JOY to the pool

We went to the pool last Monday, June 22nd. It was the second time we’ve gone this summer. It’s actually been a fun thing to do. I’ve never been a regular pool attendee (usually just at hotels) and I was very nervous about taking all 4 kids by myself. But it seemed to work out alright. I wasn’t exactly alone, either, I did go with a friend, who also has a bunch of kids-although most of her kids are a little older than mine, and not so dependant and drownable.
The first time we went I didn’t bring any floatation items. I, for some reason, thought they weren’t allowed. Come to find out that they ARE allowed, so I made a mental note to come better prepared (you can also bring your own snacks!).
Trip #1:
The first time we went (the first hour) was a lot of fun. I did have to keep a close eye on Eli and Malachi, because they were both candidates for drowning, and at one point Eli nearly did. He decided to take off his arm floaties and follow Ati into the deeper water. It wasn’t too deep, but just barely deep enough that Ati could reach and Eli couldn’t. I was only a few feet away, but I was holding Malachi, who also didn’t have floaties. As soon as I saw Eli’s little head bobbing up and down, barely staying above the water, I rushed over to him -baby in arms- and snatched him up. That was a little unnerving, but we all survived it.
Just about the time we were getting ready to leave, Ati started having a melt-down, from being too hot for too long, and tired, and whatever; she’s fragile, to say it nicely (when she’s “melting”, anything that can go wrong, does go wrong-in her world-and you’d think the end is upon us; drama, drama, drama). So, I had to get them dry and changed, all the while trying to keep Ati calm-which wasn’t working too well. She even ended up slipping in the bathroom, because the floors are so wet and slick, and she hit her head on the floor. I couldn’t blame her, at that point, for being upset (but it didn’t make it any easier to deal with). Eli, somehow, also slipped in the wet bathroom, after Ati did, and he too joined the choir. Malachi was way past his nap time, and Tad was also hot and tired-everyone singing in unison. It was a crazy hour of whiny, screaming, little…people. “Wee wee wee, all the way home”, they screamed. It was great fun; fun indeed.
Trip #2
Needless to say, I wasn’t too excited about how the second trip would go. But, I kept an open mind, and hoped for the best.
Having the floating stuff helped tremendously. I didn’t have to be paranoid about anyone drowning, and could actually relax and enjoy myself. I had Malachi in one of those yellow baby boat thingies, and I had another baby boat that was really tiny, that I ripped the bottom out of while we were there at the pool-with my teeth none the less-and let Eli use as a “ring”. It worked really well that way. They were all joyous. I also brought “boogie boards” for Tad and Ati, and they had a lot of fun with those.
The pool is really neat, it’s set up with a little kid area that starts out very shallow like a beach, and gradually gets deeper. Even Malachi can crawl around in it without floaties. That’s what he did most of the time on our first trip. He thought it was great fun! The deep part isn’t even too deep for Ati, and she can barely touch throughout the whole thing. She’s pretty much fine on her own; plus I can see her just about anywhere if there was a problem.
I even remembered to wear sunscreen. Last time I got pretty burnt on my shoulders and back, and was sore for a week. The kids were fine because I remembered to goop it on them, but I have a hard time putting it on myself. I since bought some of the spray on kind, and was able to spray it on myself. It was actually kind of funny, because I didn’t get my whole back, so you could see the parts I missed as I did get a little burnt around the edges. The kids were all thoroughly protected. I coated it on them really well, except for Tad, who happens to be allergic to sunscreen, and so he got a little burnt. Turns out he’s even allergic to the aloe vera spray I put on him after he got burned. I’m thinking it’s an isolated ingredient (possibly phenoxyethanol-who?), but haven’t figured out what to do about it.
Well, this second jaunt to the pool turned out to be a LOT of fun; All around. They blow the whistle at 3pm, and make everyone take a 10 minute break, so that’s usually when we leave. We took that time to relax, and eat some snacks, and dry off a little.
Then, we calmly got changed, and were very careful around the slippery bathroom floor. Even the ride home was calm, and relaxing. It was WEIRD! I was waiting for the melt-down, for the crying, for the screaming…it didn’t come! We got home, and were able to have quiet time with NO resistance; soo unusual.
All was well! Happy day! JOY, to the POOL!
Of course, it didn’t last. A raging storm was brewing, and it did unleash its fury. But...we won’t talk about it right now; we’ll just savor the “happy times”.
Yay for happy times!

Here's Eli and Malachi enjoying cake before going inside:
(it was also a birthday celebration for a friend)


I ended up only getting pictures out of the water, AFTER swimming; didn't want to get my camera wet, I guess

Malachi enjoying a chunk of concrete:


Malachi enjoying Eli's "ring".


FLOatiEs are even fun OUT of the water! Eli had to follow Malachi's lead..