Is the Bellyflop an Olympic Event? Assisted Diving? What about Floating?

So you are probably wondering: Who posts about swimming in December? Well, we do. The weather here permits us to swim this time of year, and the kids--mostly Emma--beg to go to the pool about weekly.

Since it's Christmas time, there haven't been any other people at the pool lately and we have enjoyed having it to ourselves. It also makes it easier to take pictures. It's a little awkward taking pictures at the pool, because lots of people there would rather not have their pictures taken by strangers. Know what I mean?

Sam is the lone non-swimmer in the family. Hence, the "floaties." Maybe someday he will prefer the big pool to the baby pool.

These are two views of the same race: in the first frame, you see me looking for Megan, only to see that she is not winning. In the second frame, you see Megan winning. I think she was toying with me.

Emma has been trying to dive, but was only getting as close as the bellyflop. The Egyptian lifeguard made several attempts to teach Emma...

...but to no avail. So I helped her find out what headfirst was really like.

Jessica chose to go online instead of getting in the water. Apparently something on Facebook is really funny.

Next come the throws and flips. Sometime about 3.7 seconds after I get in the water, Emma begs for a flip or a throw. Megan and Jake will usually settle for one or two as well. Here are some shots Sara took mid-throw:

Megan,

Emma,
and Jake.
Ohhhh, cute. If you can't tell, this is posed. But it's no surprise that Jake has sneaked up behind me. He's smiling because he's thinking about how he is going to throw a choke on me when I least expect it.


When Emma gets the diving figured out, I'll show you.