a proud moment

i just have to take a moment to share how proud i am of my kid right now. as a former lifeguard/swim teacher, i decided that i wanted my kids to learn to swim early. i was diligent to get ilya into the water young--i believe he was three months old when i first took him to the pool. and yet it was all to no avail. he seemed to enjoy swimming for a short period of time around the two-year mark, but after that it was all screaming and crying and generally throwing a fit every time i got him near water. i guess it's just his personality because he tends to resist anything we try to make him do, but if allowed he seems to start liking things in his own time. well today, ladies and gentlemen, my kid swam for the first time. it took some coaxing (and then some outright forcing) to get him into the "big pool" as he calls it, and then FINALLY i got him to understand that his feet could touch the bottom. the smile on his face when he finally got it was awesome. i showed him how to bob up and down to get himself back to the steps, whereupon he bounced up, stuck his face in the water, and swam. i tell you, it's the simple things in life you enjoy the most. to hear my oldest son tell me he's not scared anymore was one of the proudest moments i've had in quite awhile.

after a long physically exhausting day (ice skating, swimming, working out, etc.), art and ilya decided to take a short respite while i typed this blog.