Calm waters

I love the water.

Have I ever said that?

I am sure I have but just so you fully get it...

I

Love

The

Water!

There is something therapeutic and calming and energizing and cleansing and joyful and....

*inhale*

*sigh*

I just love the water…

The girls returned to swim lessons today. Since we have not had our usual Arizona winter and spring it is still too cold to swim outdoors, even in a heated pool, so we’ve returned to Aqua~Tots for a month or two before returning to private lessons for the summer.

I was not sure what to expect. The girls have been out of the water for the last five months. I know… a rookie mistake, but it simply could not be avoided. I am positive that I will have to deal with lesson burn out this summer; when it’s 120 degrees out and all I can stand to do is go soak in the pool all day every day, but what can you do? We traveled in the fall then we had family and friends in for the holidays and then another trip to Florida, before I knew it five months had passed and the girls and I… well, here we are.

Grace, as expected, took several steps back from where she was in October when we stopped. By the end of her 30 minute lesson she was jumping in, swimming a few feet and more willing to let go of Mary. By the end of Lily’s lesson which, because Mary rocks, Grace was able to participate in as well she was doing great. Still not where she was last fall, but on her way!

Lily Kat, well… Lula is a fish of a whole different color! Lily leapt in with both feet no hesitation and eyes wide open before I was even in the water and poised to catch her. She kicked and blew bubbles and jumped off the edge. She dunked herself more than I dunked her and came up laughing 80% of the time and spitting water and shaking her head before laughing the other 20% of the time but did not fuss once! She put her big sister to shame!

I must admit that I felt a little guilty about hogging all of Mary’s attention throughout Lily’s class. There were two other moms there with their kids, but their boys did not seem as eager to participate as The Hurley Girls did, so… Mary and I went with it! I am sure it didn’t help that Mary and I know a lot about each other’s lives and had a lot to catch up on. Fingers crossed that next week Monica and Rylan are either as understanding as the other two moms were about my hijacking the class and instructor or… they do what I expect they will and join right in with us!
I spent a few years lifeguarding and teaching swim lessons in the “little pool” at my hometown YMCA. The water was always warm as bath water and I was convinced lousy with pee. It was overwrought with chlorine to counter the fact that it was always filled with peeing little kids and was my least favorite place to be scheduled guard duty or lessons, but it was still water and it was better than nothing. The Aqua~Tots pool isn’t much different from that. I’ve seen kids both vomit and poop in this pool. There is always at least one Band-Aid floating around. It’s warm and I am sure also lousy with pee. Even with all that, before I even had one whole foot in the water, I knew…. This was going to be just what I needed. Gone is the feeling of fish out of water. I am so thrilled that summer is upon us and we are swimming again! Have I mentioned?

I love water…