Trip to Waco

I only had enough money for a little summer trip this year, so we went to Waco, Texas. It has become quite a popular stop thanks to Chip & Joanna Gain's popularity on the hit show, Fixer Upper. My kids happen to LOVE HGTV, which surprises me. We went to church today and they set off on the three hour drive. After we checked into our hotel, we did a little exploring around town. We went by Magnolia Market just to see the location. I know that Chip & Joanna are religious, so I figured that it would be closed today. We also walked around the river and across the bridges. Waco is a cute little town. 

We have quite an adventure planned tomorrow. When we got settled into our hotel, I turned on the television and flipped to the travel channel. They were featuring extreme water parks and wouldn't you know it...the one we're going to tomorrow was first. 

The stop signs in the downtown area of Waco have little flashing lights around the edges. Lexi decided that she wanted to pose with one. I had to take a few pictures in order to get one with the lights on.

Splashway Day

The kids got free tickets to Splashway from school, but they are only good for the month of June.  They can also only be used Monday through Thursday, which makes it tough when swim team keeps us busy. We finally made it out there yesterday. It is about an hour and 15 minutes west of us in the middle of a teeny tiny town (if you can call it that). 

We had a great time on the slides and the wave pool. We liked the lazy river too, but my kids like to stay on the move. 

Meet of Champs 2016

Lexi made it into the Meet of Champs this year. She has had an incredible year. Only the fastest swimmers from each team are invited. For each age & gender group, they take the top 8 for freestyle and backstroke. They take the top 4 for the IM, breaststroke, and butterfly. They also have 1 team for the medley at the end. She is a 9 - 10 girl and was selected for the backstroke, IM, butterfly, and medley. 

Most of the kids that make it to the Meet of Champs are club swimmers, meaning that they swim year round. They have also been on swim team for more years than she has. I have been thrilled and amazed by her this year. 

Here are her times:

25 Yard Backstroke: fastest time of the season - 20.97. tonight - 21.29 (16th place)

100 Yard IM: fastest time of the season - 1:39.71. tonight - 1:45.27 (13th place)

25 Yard Butterfly: fastest time of the season - 20.66. tonight - 20.45 (14th place)

100 Yard Medley Relay: 1:22.13 (3rd place)

Harper, Lexi, Riley & Ella

IM Video: (she is in the 3rd lane from the other end with blue cap & pink goggles)

Butterfly Video: (she is in the 2nd lane from the other end)

Swim Meet at Grand Lakes

Our last regular season meet was at Grand Lakes, which is quite close to our house. Their team was MUCH larger than ours. We have lots of friends from church and school that swim with that team. There were lots of people that we like cheering us on. Even though this was the hottest meet we've had all year, Lexi did better than ever. I think she was inspired by the cheers of our friends.

100 Yard Freestyle Relay: 1:18.27
25 yard Freestyle:
25 yard Backstroke: 20.97 (5th overall, 2nd for our team)
100 Yard IM: 1:39.71 (6th overall, 2nd for our team) - personal best
25 yard Butterfly: 21.12 (7th overall, 2nd for our team)
100 yard Medly Relay: 1:35.74 (4th overall, 2nd for our team)

Lexi and Trinity lining up for the Freestyle Relay

Christina, Jane and Lexi waiting for their next heat - 25 yard freestyle

25 Yard Backstroke

Right before the IM, Lexi ran over to me because her silver cap had split apart. Fortunately, I had a blue one to replace it. Unfortunately, the blue one isn't as easy to pick out in the crowd.

100 Yard IM:

Swim Meet at Home Pool

Warm Ups

Team Cheer

100 Yard Freestyle Relay- with Jane

25 Yard Backstroe

100 Yard IM:

Times for this meet:

100 Yard Freestyle Relay: 1:19.58 (5th place overall, 2nd our team)
25 yard Freestyle: 19.84 (20th place overall, 10th our team)
25 yard Backstroke: 23.91 (19th overall, 10th our team)
100 yard IM: 1:48.33 (10th overall, 4th our team)
25 yard Butterfly: 22:26 (6th overall, 3rd our team)
100 yard Medley Relay: 1:40.96

Savannah's Glow-in-the-dark Birthday Party

Our cute little friend, Savannah, has a glow-in-the-dark party for her 9th birthday. All the kids were told to wear white or neon. They had black lights and lots of glowy games and activities. I took a few pictures in the dark and some with the flash, which ruins the affect but lets you see the faces. 

Glowing Goo

Cards for Savannah

Glowing balloons

Glowing Pictionary

Presents

Group Picture

Glowing kick-ball at the park

Hot potato

Unwinding after friends left