Swim Camp 2008

This is our third year for we have gone to swim camp up at Green Canyon for a week. TJ really liked it his first year, but last year he was in a pretty tough level. So, this entire year before camp started he kept telling me that he didn't like it and didn't want to go. I was dreading having to fight with him every single day about it. But as luck would have it, he absolutely LOVED it this year!!! YAY! And he did SO good. I was so proud of him. He is swimming great now. He passed off everything he needed to, to pass level 4. Level 5 is going to be pretty difficult next year, but I am sure he will do great!

Tyra passed level 3 this year but just barely. I am going to put her back in it again next year because I think she could learn to tread water a little better. Either that, or I am going to have to work with her on it a ton between now and next year. Tyra loved swim lessons too. She always has! The first year she had some trouble with her ears, because she had had two sets of tubes put in them when she was younger, but this year and last they haven't seemed to bother her at all. Thank goodness! Now she is a little fish.

Braxton got to take lessons this year although he wasn't quite old enough. He did so good though. He truly is a fearless child. Everyday the kids would take two hours of lessons and then later in the day all of the adults would go swimming with the kids again. I would make Braxton wear floaties while I was with him, just to be safe, and he HATED it. It was so funny watching him try to swim under water with them on. His arms would be clear up in the air behind his back. He really is a natural. Other then treading water, which ALL of our kids have had a hard time with, he easily did everything his instructor asked of him. He also loved EVERY minute of swim camp!

Here is a picture of the kids and all of their cousin's and friends that went to swim camp this year. Actually, Trey and David aren't in the picture because they left early, but this is the rest of them.

Top(left to right): Siler, Cody, Quinci, Alexis, Tyra, Whitney & Carley. Bottom(left to right): TJ, Braxton, Saydi and Naomi. These kids all got along so well. They all had so much fun together. We all signed up again next year too. I already can't wait! Plus we got a few more friends to sign up with us too! Here are all the kids pulling funny faces!

Okay, so does it look like we had fun or what??? Even I love swim camp. By the time it is all done though, I definitely have had my share of swimming for a while.

Here is a video clip of Braxton learning to ride his bike, or two wheeler, as he calls it. The first morning at camp he kept asking me to take his training wheels off his bike. I kind of ignored it for a while because I was thinking, "What barely 4 year old can ride a bike?" Later he came and told me that he rode one of the other kids bikes without training wheels. Several of the kids said it was true, so I finally took them off. Sure enough, as soon as I did, he took right off. It was so cute! The kids and I helped him get started a few times and now he's a bike riding fool! One of the first times he took off though, he didn't know how to steer OR stop yet and he drove right into a bunch of bushes and got a bee sting. OUCH!! It really was funny though.



This is a video of TJ jumping off of the diving board and swimming to the edge. I got some REALLY good video's of him with my actual video camera, but I still haven't quite figured out how to get those video's onto my blogspot yet. I got it to work once with one of Tyra's dances, but since then it quit working. Who knows? When I ever figure it out though, I will post some more fun video's.



Here is Tyra jumping off the diving board to her instructor. She even swam all the way to the edge by herself. I am so proud of her!



This is Braxton taking a flying leap off of the diving board. I tell you, this kid is fearless!!



This is me doing a flip off of the diving board. And yes, I do grab my nose just before I go under the water. I still can't figure out how the kids just jump in without even thinking about it. I tried to dive on one of the days without plugging my nose and I swear ALL of the chlorine in the pool went straight to my brain. I had a headache for hours afterwards. I don't think I'll be trying THAT again anytime soon. I first got a video of me with Spiderman floaties and big goggles on, doing a flip, but I figured I look silly enough, why make it worse? It was funny though!!