Swim lessons.

We had such good results with Will's swim lessons last summer that we enrolled in the same two week program again this summer. The age requirement for enrollment is three years, so Joseph made the cutoff and was fired up to do anything big brother does.

Here is Joseph, noodling across the pool with his very patient instructor. After his first experience off the diving board (I call it "walking the plank" because Joseph steps forward with real dread, yelling Mommy I do not want to go off the diving board then is nudged off or gently dropped off the edge) he gave his teacher a lot of grief, talking about the diving board incessantly during each lesson, but fortunately obedience won out over fear because he did everything she asked of him, including holding his breath and swimming short distances to the side of the pool. His other fear was climbing up the ladder to get out of the pool. Our sweet little idiosyncratic Joseph. On the last day of lessons, and his finale on the diving board, he said through his tears as they dropped him off the board, Mommy, I am being very brave!

Will made great strides and now jumps off the side at a run, and swims strokes and takes breaths while swimming. He also likes to swim to the bottom of the pool to retrieve toys. His teacher from last year said he was a different boy this year, and I agreed.

These medals were well-earned by two very brave boys. Mommy and Daddy could not be more proud.