Full day, full hearts

We crammed a lot of livin' into this past Saturday!

Wet and Wonderful
The day began early as we headed to the county swim meet about 45 minutes away. Su and Sa enjoyed their first season swimming for the small local swim team. Su was an alternate (and didn't get to swim), but Sa qualified in all four strokes --back, butterfly, breast, and freestyle.

Competition was stiff - some small communities have very strong swimming programs. Still she placed 4th in freestyle, and we are so proud of her determination and can-do spirit! It was deflating to explain to an 8 year old that though she won her heat in the breaststroke, she probably wouldn't win a medal as the fastest swimmers were seeded in the second heat. But we wanted to prepare her so she didn't feel robbed of her 'win' at the awards ceremony.

Competition is a very good thing for kids...as long as parents are able to help them keep it in perspective. That becomes difficult when some parents get more carried away than the kids!

Have you, as a parent, found successful ways to foster a healthy sense of competition in your children? I'd love to hear about it.

Here is Sa swimming her heart out (center swimmer - lane 5) while Su cheers for her from behind the camera.



"Farewell" Re-visited
Hubby took the Littles home around 5 pm, while Su, our neighbor, and I headed for the Scenic Six Fiddle Show in Potlatch, Idaho. They are part of a fiddle group called the Junior Jammers, and their group was performing. Along the way, they both decided they might has well play solos too, for the experience. Knowing how tired and sun-drenched they were, I was really proud of them both for stepping onstage to perform. Here is Su in only her third appearance on a stage. As might be expected, the second song she played, Ashokan Farewell, was very poignant for me. (You can read more about it at my blog for creative writing and reflection.)





Hope you enjoyed this bit of fiddlin' around!