This summer, the boys took swimming lessons.  Again.  And while Peter was already swimming independently by the end of last summer, the other two weren’t.  In fact, after half the summer of lessons again this year, they were still not swimming independently.

 So our BRILLIANT swim instructor suggested we “dangle a carrot” – in other words, offer the boys a reward for learning to swim by the end of the summer.  It was amazing to see what the words “Main Event” did for their motivation!  Suddenly they weren’t as afraid and Matthew was swimming from one side of the pool to the other – it was truly incredible to watch.  So, by the very last lesson of the summer, both boys demonstrated that they could swim from one side of the deep end to the other (with the instructor an arms’ length away, of course). 

 So Friday, we embarked on our end of summer trip to Main Event.

 Turns out, it was a lot of fun, even for us grown-ups.  We played Laser Tag and video games and bowled while eating pizza and drinking cokes – really a fun place!  But the highlight for me and Brad was when Matthew decided to do the ropes course.

 I don’t know if you have ever been to our Main Event, but unique to Frisco is an entire ropes course, housed way up in the air, where you walk on tightropes and planks and other scary things to get from fake tree to fake tree (there were platforms around each tree).  The course is completely safe, due to the rope that travels along a track and attaches to your harness, but even so, I have never had (nor ever will have) the desire to test its weight limitations.  Brad felt exactly the same way and Peter wanted nothing to do with it.  Even Samuel wasn’t interested in going on the ropes course.

 But guess who decided to do it.  All by himself, no less!  Yep, Matthew! 

 He was absolutely certain it was what he wanted to do, despite my attempts to gently point out HOW HIGH he would be off the ground.  So they put on his harness and he went up along with a group of about 15 teenagers.  He looked tiny next to all of them! 

 He was doing great – until he got a little ways out on a balance beam and looked down.  Suddenly, I watched as my baby’s face registered sheer terror.  I was almost in tears as he started crying and saying he wanted down.  Thankfully, the pimply faced teenager who works the ropes course was on it and had Matthew back to the platform in no time.

 Matthew started back down the steps and I walked over to meet him there.  Only, by the time I got there, he was going back up!  I asked what he was doing, and he said “I’m going to give it another try”.  Just like that – he faced his fears!!!  And he did it – he went a different way this time, but he ended up going across several of the different bridges and then had to cross them all to come back when the time was up!!!  I don’t think I’ve ever been so proud of that boy.  It was so unexpected, and yet, I shouldn’t be surprised.  The boy is growing up and maturing before our very eyes.  I’m so thankful for Matthew.