Summer Swim

I think my girls had a love/hate relationship with Summer Swim Team this year! They were both soooo excited to participate this year-I thought for sure this was the year they were going to LOVE it! Well, no dice! Though they both made amazing strides with their swimming techniques(Karlin actually doesn't swim like a frog anymore!!!), they both were not into the time and dedication of 4 mornings a week that swim team took away from their summer vacation! I must admit, that when that first day of school came around and I thought back to our summer, I had some regrets! Not enough time spent doing nothing, lots of structure(swim started at 9 AM, Tuesday throughFriday), not much time spent playing with friends like they would have liked, etc., etc. I guess there are always regrets when you look back!!! If only I would have recorded their strokes at the beginning of the summer compared to the end, maybe then they would see the benefits!!!

In the end, they both are not fans of the swim meets. We only participated in 2 this summer. They are extremely long, and though I was well prepared with plenty of cold snacks, chairs, towels, games, and shade, they still didn't like them. They aren't exaclty "competitive" girls! In fact, they could have cared less if they took last every race. In a way I guess this isn't a bad trait to have at their young ages, but I really wish that the swimmers next to them made them want to swim faster. The only thing that actually worked was the bribe of cupcakes if you improved your stroke every race! I guess they are more motivated by sweets than winning!!! Awesome!!! I loved watching them in the water, it is fun as a mother to watch your kids excel at something that you never really learned yourself. I think they both really enjoyed that actual practice days. Kenzie really liked her coach, and they both really enjoyed the "game" days that they had on Thursdays. I really hope that though it was challenging for both of them, they will look back at it as a fond childhood memory.

Kamren spent the first swim meet entertaining herself anyway she could. She built a fort and played with my camera! Very entertaining, as you can see!

We were lucky enough to have Grandma Teri, at the second swim meet. Thanks, Mom! For always trying to make it to things in their lives even if you do live 350 miles away!