Apple Camp, Round 2

As it turns out, it's a good thing the girls enjoyed Apple camp last week because I signed them up for TWO WEEKS!

We returned to the Apple store this week for their second week of camp to learn how to make videos. The girls learn how to shoot and edit, and on the last day, the campers presented their films. 

George and I have spent a LOT of time inside the Apple store this week. A couple of random thoughts... 1) the Apple store has the best air conditioning. The BEST! and 2) although we started the week out with great intentions of George and I reading while the girls worked, I caved and let George purchase Renegade, a new game, to help pass the time. It was soooo worth it!

Apple Camp

This week Grace and Lauren are attending Apple Camp for robotics and coding. George decided to sit this one out, and if I am being completely honest, the girls have some reservations. They are doing it, and they are interested in coding. However, we haven't been bitten by the robotics bug. 

The camp is open to kids, ages 8-10, and I offered to "overestimate" George's age, if he were interested. He declined, and that worked out well because the class age skewed more toward twelve. 

Overall, the girls admit that they had a good time, and they are glad they went.

Swim Camp, Week Two

So, funny story... for the past four years, the girls and then, later, George have gone to swim camp at the Y. Camps were never at capacity, and one could literally register by Wednesday to be enrolled in any camp for the following week. The whole process was easy peasy.

Imagine my surprise when I went to register them for their usual two weeks of camp and realized that the number of camps had been slashed considerably. All of "our" regular counselors were gone. The deadline (uh... deadline???) was back at the beginning of March (3 months ago). Perhaps I should have known about this rather abrupt change but obviously did not.  

So I called the troops in for a family meeting. I had good news and bad news. The good news is that we would have swim camp; the bad news is that it would be cobbled together by yours truly and would consist of swim lessons and some long days at the pool. 

Cheers erupted!

It was the best plan ever!

They would much rather go to camp with me!

You better believe I am filing this memory away for future years when they do not want to be seen with me in public. As mentioned, George would work on building strength and nailing the swim test. Grace and Lauren would work on perfecting different styles of swimming, e.g., the breast stroke, the back stroke, butterfly. They also wanted to work on making "the turn" in competitive swimming.  

George's two week class was first, and he crushed it. The girls' class was a couple of weeks later. They worked with a swim coach to improve the different styles and work on breathing. And they both were able to complete the turn. Like with George's class, we hit the indoor pool for their class, and then we spent the afternoon at the outdoor pool. 

This schedule was a huge win for the trio, and we had so much fun. Procrastination has never been more refreshing. 

Swim Camp, Week One

Swimming is always a big goal for us each summer. Grace and Lauren are both strong swimmers, and for the past two summers, George has been swimming on his own by the end of each summer, after having had swimming lessons. While Grace has long arms and legs, Lauren and George are built similarly and have had to work harder at swimming.  

Accordingly, we signed George up for some classes, and he nailed it. By the second day of classes, he swam the length of the pool, treaded for 30 seconds and passed the Y's stringent swim test.  He continued with classes for two weeks to become stronger.  

He has been working for three years to get the green band. Such a happy day for him!

Lauren and Grace, your alone time in the deep end is OVER.  

Our routine for swim camp was simple. We would sleep in, throw on swimsuits, pack a lunch and our bag, swim indoors during George's lesson, and then head to the outdoor pool. We love this summer routine and are going to be really bummed when it comes to an end.  

While George had his class, the girls came up with a lap swim schedule. The first day they swam 46 laps (1+ mile), but after that initial burst of activity, they held it to a more manageable mile.  

Summer is just the best, and these are our favorite athletes.  

Tennis Camp 2018

Although VBS week really cannot be topped, having tennis camp scheduled the next week helped with the let-down a little bit.  

These three grabbed their racquets each afternoon for two and half hours of tennis instruction. Skip is trying to motivated them to play tennis, and they do have fun with it, although it's just not their passion.  

Maybe Wimbledon and the US Open will encourage them.  

Basketball Camp

Last week the trio attending basketball camp each morning, Monday through Thursday. Although they are super active and very limber, they reported soreness in their legs (inner thighs), and they were pretty sore. Also, they were really tired, but that could be because basketball camps (mornings) coincided with VBS (nights). In other words, they were burning the candle at both ends.  

Otherwise, they were ecstatic because 1) George was reunited with four really good friends and 2) the girls had a couple of friends there, too. Basketball camp quickly because playdate central, and they ended up with a playdate with one friend Thursday afternoon and three friends for most of the day Friday. At the end of summer when I am out of tricks and ideas, playdates are a lifesaver.  

As for camp, they had an awesome time, and George really learned to shoot the ball well. Grace definitely wants to play this winter, and George is eager to try the game. Lauren, however, thinks she is ready to retire and focus on dance and track instead.  

Swim Camp, Redux

At the end of June the trio suited up again for their second and final week of swim camp. 

William George continued to do very well, often swimming independently. Grace and Lauren continued to work on the backstroke and the butterfly. They also worked on diving off the blocks.  

Luckily for the trio, this particular week was "pirate week". They had pirate names, treasure hunts and eyepatches, naturally.  

They made new friends, and they especially love the swim team coach, Mr. John Ryan, whom they all affectionally call "Mr.JohnRyan" as if that is his full name.  

On the final day, there were some big storms in the area, and George still gets nervous about bad weather. While I have an adorable photo of them heading off to camp in their rain gear, George is visibly upset so we will not post. Just picture three little ducks waddling off in the rain.  

The good news is that the rain cleared quickly, and they had a field trip (skating). They returned for lunch and an afternoon swim where they, coincidentally, got to play with some friends who were there visiting the Y.  

In lieu of the "last day" pics, George and Grace needed new goggles that week, and both had to demo them at home.  

They had a fantastic second week and were sad to say goodbye to their counselors for the summer.  

YMCA Camp, Week Two

Grace, George and Lauren, on the last day of camp

Oh, hello there.

I have no excuses for you regarding the delayed updates, except to say that it is summer time, and we have been exceptionally busy... and having fun... and working on projects... and none of those items on the to-do list have lent themselves to any time sitting at a desk and/or in front of a computer.

I'll try to catch up quickly. The duo had their second week of swim camp from June 22nd through June 26th. The second week was even better than the first because their friend Kaitlyn attended that week, having gone to camp with them a couple of weeks last year (as well as playing softball and basketball with them this past winter and spring). William George continued his second week of daily swimming lessons, and we continued to log a lot of time at the gym and pool. On the last day, the duo had an awesome field trip to splash adventure, and when it was time to leave, the trio hugged their counselors (and George hugged his swim coach).

William George, lunching by the pool

Grace and Lauren, swimming laps at the indoor pool

Lauren, conquering her fear of diving into the deep end

Overall, the trio had an awesome time at camp. They were top plankers again this year, and they out-ran their fellow campers, even though some of them were older. William George made a friend, his classmate, Luke, and he progressed to treading water and jumping in the deep end. We logged some solid pool time over the course of two weeks, and strengthened our swimming skills.

 Also, we listened to the Village People's "YMCA" a thousand or so times.

Summer Camp

First day of camp

When our summer quickly deviated from the norm, we quickly got the duo registered for summer camp at the YMCA. My nephew and niece attended camp there for a few summers many, many years ago, and we hear nothing but good things about the program. The duo were signed up on a Thursday, and then began four weeks of Splash Camp the following Monday.

Grace's green band

Splash Camp is one of the specialty camps focusing on swimming. The swim test has stymied us the past couple of years, but this year they tackled swimming head on. The other morning at breakfast they each flexed their muscles, and their four weeks of swimming 3-4 hours per day has literally left its mark on their arms. Their muscle tone is really impressive! After a week of lessons and practice, Grace brought home the green band, signifying that she had passed the (kind of difficult) swim test. Lauren quickly mastered swimming laps, but struggled with treading water for 30 seconds. She struggled and worked VERY hard. During one very determined day, she took the swimming test three times. Her counselors were pulling for her and assured us that she was very close to meeting the requirement. She was bitter about leaving camp with a red band, and we will take her again one weekend to help her with that portion of the test. She is soooo close.

Last day of camp

We would give the YMCA Splash Camp five stars. The camp itself is a little pricey (especially the non-member fee), and not something that we normally would do for four weeks. If I were a working mom, the YMCA program would be my first choice for summer childcare.  As a non-working mom, I am sold, and we will likely sign the girls up for a week next year.