Summer break

I took a summer break from my blog...I just didn't have the patience to sit down and type while someone was crawling on my lap, or whining for some food, or asking me to iron his shirts (Luke, you're such a diva sometimes...).
We've spent a lot of time at the pool this summer, and it's paid off very well for Olivia. After spending the early parts of the summer just dipping her face in, she decided to fully submerge on our trip to Wisconsin. Then, the same day she finished her 4th week of swim lessons, she finally let loose and swam a few feet. She's been making progress swimming with her 'ice cream scoops' (everything is about food to kids) and I think she'll be ready for the swim team in 2011. She was really reluctant to jump off the side of the pool. I thought she would never even try it. Her swim instructor tried to get her to do it a few times and I really tried. Finally I just sort of dragged her in and she realized it wasn't scary. After a few minutes of going from holding two hands, to one hand to one finger she finally decided to try it on her own. Boy did she catch on quick! She hardly even jumps to her feet, she likes to jump in and land on her butt on the bottom of the pool.
She found a jumping buddy named "Catherine" and Catherine tried to teach her to do a cannonball (she was a bit bossy...was this was I was like as a little Catherine too??). Now she's working on diving. It's hard though because they only let you dive in the 10 feet and she's terrified. So, we try it in the 5 feet when the guard isn't looking. (really, she's not going near the bottom...this is really a bellyflop we're perfecting!)
Luke is making progress too...but in the baby pool. He'll walk in the 2 1/2-3 1/2 ft pool, but he's not excited about getting his face wet. But, he's mastering the baby pool walking on his hands and doing belly flops there! I have to drag him out of it every time we want to leave!
I had to laugh because Olivia passed the beginner class at camp...while she's on level 3 at Pine Acres...I am guessing she wasn't showing them her stuff at camp because "bubble blowing and kicking on the wall" are a piece of cake for her these days!!