We have had an amazing number of rain days so far this summer. I cannot recall a time in the last couple of weeks when it didn’t rain for at least part of the day. This article says we are seeing the second wettest June since records began in 1899 in the Dallas/Fort Worth area with over 10.5 inches of rain. That is about an inch short of the previous record set in 1928. And in stark contrast to the drought we have experienced for the previous two years. So…Dallas is very grateful for the rain. Aside from the larger and more serious repurcussions to a city in the midst of a huge drought, this house we bought stood empty all last summer. As a result, nothing was watered, our yard saw lots of damage, and huge areas were missing grass. We are grateful for the huge blessing all the water has been to the city as a whole, and in a more personal way, to us too.
Our children have been a little discouraged that the weather has limited their time in the pool, but we have tried to sneak in a few swimming trips in between the thunder, lightening, and downpours. We joined our neighborhood pool this summer, and when we’ve been able to go, we’ve really appreciated how close to home it is, the relatively small numbers of people there, and the diligent and watchful lifeguards on duty.
This month, despite the rain, we have been taking swimming lessons with a lady who lives nearby and who teaches only three students at a time, both her and a helper. We shelled out a few more buckos this year than in previous years, but I feel as if we’ve received about three years’ worth of swimming progress in the short time we took. (Prior to this, Jonathan spent three summers in swim lessons with very little to show for our time and effort and expense.)
This year, Abigail, already a pretty decent swimmer, polished her strokes, strengthened her abilities considerably, and learned to dive quite beautifully for an 8 year old (in my humble opinion!). She spent only a week in lessons, but we put the boys in for two, and they have also made excellent progress. As of two weeks ago, neither Jonathan nor Nicolas were swimming on their own, but when we went to the pool in our neighborhood yesterday, there were no swim vests or other props used. They swam everywhere, jumped off the diving board into the deep end, and slid down the ten foot slide and into the water with no help or parental assistance. I was so very proud of them, and loved watching how much they’ve learned.
It is a really great feeling to know that now when I take four children to the pool with me, I have three who swim pretty well. A lot less stress is involved mentally, and physically speaking, I have only one little person who needs to hold onto me! Of course I know they all still need to be watched carefully, but overall it really is a much more enjoyable experience for everyone. We look forward to more swimming, weather permitting, during the remaining two months of summer vacation!!
It has been storming and hailing a lot in the St Louis area. The day before yesterday I was delayed over a half hour because I had to pull over and wait for visibility to return. Happily, the baby sitter was flexible!