Manitou Season Finale:(

It was another amazing summer at Manitou. It just gets better and better. We had so many sunny, warm days this season and the water reached just shy of 80 degrees which was phenominal.

This year both boys did a ton of swimming (as always). Rain or shine, they were in there for many hours a day. Both boys really got onto jumping into the water (off the dock and ladder) and swimming on their backs and sides (Tan without a lifejacket for all of course:)

Tanner did his lessons in the lanes this year, with his favorite teacher Katie Dawson. Cam joined him some of the time in the lanes wanting to be a big boy - and did lessons every day too. We were really proud of Cam. He worked really hard in his lessons, and is desperately trying to swim without his lifejacket.

Both boys went in the Manitou triathalon and won medals. Tanner flew through the swimming portion full speed ahead of all the others. Cam was the youngest participant by a long shot (the other kids were at least 5) and hewas so motivated to do it. He came in dead last of course and we were very proud of him for doing it. It was so cute to see him running across that finish line. Many thanks to Michael McCall who was phenominal with him and did the race alongside him to make sure he was safe.

I got to do a lot of swimming which was wonderful. I made my goal of swimming across Manitou and beyond and did many other distance swims which felt great! I already miss the water and can't wait til next summer.

Tan really got onto kayaking, and did a ton of it at the end of the summer. He looks like a munchkin in our big kayak but he did great with it and would set out on adventures well ahead of us - just enjoying being able to take himself wherever he wanted to go. Next year he wants to "kayak to the community center every, every day."

We paddled to the community center almost every day this summer, and both boys were a big help into the canoe. Cam really started paddling a little this year, and Tan was an incredible help paddling and really got onto doing draws and cross-bow draws to help steer.

On Tan's inspiration, he and I went in one of the Sunday sailing races this year, and came 4th which I was pretty proud of after all these years. It was fun and I realize that I'm a little more competitive than I realized!

While we were at Manitou Cam did his longest hike (a 5K loop at the forestry center) ever. He was a trooper and we were all very proud of him.

It was a fantastic summer of playing with Geemie and Poppa and the cousins, catching frogs, toads, and crickets, lego marathons, and playing, playing, playing!!! We all feel so lucky to have Manitou. A million thank you's to Mom and Dad for making it possible:)