Bowlin Beige

This year we were able to get both of the kids on the neighborhood swim team.  Parker spent 8 weeks doing swim lessons at the YMCA to get him ready for swimming. He finally got comfortable putting his head in the water, and now he won't take it out! He's just like his sister - a little fish! The love practicing with their friends every day at the pool. Last week they had their first swim meet of the season (and Parker's first ever).  He got 4th place in freestyle and 6th place in backstroke. Ainsley won her heat for breaststroke (her newest race), and got 3rd place for backstroke. This week she won 4th place in her freestyle relay.  Although swim meets are long and exhausting, they have a great time and are excited about the competition. We look forward to watching the progress even more with their swimming this summer!

Ainsley has loved horseback riding this year, so we signed her up for a few weeks of camp at her barn. It runs 9:30 - 4:30 every day,  and she spends all day outside. Each kid is assigned a horse to take care of for the week - mucking out stalls, grooming and cleaning, feeding and watering....plus two riding lessons each day. They have daily lectures where they learn about horse care, colors, health, and all things horse-related. It's hard work in the Richmond summer heat, and I wasn't sure how she'd like it. Fortunately she loved every minute of it! The first day I picked her up, she was busy hauling buckets of manure out of the yard, and wanted to stay longer so she could get 'extra credit' for cleaning out some additional stalls.  She had a wonderful week, made some new friends, and got to show off her skills to the parents on Friday afternoon.     She earned ribbons for grooming (3rd place), most improved rider (4th place), and