Swim Team

Clayton and Isaac participated in the neighborhood Swim Team this summer.  It was a great experience for them and really pushed them athletically (there are some crazy-good swimmers around here).  It was a total burnout for me though.  It meant two 45-minute swim practices everyday (Clayton and Isaac were in different age groups - I couldn't have done it without your help, Jess.  I'm dreading next year when I'll have three!) including Saturdays (when practices were an hour).  Plus swim meets.  Which last like (honest to goodness) five hours.  We only made it to two of the four meets and both were ordeals (to say the least) with all of my kids in tow.  But I got some great pictures (less from the second meet which turned out to be beyond an ordeal and closer to catastrophe for me).  Here they are:

 I got some awesome sequence shots of Isaac taking off.  Ready. Set. . .

 Go!

 And check out this sequence (my favorite).  Here he is ready and waiting to be tagged for the relay. . . wait. . . wait. . .

 wow!  yup, that's how we do it.

 He's being congratulated at the other end for his very enthusiastic lap.

 Go Isaac!

 Clayton did a good job.  He worked hard and really improved throughout the season.

 The second meet was at an indoor pool.  At night.  We got there late (piano lessons/traffic).  The parking lot was full.  I had to hike a long way (on no sidewalk) with my double-stroller loaded with towels, chairs, picnic blanket, dinner for everyone, and tired-whiny children.  Even though we got there before the actual meet started, Clayton and Isaac were late enough that they were disqualified from the first event.  So they sat around and did nothing for more than an hour.  Turns out I didn't need my picnic blanket or chairs.  We were all crammed around the pool on indoor bleachers - not the most convenient place to manage a one-year-old and a two-year-old. To top it off, Eliza and Lydia both had terrible diarrhea - terrible enough that I needed to throw their clothes away when all was said and done and they had to parade around pant-less for the second half. . . humiliating.  I was in the bathroom dealing with that when Isaac did his first swim.  So I missed all the drama.  Apparently the water was shockingly cold when he jumped in.  He had a meltdown in the pool and (even though he was close to the other end) refused to finish the race.  It took lots of coaxing from his coaches to get him out of the pool (and to stop howling).  He refused to go back in and sulked next to me on the bleachers the rest of the time.  Clayton did two more races and then we left early (ha! it was already 9:00 p.m)  We drove home in a violent thunderstorm.  At least I got these shots of Clayton to remember our wonderful evening.

 Here are a few pics of what the other kids were up to while the older boys were swimming.  Brig played video games.  Ever since Nate brought home that article about how video games make you smarter (i.e. surgeons who play video games regularly perform 30% more successfully than those that don't) I'm less uptight about letting my kids play every once in awhile.   

 He also did some fence-climbing and bug-hunting.

 Eliza read, colored, danced, sang, played. . .

 ate green slushies. . .

 She did it all!

 Lydia tried not to be bored in her stroller.

 Thankfully she has lots of admirers who jump at the chance to get her whatever she wants.

Good job Clayton and Isaac!  Now that I know what I'm in for (and knowing Lydia and Eliza will be a year older - which will make a big difference) I can gear up for next year with all three of my boys on Swim Team!

Go Dolphins!