2012 Swimming Lessons

This was Paige's first year of swimming lessons. She was excited that she got to do them, until the day they started and then it was a small fight everyday to get her to do it. Her teacher was amazing and patient. 

 See what I mean...this was the first day, she hasn't even gotten wet yet.

 Carter hung out everyday for 2 weeks for 1 1/2 hours. While the other kids played on the trampoline or the swings, or the dreaded sandbox when it wasn't their turn. Paige went first and really wanted to go after Emma.  That was part of her problem. Emma went last. 

 By the end of her first lesson, she was a bit more satisfied, and not so grumpy.

 Mason's class was a very large class. Most of them were good swimmers, but a few struggled like Mason. The little boy on Mason's right, he talks privet lessons weekly also and they struggled to get him to listen and follow directions. He just wanted to swim under water the whole time. He wasn't a good influence on Mason. He just wanted to play with him and do what he was doing. 

 Emily is learning to teach swim lessons, and was Mason's constant hands on assistant in the pool. She was really good with him. 

 Emma loved to swim under the water. She's getting better at the breast stoke, but struggles breathing without stopping. I know she'll get it with practice. 

 The 3rd day of lessons Paige decided that she didn't want to get into the pool, so I sat on the edge of the pool and tried my best to get her dress off.  It was not worth it and when Emily offered to come and take her from me, I took her up on the offer. She warmed up after getting in, and she doesn't throw a tantrum in the pool with her teachers, just with me. She thought it was pretty cool that she could swim in her dress. 

 Carter fell asleep in the stroller almost everyday at the end of the time we were there.  He was so cute sleeping with all the commotion around him. 

 He got to swing in his first swing, it lasted about a minute and then he wanted out. He doesn't like swinging.

Swimming lessons were successful this year. We look forward to doing more and getting better with time. We were so thankful the the Weist's opened up their home pool for lessons and that we were able to find a place that was conducive to having little kids play and have fun while siblings were in their lessons.

I should share one experience that scared the daylights out of me. Swimming lessons were held at the home of some members of our ward. They had up over for dinner the weekend after we moved in.  The property were the lessons are given are here in Tangent. It's pretty secluded from the roads or other homes. The property is set back off the road and the pool sits between the house and a grass seed field directly behind it. The trampoline sits to the south of the pool and behind it are some big pine trees.  To the north is a very large lawn and some flower garden with more large pine trees at the end of the property.  One of the first few days Mason disappeared after Emma got out of the pool. I went into the house and checked the bathroom, I walked through the house and didn't find him, or hear him. He didn't answer me calling him either. Emily lives there, and I asked her if she had seen him. She started looking. I started to walk the perimeter of the property, looking in the dried up ditch, on the porch swing and in the front yard.  After searching for 10 minutes we called on the help of the teenagers who were there at the house. I think we had like 6 or 7 people looking for him.  I finally called Shawn at work after 15 minutes and he got in the truck and headed over.  I drove over to the Elementary school just in case, but while going there kept thinking, "why would he go there?" The school can't be seen from the house, nor has he gone from the house to the school.  While I was there looking one of the kids on bikes came around looking for him also.  I kept beating myself up over loosing my special needs child. I know better to take my eyes off him, but I figured that with the swing set and trampoline he wouldn't wonder. Well I was wrong and I was sick.  As I was coming back from the school Shawn called. Emily had found Mason in her older brothers room, he's 23, reading some books he found in there.  We walked through the house several times, and all Emily could come up with was he would move rooms before we would get to them.  He went in to go to the bathroom, and got distracted while he was coming out of the bathroom and never returned outside.  Emma was amazing the whole time. She sat and played with Carter and kept an eye on Paige. Just thinking about it I get all those emotions again and I find myself wanting to just go and hold my babies. I prayed the longest prayer of thanks that afternoon. Thanks for those who were helping, thanks that my husband dropped everything to be there and thanks that we found him. I can't imagine what parents go through when their child is taken and not returned.  After that day, I escorted Mason to the bathroom, and he didn't get out of my eyes shot. I just couldn't take that chance again.