They’re growing Up…

A Fun Day at the Water Park

The other day we went to the water park and the kids flopped around in the pool and went down the “lazy river” and had a great time. But, for some reason both of them got it into their heads that they were going to jump off the high dive into the diving pool. “Huh?…”, I said!

The diving pool is something like 12 feet deep, and I was unsure of our kids’ swimming abilities, but there were two lifeguards there, so I figured it would be ok. Here is a video of the kids working up their courage to jump. It’s a collage of the many attempts.

By the way, I was surprised at how well the kids did in the deep pool. They had no problems at all swimming themselves over to the ladders, etc. and didn’t seem freaked at all that the bottom of the pool was way below them.

Ian's 8th Birthday Party

Ian had actually turned 8 years old several weeks prior but due to scheduling problems and the like we had his birthday party several weeks late. We had it at the Arlington Heights Park District pool again this year. As usual lots of kids showed up and everyone had a great time.

One of the benefits of your kids getting older is you don't have to worry quite as much about them while they are in the water. Because of this we were able to chat a little more with the parents that came and we felt comfortable turning our backs for a few minutes while we setup the cake and drinks. But even if we hadn't felt so comfortable the park district provided a lot of life guards this year. I think there were at least four of them, possibly more.

Ian's cake was a "Star Wars" cake that we ordered from a local Wal-Mart. Personally I prefer the cakes that Meijer makes but they didn't have a Star Wars themed cake. It tasted pretty good and it was devoured by the kids in a heartbeat. I had hoped that I ordered a significantly large cake that we would be able to take some home, and we did but not as much as I had wanted.

The important thing about the whole day was Ian had a great time and he was very nice to tell his mom so. It makes it a lot easier to spend the money and the time and effort when your kids appreciate it.