{ A Great Day... }

I love my sweet Hallie. I had to write this experience down before I forgot.

This week we started swim lessons again. If you remember me writing about it last year, you'll remember that it was a horrible experience. (SEE HERE). Well this time around, I got some private lessons for her with someone much better. She said she didn't want to do it, but didn't fight me too much on it and ended up saying that she'd do it. Deep down, I know she really wants to learn how to swim. But she's scared.

So yesterday was the first day. I told the teacher that I wasn't expecting her to learn how to swim by the end (it's 4 lessons). I would call it a success if she just put her head under the water confidently without being scared or freaking out. I mean...this is the girl that's scared to even go in the wave pool because she doesn't want to get splashed in the face with water. Well the first day went okay. No tears, so that was improvement from last time. She was nervous, but didn't quit. And it was much more on her level. She seemed ok, but on the way home she told me she didn't want to go again.


Which leads me to this morning. We were getting ready and she kept saying, "I really don't want to go. Why do I have to take swim lessons? Why can't you just teach me? I'm not going....etc." I gave her a little pep talk about how it'll be so awesome to learn to swim. How it may seem hard, but it will be so great when she knows how. I threw in a little, "All your friends are learning to swim too. Don't you want to be able to swim with them instead of sit on the side and watch them?" Well...she left my room while I finished getting ready and I thought she'd just gone to play.

A little later, she came into my room with a very different attitude. She was really sweet, had a smile on her face and said, "Mom. I just felt the Holy Ghost." Right after she said that I felt such a strong feeling too. It was really powerful. I said, "Really? That's so neat. Tell me about it." She said, "It felt really good. I know it was the Holy Ghost." Didn't say much more. Didn't fight swim lessons again either.

We headed to swim lessons a little later in the day and she was seriously AMAZING!!! I was shocked when I looked over to see how she was doing. She had her entire face in the water and was floating on her stomach. I thought the teacher was holding her until she gave me two thumbs up and yelled, "She's doing awesome!" I about died. I thought for sure she was holding her. Did she have a third arm? ha ha. Well it only got better. By the end, she was putting her entire head under the water, holding her breathe, blowing bubbles, and swimming a little to the teacher by herself!!! She went from one end of the pool to the other (taking lots of breaks). I couldn't believe it! I kept saying to my friend, "Holy cow! I don't know what got in to her. Maybe my little pep talk did something." ha ha.

She was so proud of herself! She was so giddy and just so happy. We all were so happy. I took her to get an ice cream cone on the way home for doing so awesome. The whole way home she sang, "Swimming is so much fun to do. Fun to do. Fun to do. Swimming is so much fun to do. To do to do to do." She was so cute.

Well later when Aaron got home, we showed him the video I had gotten of her on my phone. He was as shocked as I was too. . He asked me what got into her as well. We didn't understand how all of a sudden she could do all that. We had no idea, but we were all so excited for her. Aaron said, "Hallie! How did you get so brave???" She looked at us, smiled, and said, "I said a prayer. And then I felt the Holy Ghost." Wow! What a special little girl. I had no clue she had said a prayer. She did that all on her own. Nobody told her to do that. But she was scared, and her initial thought was to say a prayer. Wow! She has so much faith. She knew that Heavenly Father would help her if she just asked.

What a cool experience for her as well as Aaron and myself. Just thought I'd share. And record it so we don't forget. Hallie is always teaching me so much. She has always had so much faith and believed so much in the power of prayer. It's cool to witness this in your own children and see them having these experiences. For sure, faith building for me. I am so grateful for the gospel and for the comfort we can receive from the Holy Ghost. And I am extremely grateful to have these sweet little angels in my life!

{6.29.11 }