Summer time fun!

Our summer was pretty low key, we mosrly stayed local which meant A LOT of pool time!  The kids love the water and love the outdoors, and summers in Texas are too hot to be outside without water.  Isaac is a true fish; the boy never stops swimmimg.  This summer he started to learn how to swim freestyle, how to dive, and how to swim down to the bottom of the deep end to retrieve toys and things.  He is so comfortable in the water, I think it's his second home.  Luke enjoys the pool, but some days he's happy to just play on the side with a water gun or other water toys.  He spends a lot of time on the shelf playing, or floating in his Lightening McQueen float.  In the last couple of weeks he started walking across the rocks, which makes me so nervous, but he is very careful.  He can swim very well, when he wants to.  The last few weeks he didn't swim at all, just played on the shelf and floated in his float.  I didn't push him, I know he can do it, so I am confident of his ability if he falls in, but I'm not going to make him do something he doesn't want to do.  This past weekend the boys were talking about swimming, and Isaac told him, "You can't swim, you won't put your face in the water, you can't really swim."  Well, nobody tells Luke that he cannot do something.  That afternoon we got in the pool, and he immediately got his goggles.  He told me he wanted to swim to me, and he did!  No hesitation, no problem, just like the little fish he was earlier in the summer.  I was so proud of him!  Hannah is a fish in training, the girl has absolutely no fear of the water!  It's incredible to see how comfortable she is in the water.  She is very careful getting in and out, and understands the dangers, you can see that in the way she moves in the water.  She loves to float in her float, she spins in circles and smiles the entire time!  She also lays back in her float, kicks her feet up, and relaxes.  She has awesome control of herself in the water.  She has started kicking her legs well, and really enjoys getting down on her hands on the shelf and kicking her legs behind her (she even does this on the edge of the shelf or steps).  As soon as she hears anything that sounds like it's time to swim she starts to yell, "Wim!  Pool!  Suit!"

I love seeing how different each of the kids are in the water.  They've all grown to love the water at different paces, and all enjoy doing different things in the pool.  I'm so thankful they are all very careful and cautious around the water.  We made so many sweet memories in the pool this summer, I can't wait to make more in future summers!