Tag-Along Treks

We have been using a tag-along bike as our means of getting around town with our four-year-old lately. We take it to concerts in the park, to the dentist, and to the pool.

We recently acquired the Burley Piccolo model. On the weekend before swim lessons began, we got motivated to get it hooked up and get Julia accustomed to riding it. The town pool is too far for walking and a bit close for driving when we could bike. Given the time constrictions of making to a lesson on time, I didn't want to worry about Julia creeping down the hills on her training wheels with me alongside on foot. The tag-along was the perfect solution. Plus, big sister, Ava, didn't have to wait for her sister on what turned out to be 10 round trips to swim lessons.

Swim Lesson Season

The girls just started week two of swim lessons and their rapid progress amazes me. We come home from swim lessons, eat lunch, and then head to our neighbor's pool. Being in the water so much lends itself to big improvements in swim skills.

At the beginning of the summer, Ava could swim underwater a bit and that was it. Now, she demonstrates a good front crawl, back crawl and can tread water and float. She jumps off the diving board and swims to the ladder.

Julia has learned how to go underwater this season. She is so in awe of this concept that she dunks under just about every other minute. She has very curly hair and her new wet-head straight doo keeps me staring at her, looking for the girl I'm used to seeing.

It is often said that the second child learns skills quickly trying to keep up with child #1. Well Julia is already going off the diving board like her sister. Now, she can't swim so we have to be there when she bobs up. Sometimes she goes in with a lifejacket on so she can "swim" back to the ladder.

We have a neighbor who can do hand-stand flips off the diving board and I saw Julia putting her hands up and stepping as if she were getting ready for that flip. I think we have a dare devil on our hands.