Spring Break Part IV

Well... as you can tell, there are just days when I either can't update... or just don't have the motivation and will power to stay up any later.  But today... I'm feelin' it!!  

With that said, the following post comes as a sequel of sorts from the last.  It's the very same day... just a different adventure!  Thursday after the hike, we had a much needed smoothie, I ran to Target to grab Ella the Puddle Jumper floatie device you'll see her wearing below (which is the ONLY kind of floatie she will wear... ), and headed over to "Sam's pool" for the afternoon!  It was blazing outside, but the water was, well... REFRESHINGLY COOL!  We all got used to it rather quickly and we enjoyed an afternoon of fun play!  It was a great way for the kids to expend the very last bit of their energy for the day, too!  Haha!

{A little more about Ella before we begin... just for journal purposes!  Ella, as you know, is a very stubborn, independent little creature.  I have NEVER been able to get her to put on floaties of any kind.  She screams and hollers every time I make her... or try to... and makes a GIANT scene wherever we may be.  So... though I keep trying every time, I had quit pushing it too much.  BUT... as I mentioned we had gone to the pool just the day before with friends here at our house, we saw more friends there, and one of them offered to let me use an extra Puddle Jumper.  Ashlyn had already taken Ella's floaties that I had brought for her because she refused to wear them, so I agreed, even though I was sure it wouldn't fly.  BUT... to my surprise, after a less-than-normal spat about it, I drug her in the pool with it on and let go of her... and found FREEDOM!!!!  She was a little nervous at first, but then when she realized that she could putter around the entire pool without feeling like she would go under... she was OFF!!  No turning back now!!!  Yay!  Thank you, Cori, for letting us borrow!  It did the trick!  She will now (as of this last weekend, 16 April) put her head down in the water, her butt up, and hold her breath while she SWIMS!!!!  Yay!}

Okay... enough said!  Enjoy our kids, otherwise known as FISH!

This picture is simply to PROVE that Amberie got in the water with a suit on!  She hates the water... and doesn't swim, so she is very nervous of it, but oh the things my family will do to please and entertain my kids!  There was a point when she even went with Sam that I wish I had a picture of!

FREEDOM!!!  Love it!

Cute sisters!  Ella and Lexi

Braeden with goggles... doesn't he just crack you up?  Remember when goggles were part of his super hero get-up??  :o)

Lexi!  Though they are good swimmers, we will continue to put them in lessons until their skills are FABULOUS!

Braeden... still swims like a shark.  Not keeping his body or his legs straight.  He sort of swishes his torso from side to side... like a shark... thinking it will help him move faster.  It doesn't.

Whoa!  Look at those white legs!  Haha!  J/K  This is Sam demonstrating a proper water handstand for Lexi!

And... she caught on fairly quick!

We love under water rides... and this is how they begin!

But then you can't pry the child off when it's over!

Getting tired yet, Sam??  Got another one to go!

Perfect sync... keep watching!

We should be Silly Synchronized Jumpers in the Olympics!  We'd make the biggest splash, I bet!

This is how Ella felt about all the jumping on this particular day!  Not any more!  She'll run and jump along with everyone else now!

Serious SPLASH!!  Watch out... we're emptying the pool!

It got a LOT sillier... they had to even do the "Butt First Jump!"

??

Trying... really TRYING... to soak in some rays!  I really need them.  I'm not only glowing white... I'm like florescent!  Scary!

Aunt Colleen came with us, but just relaxed pool-side.  And then shared a snack with Ella!

Yikes!

He and Lexi BOTH love doing flips off the side... but it scares me a little!

And by the time we left... we were pooped! All of us! Ella went to sleep on the couch for a couple of hours even. For us, that is notable, since my kids do NOT take naps unless their bodies just completely crash on them! Sillies! They think if they sleep they will miss out on something!

I should also note that we did a slow-motion jump while Amberie was snapping away in Sport mode.  It is HILARIOUS, and maybe I'll post it later... by itself!  (We were slow motion running and jumping in the pool... make sense??  Maybe not... I'll share later!)