan.  He had a really hard time getting his head under the water during class.  However, after the 2nd round of lessons with the older kids and all the afternoons of free swim he also had made great progress and was jumping off the diving board with his puddle jumper and going all the way under the water. 

And then there was these little misses.  No lessons for them but they were all about the water which was awesome!

 The kids had free ice cream coupons from summer reading at the library.  Why I thought it would be okay to give it to them in the car I'm not sure.  Live and learn I guess!