Summer Swimming & School?

We're big fans of Gilbert Parks & Rec. Not only do they run a great t-ball program (see post a month ago - how cute is that team?) but they have cheap swimming lessons. As it turns out, cheap swimming lessons come in handy when you have a three-year old who refuses to go into the water, let alone go under water.

How things change! That three-year old boy is now over five, and he was a little fish in his "Shrimps" class. He can hold his breath under water, swim quite a ways, and doggy paddle. And he appeared to mostly follow the teacher's instructions, which we greatly appreciate! He can almost float, and when he masters that in the next round of lessons, we're sure they'll move him up to "otters" or whatever the next level is.

And Brody, he's our little fish. I took the first five classes, and Rob took the last three. For Rob, he blew bubbles under water. For me, he did not. But he did learn to jump to us (preceded by a "1-2-3" - important to know if you're swimming with him), go under water (though he hasn't quite grasped the concept of closing his mouth), and kicking his legs. He's definitely not a fan of the floating... either on his back or his front. But his next lesson is Parent-Tot II, since he'll be two on Saturday!

And let's not forget about the adventure I had while Rob was in Chicago for a weekend having a good time with his sister and friends. I took the boys out to our pool, and was drying off, watching the boys play a game. Brody would toss a floating truck into the water (he was standing on the edge), Corey would go swim to it and give it back to him. Repeat. However, one time, Brody didn't quite throw it far enough. It was just out of his grasp floating in the water in front of him. So ... he reached out to grab it, and you know what's coming, and I knew it too. I ran over there, and Brody was bobbing in the water. I jumped in, and he was fine. I was a nervous wreck, but the kid held his own. He didn't seem panicked at all.

So I thought that at least the lesson would be not to do it again, but I think Brody actually enjoyed it, so now we'll have to be within arm's length of him around water for a long, long time!

And last, but not least, Corey is officially in summer camp. It's the same program - VIK - that he goes to before school during the school year. But it is way more fun, according to Corey. In addition to fun things like "cooking class," "science class," dodge ball (and an injury or two) and breakfast that includes "super donuts," he gets to go to the pool twice a week and he goes on two field trips a week! The pool is right there at the junior high, so they walk over and probably spend a few hours there. Like all Gilbert pools, it goes zero-depth to about three feet in the shallow end, and there are slides and of course, his VIK friends. And for field trips, he's been to Jeepers, where he says he rode a roller coaster, to a jumping party and bowling. Next up is a Diamondbacks game next week, a roller rink, ice skating, you name it and they have it planned this summer.

Apparently a local program (Fox 10) does a bit called "Whirlybird Wednesdays" where a helicopter lands at a school and interviews the kids. There are two yellow posters being held by the kids, and Corey is standing just to the right of the leftmost poster. You'll have to pause the video, but it's clearly him. The best shot is when they put the five-day forecast up, which covers his shorts. His backpack is diagonal around him, so he stands out a little. Of course, they're all wearing the same shirts. Tomorrow is jersey day, though. If only Corey liked sports and had a bunch of jerseys... (Obvious sarcasm: I hope we don't spend an hour tomorrow morning selecting which jersey!)