Swimming Lessons

Sadie just finished up her first-ever round of swimming lessons last week. Let's just say this girl is no fish. She wants to be, but it took her a long time to understand that you have to put your head all the way under the water to really swim. I didn't know whether to crack up or just shake my head every time her teacher told her to go underwater and she'd stick just her face in, then come up with a huge, triumphant grin. As in, "look how AWESOME I am!" 

However, as in everything this girl does, what she lacks in skill she more than makes up for in enthusiasm. She loved swimming and didn't seem to notice at all that the other kids in her class were dunking under the water and holding their breaths for more than two seconds. She danced around on the steps while she waited for her turn or socialized with her friend in the class next to her, and then when her turn came...well, see for yourself...

This is her getting ready to "jump" in the water. She'd take a gigantic breath, her eyes would get all wide, and  she'd throw her hands up in the air. All just for a little jump. She's got gusto, I tell ya.

And she's SUCH a little poser. 

Doing a little back floating.

Her last lesson was on a Thursday, so Kevin came with us and we had a swim party in the outdoor pool afterwards. It turns out that Sadie did learn some worthwhile stuff because she spent the whole time either yelling to her little friend, Ava, to "watch this" as she did various random tricks or yelling at me from the other side of the pool to get ready for her to "streamline" to me. (And yes, it was pretty much the funniest moment of the day to hear a 4-year old yelling the word "streamline" from the other side of the pool with such seriousness. "Mom, stay there so I can streamline to you." Ha!)

And, to finish off, here are the girls all bundled up and ready to go after an afternoon of swimming. Can you just see how much Ellie adores her sister here?