Last week and this week are the kids' last two weeks of summer holiday (Katherine actually starts back this week). If you ask the kids about their summer and what they liked, they will tell you all kinds of things...except Benjamin. He told us that he only has fun in the pool. There are other things he enjoys, but the pool is by far his favorite. So, we decided that for the last two weeks before school he can take swim lessons offered by the pool at our complex. He swims every day from 4:00-5:30 So, he has learned very quickly!
This picture is kindof funny...he is coming up for air, not drowning :) They teach the breast stroke here, so he looks like a little frog in the water. He can swim all the way across the HUGE pool. He is doing great! This coming week, he will be working on getting the form of his swimming in sinc with his breathing. Right now, his form is good, but he just goes and goes and goes under the water until he can't breathe anymore, comes up for air and doggy paddles for a second, and then is off again. They are trying to get him to breathe with every stroke.
This also cracked me up...one day it started to rain (no lightning) so the kids were not allowed to swim in the deep pool until it stopped and the coach stood in the middle of the shallow pool holding an umbrella! I kinda thought the point of a pool was to get wet :)
Regan and Benjamin ended up playing with a group of about 15 boys, 3 dads, and 1 big brother. It was some sort of Monkey in the Middle type game, but it was so much fun to see them REALLY playing with the local kids and not just playing near them. I think the dad's were getting a kick out of how many times Regan got the ball (Miss Competitive) because the girls typically don't play with the boys much...especially in the pool, they just sit in floats.
Katherine wanted a pair of goggles so that she could go under water. She loves the pool, but her hair turns so GREEN! It only takes her swimming once to have bright green hair. It fascinates my friends here that our hair can change colors :)
Lauren doesn't like swimming in the pool...just jumping in over and over and over again. She will give you quite the workout.
Regan has also learned to swim this summer. She is still afraid to get her face under the water. She can do about 4 different strokes to swim across the pool and never get her face wet :)
All the girls sporting their new sandals! Benjamin got some too, but did not want to be in the picture.
Katherine's Bunny got some much needed new clothes. She was so excited about them. The old clothes are now "pajamas" and the new clothes are for "school"
We also had Open House and Regan and Benjamin got to see their new classrooms and meet their new teachers. Benjamin is a frog this year (1st grade) and has the same teacher that Regan had last year. His class is in the new part of the school and I think he has the best room in the school! Great view!!
Oh yeah, and he has a new haircut. He has been asking to get it shaved for about a year now. He literally wanted to be bald. I had never let him do it, but the kids were getting their "back to school haircuts" and he asked again. I thought for a minute...it's not near his bday, not near Christmas...ok, it will have time to grow out if I don't like it. He was so excited that I let him get it so short. It is much easier and cooler in this heat!
...checking our his desk
Regan is excited to be a Panda this year (3rd grade). She was in first grade last year, but the school asked if Regan and one other little girl could study with the third graders. They felt like Regan was bored and needed more of a challenge. She will still be classified as a 2nd grader, but will be doing everything with the 3rd graders. I know, a bit confusing. I think it will be good for her.
There is a new girl there that will be sitting next to Regan. I was so excited to find out that they are almost exactly the same age...4 days apart! One of my concerns for letting her be in this class was that all the other kids would be older, but it's really not going to be that way. Third grade is also when they start having Science and American History classes. I think it will be a good year and I also think that she will be coming home with lots of "real" homework.
All the kids are very excited that school will be starting back soon! Hooray!
