Water Play
There are many, many things to love about living in our community. One of my favorite parts of the summer is that our pool passes cost $15/family member for the whole summer, and we can pick from 10 or 12 different pools. We have a fantastic pool right by us, and finally, just this year, we’ve taken full advantage of this pool plethora.
The children and I head to the pool every morning at 9:00 a.m. for an hour. We play, splash, swim, just generally enjoy being in the water together. There is a zero-entry pool that has fountains and only goes to 3 feet deep, and a “big” pool with lap lanes and a deep end. We like both of them, and we’ve started to make the transition to using the big pool more.
The whole family has been going to the pool all together on Saturdays, and we’ve been meeting cousins’ there on the weekends, too. It’s been just wonderful!
Monkey has turned into a fish this summer. We met friends to play at the pool early in June, and Monkey’s friend was diving to retrieve dive toys. Zoe decided she wanted to do this, too. Boom, she’s now a diving, spinning, cartwheeling water monkey.
Yessa has progressed through sheer force of will. She steadfastly refuses swim lessons because she’d have to go in without me. (“Maybe when I’m 9,” she just said to me yesterday.) But, she wants so much to be brave and strong and her own little person. She wanted goggles, and began teaching herself to put her face in the water and get comfortable with that feeling, and just in the last two weeks, she has taught herself to dive under the water and swim forward. She’s still nervous and excited and giggles as she swims. And she definitely has to have a taller person close by because she pays little heed to whether or not she can touch the bottom. I continue to be amazed and impressed with her drive and desire to learn.
The Buster. As always, his own, self-contained little person. Just this last Saturday he decided he wanted to put on a pair of goggles. Then he put his face in the water for the first time, ever, intentionally. He was proud of himself in his quiet way. I think we’ll have to start putting a ponytail in to hold back his bangs, but Buds isn’t going for that yet.
Monkey was really working with The Buster to help him get comfortable and to try swimming. It’s going to be fun and interesting to see what the rest of the summer holds for his water spurt.
