Summer fun

I cannot believe that July - and I guess, by definition, summer - is nearly halfway over. We have definitely been keeping ourselves busy and having a lot of fun.

I have to say that it's kind of nice not to be tied to the schedule of Jack's preschool. Although I definitely think it's good for him, having to do the whole drop-off and pick-up shuffle at specific times can be a bit of a hassle. Especially for poor Violet. Mornings are a lot more relaxed right now for sure. It's also nice that we can be flexible in planning playdates. Many of Jack's friends had opposite preschool schedules than him (MWF as opposed to TTh), and it's a welcome change that we aren't constrained by that as much anymore.

That being said, we haven't just lazing around all day. Jack has been participating in a sports class every Wednesday morning, run by our friends the Currys. He has expressed interest in a lot of different sports, but I'm wary of signing him up for any particular one for fear that we won't really like it once he's actually tried it. This little class is nice, because he's learning the basics of soccer and baseball without the big initial investment in equipment and uniforms that other sports organizations require.

He has also been taking swim lessons for the last two weeks. The progress he has made has been amazing. Before the beginning of summer, he was pretty afraid of the water. He was telling me he never wanted to learn how to swim. But one thing I really love about Jack is that he really does want to be cooperative. He just has these little fears and anxieties that sometimes get in his way. He was that way with dogs, and he's been that way with swimming. He wants to like it and he wants to please me, but he is just a little nervous in the water.

Prior to taking lessons, he really wouldn't do much more in the pool than sit on the steps, hang on the wall, or cling to either me or his dad. After the lessons, he will doggie paddle or kick a few feet from the steps to the wall. He can float on his front on his own. The one skill that kept him from advancing to the next level was that he hasn't quite mastered floating on his back on his own. I would like him to be able to swim farther distances without requiring me to catch or hold him, but I know that will all come in good time.

Otherwise, we are spending our time playing with our friends. We have had a lot of days at the beach, at the park, at friends' houses, at indoor play places, and at the pool. We even made it to the Fair one day.

We are looking forward to even more fun during the second half of summer. Hopefully that will go just a little bit slower than the first.