Man it's a hot one...

Like seven inches from the midday sun...

In spite of that, Melissa and I had planned a visit to Tracy Aviary on Friday, since we couldn't fit it in before school started, and we needed to go before our groupons expired. When the temperature reached near a hundred degrees we reconsidered, but some of the kids had their hearts set on it, so we went. Joey opted out, arguing that it was way too hot, and he was right.

It was okay, I guess, although too hot, and birds are really not my thing. I don't think we ever need to go back.

The kids wore their swimsuits so we could go to the fountains at Liberty Park afterward, but we were all so hot we ended up going to the club to swim instead. It is the only time this entire year we made it over for open plunge, and they all took advantage of the chance to go off the diving boards.

I never loved the high-dive, but I've always encouraged the kids to go for it.

It's not too bad watching Robbie, Joey or Ellie take the plunge...

But my baby?

She thinks she's just as big as the rest of them.

I get a little bit of vertigo just looking at the photos.

I hope my grandma isn't having a heart attack looking at these.

Turns out, she loves it.

It couldn't have been worse than sitting by the pool in my hot clothes, that's for sure. :)

The end of swim season

Although I was really happy to be back at the pool in June, after two months of daily practice and seemingly countless meets, I am equally happy to be done. Here are some photos from our last meet.

Ainsley actually dived off the blocks (well, sort of :). None of my other kids did that at age five, and even Tommy (the head coach) said, "Who was that?!"

Ainsley, with her coach, Claire, and her teacher, Nick. They were both awesome, and Ainsley made a lot of progress this year.

Ellie, with her teacher, Sarah, and her coach, Angela. Again, awesome.

Just a Two-Photo Post!

Yes, it seemed significant enough to make it the title of the post.

This week was busy, with a swim meet on Monday night, and a Time Trial on Wednesday night. I was timing for both of them, so didn't manage many photos, but wanted to post two from the meet on Monday that I love. This one is Ellie, waiting to race. A cap and goggles are not usually flattering, but I love the way her features stand out. I love her blue eyes and thick eyelashes, her cute nose and full lips, but most of all, I adore her freckles. She is such a pretty girl, just going into that awkward phase with too-big teeth, but still so beautiful to me.

And I'm so proud of her. Here she is swimming the butterfly, something I can't even imagine being able to do.

Love this girl.

A Favorite Swim Team Tradition

Lest my last swim team post sounded too rosy, I'll set the record straight and admit that we do have the occasional whining about having to practice everyday. Especially on the mornings after a meet, and especially from a certain redhead who needs his beauty rest. But they all wake up early in anticipation of the team breakfast that takes the place of practice once a year.

Even the picky eaters get excited about it.

The shutter-happy moms too. I love this shot of Ellie, Amelia and Hallee. (It seems redundant to warn any reader of this blog about a post with a lot of photos, but if anyone needs such a warning, there it is).

Love this one too.

They had a professional photographer there to take the team pictures, and I just stood behind him and snapped away. This is Ainsley's age group, the six-and-unders. Ainsley's on the back row, third from the right. She loves her coach, Claire, who is a mom and so great with the youngest kids.

Next is Ellie's group, the eight-and-under girls. (There were too many boys to fit in the same shot). Ellie's coach, Angela, is a BYU swimmer, but she was out-of-town, so they're posing with the head coach, Tommy. He's done a great job with the program, and even taught me the right way to swim last year. Ellie is the one kneeling right in front of Tommy, and Amelia is right next to her.

Here's Joey, with the ten-and-under boys, and their coach, Nick. Joey is second from the left in the middle row.

Robbie is on the front row, right side, below his coach, Matt. All of the coaches have been awesome, but Matt and Nick have taught all of my kids lessons, and I so appreciate them. Jonas is on the front row, far left side.

Here's a photo of the photographer, attempting a large group shot (he's on the lifeguard chair on the right).

With his superior lens and angle, I'm sure his photo is much better than mine.

After breakfast and photos comes the part the kids all love...the coin toss.

They each bring three dollars in coins, which all gets tossed in the pool.

They line up until the whistle blows...

And then it's fair game. Joey is right in the middle of this shot, and he scored big. He found one of three marked ping-pong balls, which can be redeemed for $10. Plus another four or five in coins, so a nice profit.

Here he is collecting his cash.

Joey was pretty excited when he found the ping-pong ball. I overheard the coaches saying he sounded like the boy who found the golden ticket. This is definitely his happy face.

Ainsley stuck mostly to the steps, but even she just about broke even.

Pictures with water and sunshine make me happy, but I made the mistake of shooting in aperture priority and opening it up too much. Hopefully I'll get some better shots later this year with this experience in mind. Here's one of Robbie and Joey with Tanner and Jonas.

And the silly face shot.

I hope I have another opportunity to get this cousin photo right! And that I survive the ordeal that it will surely be. :)