Swimming With The Kids

Took the kids to the newly built Vaughn Athletic Center to go swimming in the leisure pool they have there. It is a great indoor pool with lots of gizmos and gadgets for the kids to play with while splashing in the water to their heart's content. I have never taken them there, and thought a dreary January morning was a good time to go.

The place was practically deserted, four tweens, a grandfather and his three year old grandson, and us. Ian immediately put on a lifejacket and Emma followed suit, even though the areas Emma went in weren't as deep as our Little Tikes pool. There was a great teeter totter that all three enjoyed and a couple of rocking animals that squirted water out of a spout each time you rocked back and forth. Zoe wouldn't have anything to do with the jumping swings that are designed for babies and toddlers just her age. She was fearful at first, not letting me put her down at all. Ian ventured into the four feet deep water and was thrilled with his progress of swimming back and forth in the pool.

We all went over to the splash pad that has water spraying out from all kinds of faucets and pipes, some tipping over from buckets and spraying out of water guns. There is a giant bucket that slowly fills with water and when it gets close to tipping over, a bell begins to ring. Huge amounts of water pour out, and I swear Emma and Zoe screamed at the top of their lungs every time that bucket poured out it's many gallons of water for at least the first half hour we were there. I just let them scream, as it feels like all I've been saying for the last two weeks is that they are inside and can't scream like that in the house. They still screamed later in the visit, but it had dropped a few decibels or so.

Ian wanted to try the water slides, but the blue slide didn't use the inner tubes, and he was afraid to go down without a tube. The orange tube is enclosed and goes outside of the complex walls (so impressive to see when you drive up to the building) and the fact that it was enclosed and going to be dark frightened Ian. I'm sure he would have gone with me on a double tube, but I didn't have anyone to watch the girls. Maybe we'll get a chance another time.

One of my favorite things was when I was pulling Zoe through the water and she just giggled with each glide. As I pulled her through the water she would put her right hand into the water with her thumb up, like she was the Fonz, then she'd plop it into her mouth and laugh like it was the funniest thing in the world. Anytime I stopped pulling her she would hold up one finger and say "More." In the time when I wasn't swimming with Zoe but just sitting and playing with her she thought it was funny to pull my swimsuit top out and look down my suit. Unfortunately I made the mistake of giggling the first time she did it. Consequently I spent a good half hour dodging her little hand and holding my own hand over my suit.

We stayed until the pool closed at 11:00, got changed, had a quick snack and headed home. It was a great morning.