A New Swim Suit

Lillian’s Yia-Yia gave her a new swim suit and she wore it to her lesson yesterday. She insisted I take a picture. Note that her swim goggles have big eyelashes on them. She thinks they are pretty neat. In the video below, she demonstrates her back stroke…

Lillian’s Float Test

Lillian and her teachers Mr. Charlie and Ms. Lindsey

On Thursday, Lillian took (and passed) her third float test at the Houston Swim Club. She wore sneakers, blue jeans and a long sleeve shirt. Her instructor took her to the middle of the pool and threw her in; then she had to either remain afloat for five minutes or swim to the side of the pool without any verbal or physical assistance. The premise is that if you fall into water accidentally, you are unlikely to be in your swim suit, so the test makes sure you know what to do and what it feels like to be in the water fully dressed. Her ePa’s attempt to video the test was unsuccessful: she passed her test, he failed his.

When she made it to the side, the lifeguard rang a bell and everyone cheered. She got a certificate, a t-shirt and a bell and was pretty pleased with herself.

Who…Me?

Lillian’s Yia-Yia got her a new swim suit this Christmas. She likes it.

She’s swimming twice a week, and enjoying it. Happily, the pool is indoors. And heated.

Lillian Swimming Solo

Lillian with one of her swimming teachers, Ms. Linsey: she is on her back, kicking to the side of the pool, without her teacher’s help. She’s had two months of lessons and is coming along nicely at the fabulous Houston Swim Club in Sharpstown where it seems like just about every kid on this end of town learned to swim.

Making Rocket Ships

Lillian built this rocket at her summer day camp today (it’s space week). There’s flame shooting from the bottom, but it does not remain airborne for long, despite many vigorous launches. A number of those launches end by crashing into Lillian’s ePa.

Lillian continues swimming lessons, and floated on her back this week without her instructor’s support — until she realized that her teacher had let go!

Lillian wishes all of her many friends a Happy Midsummer’s Eve!

Learning to Swim

Lillian will finish her first two weeks of swimming lessons tomorrow. She’s always loved being in the water, so now seemed like a good time for her to learn to swim on her own. She’s in the Houston Swim Club’s two-week beginners class, which is five days a week, and will graduate to the Goldfish level and have lessons three days a week through June. It seems as if most of the kids on this end of town learned to swim at HSC.

Day one was fine, right up until her teacher wanted her to put her face in the water. This did not seem like a good idea to her, and she let everyone know. She was not alone: the other three members of her group viewed the entire exercise with emotions that ranged from simple fear to stark raving terror. By the end of the first week, terror had given way to pleasure, and now, at the end of the second week, they are all at home in the water. The instructors have been through this a time or two before, and handle the kids very well. Parents and grandparents are banished to an observation room behind one-way glass.

 

It’s Important To Keep Rain Off Of Your Swimsuit

Happy 4th of July

Lillian and Josh hang out with a gaggle of Graves’s. (front) Richard Graves, Lauren Roesler, Anne Graves (back) Miranda, Nathan, Michelle, David, Daniel, Nancy, Samuli, Nina, Paul Graves, Lillian and Josh Denby.

Sand and Water

The Houston summer is in full swing, heat and humidity, but it doesn’t slow Lilz down much. She likes the swings in the park even more, since she creates her own breeze as she glides through the air. And, when it’s really hot, she, lacking much in the way of inhibitions, just strips until she is comfortable and runs her feet through the cool sand in her sandbox. And, of course, her aunt Michelle and uncle David have a pool, which she is taking care of while they are off visiting relatives. She’s become a very proficient dog-paddler in her swim vest, and climbs in and out of the pool like a pro. “I’m paddling,” she says as she zips across the pool, “Hurry, Yia-Yia, hurry!” She likes to sing, too, as she swims, but hasn’t learned any pirate songs … yet.

Water Bug

The Lilibug’s great-uncle David has a big pool (actually, she has two great-uncle Davids with big pools, one a Graves and one a Wenner) and she spent Memorial Day afternoon splashing around in it with her dad and some of her cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents and great-grandmothers (although her great grandmother decided not to do any splashing). She ate hot dogs and potato salad and a cheesecake made by her fabulously talented cousin Miranda.

Josh counted the afternoon a great success: not long after they got home, the Lilibug asked him to put her to bed and she went right to sleep. (This does not happen very often).