A Different Kind of Summer

Between us moving and all my many ailments that, while somewhat better, are still plaguing me, we are just having a different kind of summer. 

We don't really have a vacation planned, mostly to save money because, let's face it, moving costs a lot. We will probably go somewhere small later in the summer, but it's already the second week of July and nothing is planned as of yet.

I am having problems with my big toe and have been limping around for 7 months too. So lots of things I think about doing (like waterparks and anywhere else that require a lot of walking) sound like torture.

So what HAVE we been doing?

We joined a new swim team. In some ways it was better and in some ways left me missing Sugar Creek. Our new neighborhood has two swim teams. One competes in the same league as our last, but the team had filled up and we couldn't get in. So we tried the other one. The other team only swims within itself. I have to say, I loved the coaching and practices and it was a great fit in that sense for my girls. It also was less intense than swimming in the league and allowed particularly my older girls to shine a little more which made it a good experience for them. Plus the park right next to the practice pool was a lot of fun and my girls enjoyed playing around there every day while the others were in practice. 

The downside - the team just wasn't as fun. The meets were quick and just a few of them (which many see as a plus) but there was no team spirit, no rivalry, no RELAYS, and you just kind of went and swam and went home. No Friday fun days, no team breakfast or pizza party day. Ribbons were awarded differently and took some getting used to.

The younger girls are now proficient in backstroke and can kind of breaststroke. Learning the strokes always makes for a challenging season but they did well.

Mackenzie made great improvements this year. She has also become quite competitive in breast stroke and she is really holding her own now in swimming.

Kaitlyn had a great season. She swam consistently all season and qualified for the Meet of Champions in all 4 strokes PLUS in a 50 free that she/we chose not to swim so she could not wear herself out for her other events. It paid off because she won the gold in backstroke!

There WAS an end of season awards party that basically got rained out. But my kids DID get some nice awards and it WOULD have been a lot of fun had the weather cooperated. Kaitlyn won MVP for her age group on the Red Team, and Reagan won Most Improved for her age group on the Read Team.

We will most likely switch to the league team in this neighborhood next year. Not sure if the older girls will do it. Otherwise we've been hanging out at the house, and going to their regular dance and skating activities. A few camps are planned but not as many as in the past. (Those camps are so darn expensive!) But the girls all tell me they're enjoying summer so I guess all is well!