H2O Fun

Emma had swim team time trials today, thank goodness the weather only delayed us and did not cancel the event. 

I woke up unable to sleep, so I got to the pool  at 6AM to assist with set up and earn a few points towards getting our volunteer check back.  Daddy brought Emma up closer to seven to get her checked in and her event numbers.  I was so nervous that I would not know how all of this worked because we were rookies.  It was a little chaotic in the beginning, but once we got settled down things were great and everyone was so super helpful.

Emma did amazing during warm ups and had no hesitation about going off the dive block.  They had 6 kiddos swimming in each lane during warm ups and she found comfort in having her swim buddies in the lane with her for support.  I was so proud of her.

Emma is 1 of 5 four year olds on this years swim team and I must admit they are hilarious to watch.  They all try so hard to do what the big kids do and want to keep up with the kids that were on swim team last year.

I am thinking this might have hurt a little bit when she landed but one thing about this girl, she NEVER gives up.  Now when the meet started it was a different story.  Something about the whistles, the buzzers and 200+ people staring made her feel a bit uneasy.  She shed a few tears the third time she got up on the block when the timers and scribes were at the end of the pool telling her to go and her coach was on the side of the pool ready to cheer her on.

She was most excited about the sharpie numbers  on her forearm and kept begging me to take a picture of them.  This is how they keep 250 little swimmers in many different events organized for the day.  It was amazing to watch them get these kids lined up, to the ready bench, seated behind the dive block and then to the water.  To say this is a well oiled machine is an understatement. 

This is the face of one PROUD little girl waiting to be hugged and high fived by her Mommy, Daddy and little brother.  It was a great feeling to watch Emma be a part of something she has worked so hard on for last couple of weeks.  It is also nice to be surrounded by great kids, wonderful families and passionate coaches.   These guys held a Pep Rally before the meet, prayed and said the pledge.  

I love this picture of my sweet girl and she just looks like the real deal right here.  She has picked up so quickly and carried herself like the kiddos that have been swimming for years.  It was hilarious to watch her in that team suit, goggles and swim cap.

Oh sweet Emma, you made my day when you took off for the 25 backstroke. You held onto that wall until you heard the buzzer and you took off like a champion.   From the beginning  you were so behind everyone else in your heat but you never noticed.  You kept kicking and moving those little arms looking like a pro out there.

Here you are about half way through and I must admit the other kids had reached the end, were out of the pool and probably back to their parents at this point.  You kept going baby girl and you had the entire crowd cheering you on.  The timers were literally on their belly's shouting, the coaches kept telling you to reach and kick, me and Daddy were cheering you on and you were probably the cutest thing that touched the water that day.  The best part was when you reached the edge of the pool and the timer stopped.  You turned yourself around, looked behind you and shouted, "I won the race".  You lifted those little pink goggles up, glanced around the pool again and said, "I got first Mom."   At this point I was standing over you and I said, "You sure did baby, I knew you could do it".  You have told everyone that you won backstroke and in your heart you believe it, I think you thought all the other kids were still swimming.

In our eyes baby, you won that meet yesterday and you persevered.  Your determination to never give up and your desire to keep up with the rest of those kiddos was HUGE.  Everyone we passed thought you were the cutest little thing and they were so impressed with your attitude.   Even though you were intimidated at times by the crowd, the whistles and the chaos, you gave it your all.

We are so proud of you Emma Caroline and most of all we loved that you were having fun.  The lessons that you will learn this summer through swimming and meets is going to be invaluable.   Thank you for being so willing to make new friends, explore new adventures and enjoy life.

Where and how do I even begin to explain how blown away we are by the progress Gavin has made in his survival swim class.   It is pretty safe to say that he fell in love with his teacher and she fell in love with him too.  By the end of the week she had gained his trust and built a special little relationship with our boy.   We will forever be grateful for the time, confidence and skills that Mrs. Glendy has given Gavin this week.  He is now safe in the water and is trained to surface on his back, kick to the side and get himself out of a body of water should he ever fall in unsupervised.  Oh Gavin, you have worked so super hard this week and it has been mentally and physically exhausting on you.  There were some days it hurt my heart to watch how exhausted you became by the end of class, but I know that we have given you a gift and your chances of surviving a drowning accident have improved by 85%.

Needless to say, we are looking forward to a "floaty free" summer.   Emma & Gavin,  my heart is bursting with pride as I write this and I am so proud of everything you have both accomplished this year in the H2O!