Boy Wonders: Minnows

At the beginning of last summer, Jacob was afraid to go under water. He even hated when droplets of water splashed on his face. Rinsing soap out of his hair during bathtime used to be an absolute nightmare ("My EYES!! Water's gettin' in my eeeyyyeeess!!").
But by the end of the summer last year, he was not only allowing water to splash his face, he was also jumping into the pool and intentionally going under the water. (Thankfully, this meant bathtime also became much easier.)

A few months ago, when we noticed a posting about swim lessons in our neighborhood's newsletter, we decided it would be a good idea to sign Jacob up. Having one set of grandparents with a pool in their backyard, and the other set living on a lake, we figured it was smart for Jacob to be more comfortable (and safe) in the water. After reading over the descriptions of the 3 different lesson levels, we determined Jacob was too advanced for the Tadpoles class, and not advanced enough to be a Guppy. Therefore, he joined a class of Minnows.
Every Monday through Thursday for two weeks, we spent our mornings at the pool. Jacob loved everything about his swim lessons: his teacher, his classmates, learning to swim, and of course, just being in the pool.

Shaking your "bootie butt" is a sure way to get a laugh.

While Jacob was learning to swim, Will was doing a little bit of this:

and a lot of this:

Alex also enjoyed the time at the pool. "Yay! We goin' to the pool for Bo's swimmin' lessons!"

Sometimes he played with other kids he met there.

Sometimes the boys' cousin, Camden, would join us.

And sometimes, Alex would miss his big brother and ask, "When is Bo gonna be done with swimmin' lessons?" Then a break from playing was required in order to locate his brother in the water.

But he still had fun playing by himself.

And when his big brother's lesson was over, they could have fun playing together.

After Jacob's final lesson, he was so proud. And so was I.

Since lessons ended, we've really enjoyed our pool time. Jacob loves showing off his skills, and is almost always swimming while completely submerged under the water. He jumps off the side, and even goes down the pool's slide by himself. Something he was terrified of doing last year.

He likes to wear goggles to help him watch where he's going...and to make it easier to find legs to grab.

He absolutely loves playing in the pool with his cousin/best friend, Daniel.

And during Uncle Chris's visit, he enjoyed their synchronized swimming. Well, synchronized jumping. (He enjoys everything about Uncle Chris. I think Jacob might be the president of his Fan Club.)

See their cheerleaders?

Basically, Jacob could stay in the water all day long and be happy. And still want to be in the water again the next day.

Even though Jacob was the only one who received the formal lessons, it seems all 3 boys have made huge strides in the water this summer.

For instance, when I first tried dipping his feet in the pool water, Will cried. And during his first "swim", he tolerated the water for only about 10 minutes. I know this is surprising considering the look of pure joy and excitement on his face.

But now he doesn't mind having his feet dipped.

And he didn't mind when I walked around in the pool with him for 20 minutes.

He found the pool to be so enjoyable and relaxing, he dozed off on my lap. Or maybe he was exhausted from his swim. Or perhaps he decided sleep was preferable to hearing the chatter of his mommy and two aunts.