Swimming

Swimming is such an important skill. I do not feel as though I am the best swimmer out there. Honesty growing up near the ocean I think you learn to swim differently than if you are always in a pool. I can tread water and have been able to get myself out of the rip tides by swimming along the beach but formal swimming...nope just can not do it. When I grew up swimming lessons were not something that people paid for. I know I just dated myself.

Living so close to the beach and having water in Gerard's parent's backyard (they live on a lagoon), it is extremely important that Anna not only know how to swim but she must mater swimming in my opinion. When ever Anna is at Gerard's parent's house the rule is if she is outside she has to wear her life jacket no matter what season it is. This rule is not to be compromised at all. Unlike so many of my other rules Gerard's mother agrees. Anna does not give us a hard time about wearing her jacket so it is normal for her.

This spring Gerard came home from the gym with a paper for swimming school. Up to this point Anna has not been involved with any outside schools like dance, cheer leading and so on. Gerard and I had decided months ago that we would enroll Anna into horseback riding when she was a touch bigger. When I saw the paper for the swimming school I thought PERFECT! So we enrolled Anna in March. (Yes I know I am a slacker for mentioning it for the first time in May.) There are only 6 kids in the class and the teachers are a husband and wife team. I am more than please at Anna progress. I love the approach that the teachers have with teaching the children to swim. I have heard that other school pick the kids up and throw them in to help them get other their fear...Hmmm how is that helpful?

Which brought us to this past Thursday. I had a ton of homework to do, and quite frankly I did not feel much like doing homework. There I said it, I have spring fever too. Anna was playing with a horse so I sat down and asked if she wanted to go to the beach. Like a flash of light she was up and in her bathing suit. My intention was to let her wet her feet but the tide was low (Which is perfect for Anna) and she ended up going in up to her knees. The water was much warmer than I had expected which is a wonderful surprise. This means it will be a good summer at the beach this year.
I did manage to get a few pictures of her playing in the surf.