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Category Archives: Pool

Dual Birthday Pool Party

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After watching the forecasts and worrying about the weather all week (the forecast varied from thunderstorms to 60% chance of rain to light rain all day)…we decided to go ahead with the party and it ended up absolutely perfect!! It was overcast at the start and gradually got sunnier and warmer throughout the party—enough so that I had Tom grab my suit when he went back to get the cake!

We had 60 guests (kids and adults!!) and the pool was probably the busiest it will be all season (aside from the days they have cookouts with free food or night swims with free ice cream). But it all went smoothly, everyone had a blast, and there was plenty of pizza and cake for multiple helpings (once I started cutting the serves 48 cake and realized my small pieces were still not small enough to get me close to 60 pieces, I started halving those…and then ended up having half the cake left so kids got seconds and thirds).

The gaggle of dads. They didn’t move from this spot the whole time. 😂

Us moms:

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The kids were fairly patient about opening gifts once we got home…and they LOVED everything. They got Bop It (thank heavens I found the volume control!) and Owen picked up on it right away, Katie dug right into the glitter glue and construction paper, Owen picked out his favorite baseball cards from a new pack, Katie put together her Disney Lego, we’ve been shot multiple times by Owen’s new nerf gun, and both kids were OVER THE MOON about all the gift cards and getting to go shopping once we move! They both said it was a great birthday!

Pool, Day 11: Pizza dinner

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Everyone at the pool is really nice—everyone plays catch with Owen (we have no idea who this is but it wasn’t the first time he’s played with it Owen).

Owen pushing a bunch of girls around the pool. 🙂

Playing with Daddy!

Proof I’m actually there!

And tonight we surprised the kids and ordered pizza for dinner at the pool. We do it once a summer…so we had to get it in quick this year. 

Katie’s special night with mom

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Since Owen was getting to go on a special trip to a baseball game, I had to make Katie’s night spent at home fun, too—of course she was a bit bummed that she didn’t get to go on the trip, but I assured her she wouldn’t love the baseball game.

Part 1: The playground with friends and a treat from the ice cream truck!

Part 2: Night swim with ice cream… And staying up past her bedtime!!

Last day at the pool and saying goodbye to the lifeguards!

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Labor Day has become a somewhat sad day at our house because it’s the last day the community pool is open. The kids love eating down there, but it’s bittersweet because we know the hot weather will continue and there will be no fun escape! Unfortunately, Tom wasn’t feeling that great, so he only lasted about five minutes before he went home.

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Then I gave Owen the camera…

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Katie found a mermaid tail and was in heaven!

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Her second bag of chips!

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Then one of the lifeguards came over and asked if he could take a picture with the kids at breaktime. Of course! What a sweetie. He would play football with Owen in the pool, always said hi to Katie, and always knew who we were. I emailed them to him right from the pool (I love technology).

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Pirate’s Cove, Take 2, NO POOP!

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We convinced Tom to take the day off work to come play with us!! We were there right when they opened, so I tried to take a bunch of pictures quick before the background was overrun with people!

Owen wasn’t thrilled with stopping to get his picture taken!

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I even went down the slide!

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A Pokémon gym was right at the entrance, so Tom took Owen over to battle!

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I didn’t have my camera with me when we were closer, so this is a quick pic from the other side of the park. I even went down the red slide! (I have to admit, I was actually a little nervous at the top—I haven’t been on a slide in a long time—but it was fun!) We never did get Katie to go on it, which is a bummer because I know she would have loved it! (As it was, I had to practically BRIBE her to go down the little blue slide above—she wanted NO part of it. But once she did it, she loved it!)

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So we had a nice, relaxing day…and best of all, there were no poop incidents!!

It was great fun…until someone pooped in the pool. Twice.

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So earlier this summer I bought three afternoon tickets for Pirate’s Cove Water Park from a deal site—and we finally got around to using them today (which we had to since they close on Labor Day!).

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So we get there at 3, get the bag unpacked, get in the pool, and within 15 minutes, it was announced that everyone had to exit the main pool and it would reopen in one hour. (They didn’t say it was poop, but we were 99% sure that’s what it was.)

Ugh.

The whole point of this place (for me!) is that Katie and Owen can both go in the main pool so I don’t have to be in two places at once—the big waterslides with Owen or the kiddie pool with Katie (and neither has to be bored sitting out at the other). So first we went to the kiddie pool where Katie had fun and me and Owen sat on the edge of the pool. Then Owen wanted to do the big waterslides so we went over there for a bit and sat and watched him. (Katie was tall enough but she refused to try them…even though they weren’t much different than the one she loved in Kalkaska.) Then we went back to the kiddie pool and left Owen at the slides.

The hour passes and everyone gets back in the main pool. Within, I’d say, 30 minutes, they announced the pool was closed again for 45 minutes! And this time I know it was poop because I saw a lifeguard get gloves on and reach down into the pool…and then as we were filing out, I saw little pieces of poop all over.

SERIOUSLY, PEOPLE? I know you want your little ones to have fun in the “big” pool but COME ON. Have some respect for EVERYONE ELSE. The world doesn’t revolve around YOU. 👿

So, to recap, we got there at about 3:05 and were in the pool until 3:15 and then we were in the pool from 4:15-4:45. So 45 minutes total—and they close at 6! So I told the kids to pack up, we weren’t staying, and I was asking for a refund. They were actually dealing with a few rainchecks as we walked out, so the guy didn’t even question me and handed me a voucher for three full-day passes! So instead of just an afternoon, we now had a whole day! If we wanted to try it again, that is…

Once you start something at the pool…

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We often end up at the pool at the same time as our neighbors which is great because the girls like playing together. Today the dad came up with this new fun thing where he lifts them up (while they’re sitting on the floatie together) and then carries them around and splashes them down. Needless to say he had to do that for about an hour. 🙂

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They love when I bring the waterproof camera!

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It was back up to probably 98 and 85% humidity so we spent four hours at the pool today. The battery on the camera was running out after the first hour. 🙂

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Then Katie wanted the camera so I coached her (again) on how to hold the camera so she wouldn’t get her fingers in the way… She does pretty well.

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She never wants to practice floating when I want her to…so she just decides to do it whenever. I have to say it freaks me out just a little. 🙂

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Owen’s half birthday pool party!

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Once again this year, Owen decided to have his birthday party at the community pool with Costco pizzas and cake (which I forgot to get a picture of)! The trade off is that many of his friends are away on vacations…but even though we had a small turnout and it was about 110°, everyone had fun!

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After his party, one of his friends came back to spend a few hours. They had fun playing Xbox and then building Legos.

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After he left, Owen opened his gifts and was COMPLETELY GEEKED to get some Ninjago Legos, a bunch of Pokemon cards, a Nerf bow and arrow, a Star Wars board game, and $15 cash. This was my favorite card he got:

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And it didn’t take long before Owen and Katie had their noses buried in Pokemon cards.

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Ahhh. Back at the pool. 

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After the insanely hot weather lately, the pool is FINALLY at a temperature in which I will actually get in and stay in for a bit—85°! And maybe because it was almost 100° and the sun was blazing hot and a quick dip only kept me cooled off for maybe 10 minutes. So I got in the pool and floated around with the kids.

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Does anyone else think she looks like Izzy here? That’s all I can see.

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New friends (a 1st grade teacher I think I mentioned earlier in the summer).

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Our neighbors and new friends, Kayleigh and her mom Julie (Julie was our house/cat sitter while we were on vacation).

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Then I let Katie have her turn with the camera (since she didn’t get a turn the last time). She actually did pretty well overall, getting more usable ones than I’d predicted.

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She did get her finger in quite a few. 🙂

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Katie’s 4th birthday party!

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Katie’s party was on July 13, but I forgot to get the pictures off my big camera—whoops! I’ll move this post to the right date later.

Once again, we had a gathering/pizza party at the Ramada pool!

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I was kicking the ball back into the pool…and kicked my shoe right off! I watched it land on the side of the pool…and tumble right in. 🙂

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The cake design Katie picked out!

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And then back at Gramma Jean’s to open presents!

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And she had to put on one of her new dresses!

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Katie started swim lessons at British Swim School one year ago today!

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I’m amazed at how much she loves the water and how comfortable she is in the pool! She jumps in regularly (with and without goggles), does cannonballs (complete with holding her knees), and just taught herself to retrieve rings from the bottom of the pool. She turns four in a few days. #proudmama

These are all rehashed photos, but it’s what I posted on Facebook. 🙂