Pool Days

Wow. I've really opened a can of worms. Now my mother is going to be making comments every day and invoking the name of Diety whenever I say anything deemed inappropriate. Marvelous. (Love you, Mom!) It was fun to see how just a wee bit of nagging worked for not just my mom, but also my sister and Scott & Betsy. So fun to hear from you all! (And thanks to Valerie for always making unabashed comments, sans nagging.) 

My kids became pool snobs after living in California. I know this is sad and embarrassing, but it is nonetheless true.

When I was a kid, one of the things we looked forward to the most every summer at the annual "daddy-daughter" campout with our church was the chance to swim at the public pool in the nearby town the next morning. It wasn't until I was in about 4th or 5th grade that our family got a membership at the small pool in our own town. Most of my childhood summers were spent in a corrugated plastic pool rigged up to the metal slide of our swing set with the ice cold hose running down the side. 

But not my kids. Nope. We got a membership at the local recreation center this summer in Utah and all they could see were the band-aids, hair, and snot sliding out of everyone's noses into the water. (Sorry, Mom.) Yep, they spent too many summers in California swimming in Grandma's pool. And they got spoiled. Just like their dad who grew up in sunny southern California where every other house has it's own pool. So you can bet that when we went back this summer they spent a lot of time swimming.

Pools are such a fun place to take pictures because everyone is (usually) happy, the colors are pretty, and if you put your camera on sport setting you can get some great diving board shots. These pictures are my favorites from the days (and nights) we spent in and around the pool:

Quinlan and Rachael: 

Brandon (#1), Elizabeth, Damon (#2), Paige:

Will, Beck, and Britain:

Trenton (#4), Brent (#6):

Emily and Willis:

and #6:

Marc (#5) and Harry:

Shauna (due in 2 weeks!), cousin Chris, Mom and Dad:

Fresh out of the shower! Can't believe I'm brave enough to post this make-up free picture of me and Angie:

Harry:

Get ready:

Get set:

Go!

We call this the Martha Washington:

Bo Derek (Nicole):

Jack-O:

A cute series:

Why are you taking pictures of me again?

Wee-wum:

Willis and Nicole:

Go Lilly!

Another cute series of Rachael trying to get up the guts to go off the diving board:

She did it by herself about a thousand times after that:

Man-made wave pool:

Laura and baby Liv:

Oh my word, look at that face! (No, Brandon. We're done.)

Emily and Willis:

I'm serious, Brandon! No more.

What did I tell you:

She thinks she's the stuff now:

Why are other people's crying babies so cute?

Time to eat:

Ping-pong tables are great for outdoor dining:

Somehow I didn't get a direct picture of Todd (#3) in there, but he makes fabulous DVD's set to music of every family reunion, and he and Dad set up a projector and sheet so we could watch them outside one night after dinner. How cool is that?

That's Elizabeth when she was younger than Rachael is now! Awwwww . . .

(There's Todd going in the house . . .)

Brandon (and his spoiled children) are already scheming to get our own pool here in Utah someday. I won't complain.