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Click to visit my etsy store - Around the Island Photography.
One of the things I love most about our pool is how many activities they have to keep kids occupied and happy after they come out of the water. Once they're done swimming they head off to play soccer, bounce in the bouncy houses (there are three - it's a big pool), ride on the awesome collection of crazy bikes and trikes, shoot hoops, or just hang out playing ping pong, pool, or as you see here air hockey. This then leaves their parents free to relax on the shaded lawn and chat with friends or even veg out and read a book. After all those years of chasing little ones around for hours on end I can't tell you how much I love having kids old enough that I can actually sit down at the pool. Once Maya's out of the water (Itai's already a strong enough swimmer that I can let him go without me watching, and there are always several lifeguards on duty, Maya swims well but tires more quickly and is young enough that I still watch her like a hawk) my role changes to "home base" - giver of the snacks, provider of the (occasional) ice cream funds and locater of the towels, beach balls, goggles and dive sticks (yes, I do occasionally wonder if we'd be better off with a U-Haul instead of a pool bag).
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I recently ran into a woman who's son was in Maya's preschool class a few years ago. She's since had another baby and was racing around trying to keep her from plunging into the deep end, knocking over garbage cans, and defoliating every hibiscus bush in sight. She took one look at me sitting there with my feet up, book in hand, and ruefully said "I hate you right now. I totally hate you." We had a good laugh over it.
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I will admit to gloating just a wee bit, and then accepting this extra little bit of validation that yes, stick a fork in me because our family is done done DONE.
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Then I came home and gave away the last of the baby stuff.
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Summertime. It clears the mind and blows away the cobwebs.
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