We made our first trip of the summer to the pool today. Dogos is 100% totally and completely obsessed with water. She cannot get enough of it. Now that she's 2 1/2, it's so much easier to take her to the pool. It took us about an hour to get all suited-up, suncreened-up, and packed up to go, but we finally made it. We met our LaLa there. Sun, water, and LaLa is all my kids need for all to be right with the world. LaLa's brother, Toph, was the lifeguard on duty and the kids love him too, so that was a total BONUS. Especially since he always plays pool games with my five after his shift ends. I don't know many college guys that will play boat with a 4 year old!
Dogos was so excited to see the "big blue water." The addition of a lifejacket for Dogos this year made this mama's time so much less stressful. Dogos typically likes to sit on the edge or play on the side and I didn't have to worry whether or not she was gonna jump in the pool and sink to the bottom. She's at that unpredictable age where she knows no fear. She hasn't quite figured out how to kick herself around the shallow end and really keep herself upright yet so LaLa god bless her sweet, patient soul, spent a lot of her time playing with both Dogos and The Boss.
I have to mention how proud I was of each of my lively five, and also a little surprised. As I was watching them play, I noticed their true affection for each other. I know they love each other but it was truly delightful to see each of the older 3 want to take turns holding Dogos in the water and to play with The Boss. Especially my nearly 14 year old son, which is noteworthy because he was there with one of his buds from the youth group. I saw him take his youngest sister and twirl her carefully around in the water, zooming her across the shallow end in his arms, making sure not to scare her by getting her face wet unexpectedly. And then as he lifted her out of the pool to put her on the side, he kissed her on the forehead. In front of everyone. I don't know about you, but I think that's a pretty remarkable thing for a kid his age, unsure of everything about life, who he is in this world and what others think about him, to do. Especially in front of a friend. (I remember freaking out about whether or not my peers would notice that the color of my socks did not exactly match the color of my pants at that age!)
So, after a couple of hours of fun in the sun, we packed up, hit up Sonic for some slushes, and headed home.
I did get one picture to share with you.
This is Dogos. We have absolutely no idea what she's doing. At first we thought she was about to fall asleep. After all, instead of napping, she was at the pool. But she only stayed that way for about 30 seconds before she got down and headed back to splash her cute toes in the water.
My children truly bring me such joy (most of the time!) I'm so happy to have the summer to spend with them. They are my favorite people in the world.
1 comment:
when reading about the love YOUR CHILDREN HAVE FOR EACH OTHER, I was reminded of an article you sent me not long ago and it is so true.
WHY BIG FAMILIES ARE EASIER:
Patience. I never have to teach patience. My children know that I can’t drop everything for them if I have a baby in my arms.
Work Ethic. My children have learned to work because there are always chores to do in a small house packed with little messy lunatics. And they all learn quickly that sometimes they have to clean up a mess even though they didn’t make it.
Humility. My children have learned it’s not always their turn. They’ve accepted they can’t always get their way because other people have to get their way sometimes. They’ve learned that some children are better at certain things than they are.
Foreign language skills. You can learn a lot of Spanish by watching ten years of Dora the Explorer that you just can’t pick up in two. And now with the Diego spin off I’m practically fluent.
Laughter. The children have learned to laugh at the insane non sequiturs of younger siblings. They’ve learned that laughing just feels better when seven people are doing it along with you.
Competition. Do I really need to go into this? Everything is a competition in big families. The children compete over who reads faster, who drinks their milk faster, who gets to the bathroom first…etc. Everything is a competition and they’re all keeping score.
Balance. The floor of the front room of my home is a minefield of toys and childhood paraphernalia. Just walking through the room requires great skill and balance. I’m absolutely convinced my two year old will be a favorite for Gold on the balance beam in the 2016 Olympics. (She might have to lay off the cookies a little but I’ll deal with that later.)
Life isn’t fair. Sometimes you just give it to the baby because you want a little quiet. Not all the time. But sometimes.
Just say “No.” Being able to say “no” may be the most undervalued skill in this world. The need to be liked is pervasive. The need to be cool even more so. Having brothers and sisters teaches children to say “no” about 143 times a day. It’s a good skill.
Praying. They learn that nothing beats praying together as a family.
Nature/Nurture. Having many children has taught me that nature has a lot more to do with who my kids are than nurture. This is helpful, especially when your children misbehave you don’t have to feel bad about it. Just say “Stupid nature!!!” and blame your spouse’s genes.
Namecalling. You can occasionally call your child by the wrong name and still not be considered a terrible parent. They know who you mean just from your tone. Sometimes if you need something done you can call the wrong name and someone will still show up. That helps.
Spying. My children have learned that they can’t get away with anything. I have spies who look a lot like them who are willing to drop the dime on them for anything. Even at school I’ve got a child in just about every grade. If they do something I’ll hear. That keeps them nervous. And I like keeping my kids a little nervous.
Friendship. The children have many friends. They’ve got girly friends, crying friends, fun loving friends, consoling friends, and crazy friends. And they all have the same last name. And they’ll be there forever for each other. No matter what.
Love. I think my children have learned to love because there are others around them to love and who love them. I honestly can think of no better way to teach children to love than siblings.
P.S. I AM SO GLAD THAT I AM THE GRANDMOTHER OF THESE CHILDREN! AND MOM, THEY DO EXPRESS LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER OFTEN--I'VE SEEN IT!!!!
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