Pool Party!!!

Well our local public pool finally officially opened this weekend, just in time for our perfect 84 degree weather we were having! Can I get a "Ya Hoo!!??" We spent about 2 1/2 hours there yesterday afternoon, much to the kids' delight, and despite me having frequent reapplications of SPF 70 (by my very willing but slightly inept 6 year old) I suffered my first sunburn of the season... Hopefully my LAST, because it was a pretty rough night!

Most of my children were born with gills and fins, and couldn't have enough playtime in the water if we lived there. But then there's Ya'shar.... (Note the middle picture above where's he contentedly playing on the STEPS going into the pool.) He NEVER left there the entire time, except for once when I tried to bring him into the 2 1/2 feet of water with me and I couldn't pry his little arms from around my neck! He was seriously panic-stricken!!

Let me back track...

Last year, almost 1 year ago exactly, we were on vacation with my mom and dad. The kids were playing with some water toys in the hotel pool, sort of on the steps going in, and my mom and dad were less than 20 feet away on the other side of the pool, floating on rafts. I was with the kids and had ordered us all some smoothies, so I hopped on another raft to paddle out and give some to mom and dad. Now, ALL the kids were wearing floaty rings while they were playing by the pool (Mama's rule!) and I was right there with them. They weren't even in the water. So I paddled over to mom and dad, and just as I was handing them their drinks, I looked back (literally 10 seconds had passed) and I didn't see Ya'shar. I looked all around the pool, thinking he'd run off to chase a lizard, but he was NOWHERE!

All of a sudden I noticed the very tip top of a curly brown head bobbing up and down in the water at the bottom of the steps, IN the pool. He was on his tippy toes with his head back, his nose and mouth just barely out of the water, trying to gulp some air. I flung myself off the raft and swam as fast as I could and scooped him up. He'd taken his little ring off and decided to hop down the steps to where he couldn't quite reach, and it happened SO fast!!! He was coughing and sputtering and gagging and choking, but was fine in a few minutes. I was sobbing and freaking out and SO mad at myself for being so stupid. My dad was especially shook up, too. He had had some close calls himself and it was always very important to him when we were kids that we felt comfortable in the water.

It kinda killed the mood for the rest of the afternoon, and needless to say, Ya'shar wasn't so anxious to get back in the water again the rest of the time we were there.

We swam several times last summer AFTER all that happened and he seemed to be over it, but with this being the first swim of the summer, it sorta freaked him out a bit, and we're back to square one... They're all taking swim lessons later this summer, and they're pretty comfortable (fearless, actually) in the water except for Ya'shar, so I guess we'll be working on that alot the next few weeks!

So here's praying you all have a very fun and SAFE summer!! And don't forget your sunscreen!!!! (says the Lobster Lady...)

Taming the Beasts: Before and After

Every now and then, it works out to have a stretch of time off with the little people, and oh, how nice that is! Especially now that school's out, and sleeping in is MANDATORY!! Daryle and David are off on a father-son "Man Trip" so it's just me and the four most energetic little children I've ever met, also known as my children.

We have lots of fun activities planned for our little "stay-cation"... A trip to the beach is long overdue, but it's been warming up, so we'll be there Sunday for sure! Lots of time at the park, some ice cream runs, plenty of stories and movies (looking forward to a Toy Story marathon!!)

Oh, and my gym membership is officially reinstated after a self-imposed hiatus!! I was paying for it and not going - not a good combination!! So now I'm back and re-invigorated - Body Combat class last night was SOOOOO cool! I felt bad to the bone a little bit. And then this morning was Zumba. Never tried it before, but I liked it, although there's some technique there that I'm not sure has quite reached my hip area. (I can see the headlines now, "Ortho Nurse Throws Her Hip out Attempting Zumba!!") But I gave it the good 'ole college try and had fun!!

Best of all, free childcare at the gym, with UNLIMITED children!! If I had 17 children, I could bring all of them and they couldn't turn me away! (This ALMOST cancels out my ill feelings towards hotels who will only allow 6 people in their suites, and we have a family of 7...) Anyway, I digress... Also hoping to run another 5K this weekend and one the next - really looking forward to that!

Yesterday was our first full day of our little home adventure, and my head was spinning with all the things we wanted to do. But the first item on the agenda was Toddler Grooming Day. While nail-clipping 40 toes and 40 fingers nearly topped the list of My Favorite Things to Do on Vacation, the Haircut was clearly the highlight. All I can say is, "Thank God their hair is curly. It disguises the flaws. (My technique is awesome. They are wiggly boys.)

Vacation, ON!!!

My Girls!!

The little darlings would live outside if I let them.... I just might try that later this week, weather permitting. Well of course we'll use the tent! Compliments of the bestest Grandmas and Auntie in the world! :) Every year they conspire to gift these guys with a fun summer "group gift", since their birthdays all hit in the June-ish area. A pool one year, their own sleeping bags another, beach toys and rafts last year, and now, a TENT!!! They may never come out of it! Hope to do a practice run in the backyard on Saturday with a mini-cookout! Pictures to come!!

Rea's Kindergarten Graduation!!

My, what a busy week it's been! I guess for the Smith household, summer has officially started because school's out! Their last day was Thursday (it rained the ENTIRE day!!) and it felt soooo nice to sleep in the last couple days!! The whole week was kind of a "goof off" week - Monday was the zoo, Tuesday was just packing things up from their classroom and sending home thousands of papers in bulging backpacks, Wednesday was graduation, and then Thursday was supposed to be Field Day, but the rain sorta threw that off a bit! They were all stuck inside playing games and face painting and eating hotdogs, and I'm sure the teachers were very happy to send everyone home for the summer after that!!!

Rea's day was very exciting for her, she was so thrilled that everyone, especially her big brother David got to be there. We even picked out a new dress for her special occasion!! We are so proud of you, our little Rea Sunshine!!

San Francisco Zoo!!!

Last year I was disappointed that I didn't get to go with Ma-lak and his class for the funnest field trip of the year - the zoo! So this year, I was ecstatic that it worked out for me to go with Rea and her class. I barely remember the one time that I have ever been to a zoo, I think I was maybe 5 or 6, and it was in St. Louis. I vaguely recall being afraid of a polar bear.... But needless to say, I have been just as excited as Rea, maybe even a tad more, to go on this adventure!!

There were about 45 kindergarteners from the three classes at Rea's school, along with roughly half as many parents/teachers that went to the zoo. For the most part, it was a 1:2 or 1:3 adult to child ratio, which you would THINK was pretty good.... But once we got there, everything they saw, they either chased, rode, climbed on, pet, or ate! The adults were matched with kids to be in charge of for the day, and then everyone was free to roam around on their own and meet back at the zoo park to leave together. Rea and her best friend Karla were my "charges" for the day, and we had a great time!

The SF Zoo is apparently known as one of the better zoos in the world because of the very natural, spread out setting for the animals. My favorite part was the view, since the zoo sits right on the edge of the city, and overlooks the Pacific ocean!!

Tons of fun, and can't wait to go next year with Ni'ke's class, to the Oakland zoo!