Fun in the Sun

My parents were both lifeguards and I was around a lake or a pool from the time of my birth so I was water adapted and a fairly good swimmer by the time I was 2 years old. I have always taken being a good swimmer for granted but of course, have come to realize that not everyone enjoys this skill from an early age. I loved any chance to swim when I was a kid and that remains with me as an adult which is why I braved the icy waters of the Baltic. Swimming is just that fun for me!

Our contractor is someone who was very close to my father and through that acquaintance we've gotten to know him quite well. He's an ambitious and hard working young man, and a father of three: 2 boys, 9 & 12 and one daughter, 1. The boys are on school holidays right now for a month.  News to me, some California schools are on a year-round schedule and thus have month long vacations scattered throughout the year instead of one long summer vacation from June-August. So the boys are off, with nothing much to do with both parents working so one or both of them follow their dad to our house. They love playing with the iPad and with Tanner, but when I asked them the other day if they'd like to go swimming sometime, you'd have thought I hung the moon for them! So we arranged for them to bring their swim wear today and I promised to take them up to the pool.

We are extremely lucky to have the gorgeous swimming pool that we do in our complex. The water is heated to a comfortable level and there are two hot tubs, one hot, one not so hot. Kids 14 and under are not allowed in the hot one but the other one was perfect for a warm, sunny day.

The younger boy doesn't swim real well yet so it was pretty fun teaching him some new techniques in the water. He was very brave and began to swim with his head in the water and made real progress. The older boy swims OK but needs practice. His goal for the day was to learn how to tread water and he also accomplished this! Both of them loved jumping off the edge of the pool (no diving board) and messing around on the pool floaty toys we have. The older one even attempted to dive in a couple of times. It was really fun to be in the water with kids, helping them with their swimming technique and encouraging them to love the water. We went from the pool to the hot tub several times. When I told the boys we needed to go, they were very disappointed. They would've stayed in that pool all night if I'd let them!

The day in the pool with the boys brought back many nostalgic moments of swimming with my mom and dad. We used to love being in the pool with them, doing chicken fights (sitting on their shoulders and trying to knock each other off) or just goofing around. Later in the afternoon a man with his adorable 2 year oldish little girl dressed in a hot pink tutu swimsuit joined us. He was tossing her into the air and catching her as she hit the water. I remember with such joy the hours I loved hanging in the pool with my dad as he tossed me around.
I feel really lucky to have a swimming pool as a recreational toy now. The water is much warmer than the Baltic and it's a great way to spend time with others. I'm pretty sure another pool date will happen with the kids soon again.