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I'm Shay! I’m a cookbook author, lifestyle blogger, travel agency owner, wife and mama who loves making every day special for my family.

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Mix & Match Mama

Ashby, Madeley ·

Splash!


Hello!  Hello!

Last week, my two littles completed their week of swim lessons.  We have been taking lessons from the same sweet lady for six years in a row now.  This was the first time that my two big kids didn’t take lessons and instead, the two littles did.  I had no idea what to expect on day one…but let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised!  Before we get to that, here’s a little look back at our time with Mrs. Sally…

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2011

Oh sweet Kensington.  She never wanted to be more than three feet away from me.  Ever.  Still doesn’t 😉 .  Here’s one more from 2011 just for grins…

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…that kid.  She was 2.5 here.

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And then in 2012, Smith joined in on the lessons!  They get medals and a prize on their last day.

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Woohoo!  All smiles in 2013!  We talk about Mrs. Sally all year long.  Even though, we only see her once a week every year, she’s always a part of our family’s conversation.

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This is the only picture I have from swim lessons 2014.  We’re sitting in the car together before we went to Sally’s backyard.  We had swim lessons that year Monday through Thursday and then moved on Friday…so, needless to say, I’m pretty sure I was too stressed/overwhelmed/preoccupied to take pics 😉 .

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In 2015, we added a new face to our lessons!  Miss Ashby had only been home about four months, but she was ready to go!

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And then in 2016, she was the star of the show :).

So, this year, we had our lessons every day after school.  I would pick up the big kids at 3:00 and we would head on over to see Mrs. Sally.  The bigs loved being able to watch!  This was Ashby’s third year and Madeley’s first, so I was apprehensive about how she would do…but she did FANTASTIC!!!

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Madeley’s hair is my favorite thing about this picture 😉 .  We were headed out the door to get the big kids from school and go straight to swim lessons!

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When we arrived, Madeley needed a little pep talk from her big brother and sister.

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And a hug.

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I just love these four kiddos so much!!

So, day one was a hit!  Madeley never once cried.  She let Mrs. Sally do her thing, and we were both impressed!


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Watching the little girls swim with my big girl.

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Sisters.

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She would head out and swim a little to Mrs. Sally…

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…and then swim back.

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Did you see me swim, mom?

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Ashby was jumping off the diving board and swimming all the way across the pool by the end of the week and sweet little Madeley was doing great too (even jumping off the side!)…so, we considered it a success!  Another year of swim lessons at Mrs. Sally’s down!

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Comments

  3. Jen says

    Where is your tank from in the recent pic with Kensington? And you have the most adorable kids!

  4. Sheaffer Sims says

    I’m SO IMPRESSED with Madeley! The year we went to Miss Sally’s, I had to hide in the garage because Carter was BAWLING the entire time! Go M and A!!!!!

  7. Jen says

    Hey Shay! Where is your straw like hat from in your insta story where you are in the pool?! I need a sun blocker! Also praying for your friend Erika!!

  10. Gail Prowant says

    Adorable! Does Mrs. Sally except any age children? Would you give out her contact information? I am looking for swim lessons for my grandson.

  14. Laura says

    Look at those little swimmers! So cute. Love the photo of Madely sitting with her big sibs, so cute. Hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day, Shay!

  15. Angela Ellingson says

    So adorable! I love how they really learned to SWIM! My kids just finished swimming lessons, and although they took some baby steps, the instructor never had them swim on their own.

  16. Melissa says

    So cute! I just signed our little up for swim lessons yesterday and have no idea how it will go…here’s hoping he’ll be a fish like Madeley ; )

  18. Rebecca Brittain says

    This is so precious. Swim lessons was always my favorite even after I knew how to swim. Your children are all so precious and their smiles light up my morning!

  19. Nicole D. says

    My daughter Charlotte is the same way! I call her a Velcro baby. Even though she’s a toddler now, I’ll probably always call her that. At what age would you recommend starting swim lessons? She is 18m

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      I think two is best! I know you can do earlier, but two worked for us.

  20. Ariadna says

    Oh my goodness the first pictures of Smith and Kensington are so cute!! So tiny!! And Ashby’s first year! She looks so little, you can tell she’s growing up so fast!! And sweet Madeley getting her pep talk just melts my heart! Thank you for sharing pictures of your kiddos with us, I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day!

  21. Deirdre says

    Love your blog! Can I ask where Kensington’s 2 shirts are from in the last couple pics above? They’re beautiful & I’d love to track them down for my daughter. Thanks!
    Dee

  23. Ella says

    This is so cute. I never knew such small kids can do swim lessons. Here they don’t take younger than six.

  26. Ashley says

    Ashby has gotten so tall from 2016 to this year! So crazy! I also love the picture of Kensington holding Madeley.

  30. Olivia says

    How old was Ashby when you got her and how old was Madeley? Also which one attached better to you guys and which child just I don’t wanna say “fit in” at first better? So who was the easier adoption? Do you know what I mean?

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      Ashby was 2.5 and Madeley was 23 months. I would say that they both attached just about the same. It took Ashby a bit more to warm up to Andrew, but other than that, they really didn’t have distinguishable differences.

  31. Sophie says

    Here in Australia (east coast) they offer swimming lessons for bubs and up from about 6 months old! Water safety is such a valuable thing here because we are surrounded by beaches. Also for primary aged children they do some swimming lessons with school as well.

  32. Krisy says

    Hi! Just wondering what kind of goggles you get for your kids and if you like them? Thanks!

  33. Nat says

    I have been watching your instagram clip of Madelyn’s gotcha day. Tears flowing with love and happiness. At what point did you just let the tears flow after meeting her? When that lady started saying mama I just lost it. Thank you for sharing your journey. Adoption has always been my heart’s desire. Big hugs

  35. Sarah says

    Awww! Love this! ❤️ My boys go to Ms. Sally next week. This will be year 4 for my oldest ad year 2 for my youngest. She’s awesome!!