Bridget's Show and Tell Summer

One of the things my siblings and I heard my Mom say after about two days of summer vacation was, "We just can't do this all summer long!"  I've since heard my sisters express the same sentiments.  The kids start sleeping in every day and there is no structure, which leads to chaos.  In short you have a GHASTLY mess!  I enrolled Bridget in two weeks of swimming lessons for June.

At first she was terrified.  She cried and didn't want to go in with all the kids she didn't know and the teachers she'd never met.  I was a dummy the first two days and brought the boys.  All kinds of stuff to play with in the yard (the pool is behind a fence) and my boys chose the creek and the air conditioner (to lick, naturally).  I can't be two places at the same time!  It was exhausting.  Grandma saved my life for the rest of swimming lessons.

Bridget is warming up and loving that I'm taking pictures of her.  Or not.  She can do that crazy dolphin kick the Olympic swimmers do!  She started doing it because she wanted to be a mermaid.

By the end of the two weeks Bridget was jumping off the diving board like a pro.  I'm glad we got those swimming lessons in before we went to the beach.  I think we'll need three weeks next year.  (This is my note to self.)

I also signed Bridget up for eight weeks of sewing classes for the summer.  Some fun ladies started a sewing program for children at the local quilt shop.  Bridget went every Friday (except while we were in North Carolina) for two hours.  It was the perfect thing to give her confidence and a new skill.  These photos make me cry a little - she made everything she's wearing (except the shoes) and the bag next to her.

We had to have a photo of the back of that skirt so you could see the buttons and the kick pleat.  I saw a blouse just like that at the mall yesterday. :)

So that took care of June and July, but now it's over.  We have one more short vacation, but then I'm going to have to think of something to get Bridget out of bed in the morning.