Pool Days on Repeat

Our pool season got off to a late start this year because Amarillo was unseasonably cool for several days at the end of May/beginning of June. In fact, we had days that didn't reach 70° (so weird for Texas) so the pool didn't even open on Memorial Day when it was supposed to. Once it did warm up though, we made sure to visit often. You can't beat swimming as an activity for kids - it both makes them happy and tired at the same time. Win! 

The water was a little chilly on our first visit, but the kids were too excited to care

Davey never got up the courage to try the slow, safe waterslide last year and this year he almost balked again, but decided to go and then loved it

My happy Charlie all snug in his new yellow beach towel

Griffin is always a bit of challenge wherever we go. The pool was no exception because he is now very mobile, but also completely unware of danger and too small still to fit in a puddle jumper. I had to watch him like a hawk at all times. Once he climbed up on a lawn chair and his legs fell through. He was stuck and just kept shuffling from side to side. It was actually nice to have him contained and safe while I packed up all our swim stuff. This chair is hired as my new pool babysitter!

Swim rings would also keep him contained for a short while. For how good he is at climbing, these were tricky for him to escape because he couldn't step over, but they would flip up and make him feel nervous if he tried to crawl out.

Sometimes the fun and the sun wear you out

These girls are the best of friends and are always up to something silly

Enjoying the fountains

It did not take Griffin long to figure out that the drinks with straws were desirable and that he wanted one of his own

This snorkel was too big for Charlie, but he had fun playing with it anyway

We always go through so many snacks during swim season. It makes this kids crazy hungry!

These truly are the best days. Long live summer!!

The Summer Fun Continues in Dallas!

We spent a week in Dallas on both ends of our Seattle Trip. I've combined our time there into one post, however, for convenience. Our first week spanned the end of June into the first week of July. Tim's family surprised everyone by driving down from Idaho and it was fun to spend time with them! Our second week in August  was spent mostly with friends. Grandma and Grandpa went up to Minnesota. during that week, so we were at the house by ourselves. 

Charlie and Maya playing a game together

 

We had a pool party at Greg's house before going to Seattle. It was fun to swim with cousins and enjoy each other's company. Even Liz was able to join us for a short time and it was good to see her!

Swimming at grandma's neighborhood pool is always fun because we usually have the place to ourselves

Looking so perfectly squishy during his poolside nap

We were happy to be able to experience Crayola Experience again after returning from Seattle. It's a really fun place and because of COVID, there was hardly anyone there so they never had to wait their turn for any of the activities. This was their first time visiting a public place other than the swimming pool or library since March and they had so much fun! They got to design their own crayon label, print it out, and wrap it around a crayon to take home, melt crayons down into molds to make a crayon ring, melt crayons down and drip the hot wax on a spinning paper to create a fun design and so much more! 

We visited a fun new place with friends called Little Elm beach. It's a free public park with a big sandy beach along Lake Lewisville. The kids had much fun building castles and playing in the warm water. We will definitely be coming back here next summer!

These sweet girls have grown so much and had a blast swimming and playing together!

Macho men showing off their muscles

Love this mom squad!

We also met up with our friends at the Jack Carter pool for another fun day of swimming. We love that place because it's basically a small waterpark (lazy river, slides, kid pool, rock wall, high dive) but only costs $5. We will probably take our kids here until they are teenagers!

And swimming with friends yet again... this time at a backyard pool/pizza party. Can you tell our kids love swimming?? This was Davey's first time going off the diving board. He had the opportunity to try it all summer, but was always too scared until now. Turns out he loves it!

2020 Dallas Summer Clips

The Pool is OPEN for the summer!

No public pools in Amarillo are opening this summer due to COVID, but the pool at our gym opened at the end of May! I was worried for a long time that they would also close, which would have made me cry because you really can't survive a Texas summer without a pool. At first they opened at just 25% capacity, which was actually really nice as long as you got in. Now they are operating at 50%, which feels busy, but still not as crowded as a typical summer. We have been swimming 4-5 days a week because it's one of the only things to do right now, and the kids love it!! 

On June 1st we were one of the first in line to swim!

Griffin also had a huge blowout on our first day and spent the rest of the afternoon naked. Now I have a backup onesie in our pool bag :)

We got this fun dragon float at Sam's once I heard the pool was opening.  

Griffin showing off his old man body

We talked our best friends into joining the gym so they could swim with us! Now we meet up with them 3 or 4 days a week. Sophie and Emery could swim together for hours. 

Griffin all bundled up after his first time in the pool! Some days it's just too hot to sit on side with him, even if we are in the shade, so I dug our our baby float and brought him in with me. At first he cried, but once he got used to the water he really liked it and eventually fell asleep!

Some tired boys - another wonderful side effect of swimming