Just Keep Swimming

We spent this past weekend at the Bend swim meet. It is an annual big event at a gorgeous park and facility. Most of the swim meet participants camp out in or near the park. This is the first year we’ve slept in tents rather than our trailer. Actually, it happens to be the first time our whole family has camped anywhere in a tent.

The first year we attended, when Lola was a year and a half, was a rough year. Last year was quite enjoyable despite the crazy storm that accosted us on our way over the pass and caused the pool to close several times over the course of the weekend. This year, well, not so fun.

A few things were easier: Lola is getting older and more independent. It was nice to have the tent and chairs near other friends and closer to the pool. The weather wasn’t hot. Leif is older and more independent. Levi and Luke don’t need quite as much parenting and micromanaging while swimming. The officials changed to a split format meet and only in the outdoor pool, so Russ wasn’t trying to swim indoors while the boys were swimming outdoors.

A few things were not so fun, but I’ll spare you the whiny details.

Lola and I spent the weekend together, just hanging out. Or, rather, waiting and waiting and waiting. It was torturous waiting for her chance to swim in the outdoor splash pool the second day. And then there was a major hysterical meltdown when it was time to get out (two minutes early because her mother was freezing cold and couldn’t stand another 120 seconds), and we endured the walk of shame all the way back to the tent.

I didn’t hang out much on deck due to limited space and I didn’t haul the camera around much, but I was able to watch each of the boys swim at least once and snap a couple pictures of Russ’s 100IM. His swim time has been almost non-existent in the past few months because of his work schedule and increased coaching duties, so he was brave to jump in and compete with all the young whippersnappers with endless energy. Ha!

In other news…

We’ve all been reading, reading, reading.

All four kids, hallelujah, spent three days at a VBS this week while I had a few moments alone, hallelujah. [Thank you, thank you, thank you, to Eastside for hosting 3 year olds as well as middle schoolers. I love you people.] It was my honest intention to get a bunch of stuff done, but I should have known better.

I spent some time Tuesday morning exercising my willingness to step outside my box and be brave (and waaaay out of my league).

An afternoon in a boat on the river with best friends was electrical-stormed-out Tuesday, so we just spent the time together eating pizza and chatting and playing and watching a movie.

We have Book Detectives this evening and a birthday party for Leif on Saturday.

One week left of summer, and then the rubber meets the road. I’m a little bit terrified. We’ve had such a lazy, oh, year (or 12), and I think this new schedule is going to be a shock to our systems (for at least two of us). We have only one week to ease into things.

Do you have any last hurrahs planned for the end of summer, or has your school year already begun?