Adventures of a Modern Farm Family: FV 2012: Just Keep Swimming

This day of vacation was our relaxing day and after spending a day at the falls we needed it! Everyone slept in, we had a late breakfast and then spent a few hours at the pool. I didn’t think the kids were going to last at the pool for a few hours and to be honest we had to drag them away from the pool using promises of lunch and returning later.

The Pool...The deep end was the middle.

Vince not wanting to get wet

Brad helping Joel

We had the pool to ourselves! Cecilia watched us from the comfort of her stroller and Brad and I tried to convince the boys to swim. Vince wasn’t wanting any part of it and was just walking around the edge of the pool with his life jacket on saying “I just don’t want to be that wet.” Joel was happy to be in the water as long as someone was holding on tight to him.

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming

Daddy and his boys...Joel was mad about something

Vince and Brad racing across the pool

After a little while I grabbed Vince and forced him to come in the pool. After freaking out for about 5 minutes he was a little happier about it, but still wanted to get out! I was willing to let him get out, but he had to swim holding onto a pool noodle to the ladder. We were only 4 feet away from the edge and I knew he could easily do it. After he did it, I took Joel from Brad and Brad convinced Vince to stay in so we could play tag. Vince fell for the trick! After a little while he wanted out again and I told him he had to swim to the edge (about 3 ft) by himself without a pool noodle. He wanted out bad enough that he did it. Brad was on top of things and said that he didn’t see Vince swim by himself and he didn’t believe Vince could do it. Vince fell for the trick again! Vince showed Brad how he could swim alone and then Brad kept saying “I bet you can’t swim to _____.” Vincent loves a challenge and was soon swimming across the pool ~40 ft by himself! I was so proud of him. He only gets to go swimming in something bigger than a baby pool 5 times a year if that, so this was a big step.

Joel warming in the sun...5 minutes later he was back in the pool

Mommy and Vincent

Cecilia just spending some quality time in her stroller and out of the sun

Joel spent most of the time in the pool riding around on my back or Brad’s back as we swam across the pool. He loves the water! Then he discovered the ladder and thought he was so cool because he could climb down the ladder and reach for the side of the pool and use his hands to hold on to the edge and work his way around.

The boys both trying to use the ladder and Brad doing a handstand to impress the boys, but they weren't watching!

Joel loving the water.

Joel getting more comfortable in the water and not wanting help

Joel thought something was hilarious!

Both kids spent the morning swimming for a while, jumping out and sitting in a lawn chair for a bit and then jumping back in the pool. Brad and I took turns going in with them. When we went back for another swim in the evening there were more people there and Vince told them all multiple times “I am 4 and my mommy just taught me how to swim, I can swim by myself.” There were 6 people at the pool and they all heard it at least 10 times. Then Vince just started saying “just keeping swimming, just keep swimming” as he swam from one end of the pool to another. I was cracking up! One lady stopped to talk to him and asked him if he liked to talk and he said “Yeah, I talk a lot.”

If only I knew what he was thinking

and down

This may have been when I gave them a 5 minute warning before it was time to leave

The kids also got to ride their bikes around the campground. Joel stayed by our campsite and preferred to just ride in the stroller but Vince rode his tricycle all over camp and back and forth to the pool. We don’t ride bikes very much at home because we just don’t have anywhere to ride. Brad decided that Vince needed to start training for the pedal tractor pull at the county fair, so he had Vince carry the firewood we bought on the back of his tricycle all the way from the little shop to our campsite.