Summer Swim Team

Blake started practicing with the swim team this summer after completing an intro program. It was his first chance to compete and he loved it. 

I never liked putting my face in the water as a child (still don't), so it genuinely impressed me to watch him race.

He was working on improving his time, but he was happy as pie to receive ribbons for 4th or 5th place. His technique really started to take shape and I was amazed that he could compete in breaststroke and butterfly.

I learned a lot about how swim meets run for parents. Not only do they suggest that you print out the event schedules in advance and highlight the events that your child will be swimming, but you also have to pay attention to what event is happening at all times. If you lose track of which number they are on, you might miss a race. And they will not wait. Thankfully we were on top of it and didn't miss any races, but that was in large part because I always hired a sitter for the other boys. I can't imagine trying to manage my small army during swim meets with water and crowds everywhere. It was actually nice to have some time alone with Blake to support him.

One of the meets he competed in was a championship meet with 18 club teams involved. It was the real deal as far as Southern California swim meets go. Blake felt a little out of his league. We arrived bright and early at 7:15am for warm-ups and then waited and waited in between each of his scheduled events. He placed towards the end when he raced freestyle which didn't bother him at all. 

But he swam his heart out in backstroke (closest lane pictured). As soon as he touched the side and looked up at the scoreboard to see that he came in 2nd, his jaw dropped. He turned to me in sheer excitement and gasped while holding up two fingers.

He surprised himself and his energy was electric. He had no expectations to place that high. I could care less what place he comes in, but I was so happy to let him soak in that moment that was a culmination of hours of laps in the pool all summer. There's nothing like a little confidence boost.

Blake could choose a competitive or non-competitive swim team option for the school year and he didn't skip a beat when he chose competitive. I'm wary of pushing him too hard too young, but he loves to go to practice 3 days a week. So here's to the beginning of life at the pool. It's definitely convenient that we live in a climate where he can practice outdoors year round. 

4th of July

We arrived at the beach at 8:30am on the 4th of July and it was already packed to the brim with pop up tents. We just kept walking until we could wedge ourselves in. 

The boys spent most of their time in the waves, but they paused for a moment to build a sandcastle.

Finn is particular about his snacks and shade at the beach.

We invested in a beach wagon this summer and it has been the best purchase ever. We load up Finn along with all of our gear. Our backs and shoulders thank us every time.

We came back to the house for showers and naps. Of course, it wouldn't be the 4th of July without some grilling action.

We headed over to the town carnival, but not until after Finn had some drama falling off his chair and bleeding profusely.

Crew only had eyes for one game; the water balloon launch. He was grumpy and tired, but it was the only thing that didn't bring him to tears over unearned prizes, so we decided to wait in the long line. We finally made it to the front and Crew partnered up with his dad to load the slingshot.

Their opponents were Blake and his friend Liam. It's safe to say that all parties involved got drenched.

The balloon launch portion of the carnival made it worth it, but we decided as a group that we're going to skip the games, long lines and dollar store prizes next year and head straight to the highlight; the fireworks show.

Troy planted our blankets at 5:30am earlier that day to reserve a spot for the show. If you don't claim your ground early, you're out of luck. It's a little crazy but I also kind of love how everyone is out on the town on this one day.

I tried to cajole the boys into capturing a shot in the slanting sun while the live music was blaring from the stage, but they were over it. Our nonstop weekend full of beach and sun had caught up with them.

They eventually cheered up in bit. It's hard not to get up and dance when your friends and neighbors are surrounding you.

At last, the sky darkened and we settled in for another fantastic fireworks show. We sat directly underneath the launching area and had to wear sunglasses at first because we were so blinded.

Crew was actually terrified and clung to me and cried the majority of the time. Nash asked him, "Crew, do you think the world is exploding?" Ha!

We were sufficiently exhausted after a day of nonstop fun, but I wouldn't have it any other way. The 4th of July is the best.