Tavin's First Swimming Lesson

I've been on a mission to find affordable swimming lessons for the boys for years.  We loved the tot program at the Sarah Heinz House last year, but this year Koen would have to be in the whole Boys & Girls Club routine (and it's an intense commitment), so we opted out.  Our gym has always offered group swimming lessons, but they were a little pricey for this frugal momma.  Well, I finally gave in and bit the bullet (there's a reason I have an "education" savings account) and signed up not just Koen, but also Tavin, for swimming lessons.  The boys were so excited.  Tavin was psyched, but also seemed confused, unsure of exactly what "swimming lesson" would entail.  I tried to clarify what I thought the lesson would be like, but I'm not sure it helped.  Neither did the fact that I had to wake him up from his nap to take him there and he seemed to be half asleep still when he got in the pool.  He jumped right in though and did everything his sweet teacher asked of him.  He was brave, trusting and a hard worker.  I was so impressed.  It was such a neat experience to see him from this different vantage point, watching him learning something new, exciting, a bit scary and lacking his dear old mom, but totally succeeding in the venture.  Good job, Tav!  I'm so proud of you!  Can't wait to see all you learn these next 10 weeks.  Here are the few pictures I grabbed on my phone (they aren't great because I was trying to not look like that mom).

Here's Tav floating on his back like a pro.  I couldn't believe that he would agree to this trusting move during his first lesson.  I think his adorable belly helps him float. =)  You can see Koen practicing along the wall.  Koen could not wait to get in the water, so he had free swim the half hour during Tav's lesson before his.

Tavin was the only one in his class this week, so he got complete one-on-one attention from Miss Sadie.  It was a great start.  Here he is kicking up a storm.

I wish I had gotten a clear shot of this.  Whenever he could, Tav would turn to me, smile a huge smile like a champ and yell, "hi Mommy!"  I was beaming and giving him thumbs up and occasional shouts of encouragement (or stroke examples with my arms) throughout the whole lesson.  Ok, maybe I am that mom. =)

Although this post is about Tav's great job at his first lesson, I need to mention that Koen did a great job with his swimming lesson as well.  He listened well, despite the distracting surroundings.  His teacher, Mr. Jordan, found a few things right away to pinpoint and work on and Koen made noticeable progress even in his first session.  I am excited to see what Koen learns in the coming weeks as well.  I was just so happy to see my boys in the water learning how to swim.  I'm a fish and I just love sharing the fun of the water with them and seeing it bring them joy and confidence.