My favorite time of the year

Nope its not Christmas or Thanksgiving, although I love them too, they are too busy and rushed to be completely enjoyable.  Here is a hint:

cucumber/orange water is awesome!

That's right SUMMER!!!  Now I don't get off from work, we have no big vacation planned, and its actually more hectic for me when the girls are off the school schedule.  What I love is weekend days in the pool.  The first couple weekend of the summer are the best of the best - enjoying them knowing we have many more in store.  It is the one activity I can think of that involves almost no stress on my part.  I don't have to plan it or organize it or even drive to it since we have a pool in our backyard.  These days normally consist of jumping into swimsuits (we use the sunsuits for the girls and our pool is shady so we barely even do sunscreen), toting a bucket of towels down, and throwing together some drinks and snacks from whatever is in the fridge/pantry.  My parents frequently join us which even makes it more relaxing since it spreads out the number of "mommy" requests I get during the course of other activities.  Both of my girls can swim, Cate is totally independent as those of you who saw the swim meet video can attest.  Lucy has just learned enough to be dangerous, she has lost that little bit of fear she had last year but hasn't quite got the kick to back it up yet although I think she'll be there by the end of the summer.  Fortunately she actually likes wearing Cate's old swim float so we can put her in that and just watch her.  The girls love to play by themselves as well as with us.  They both love to jump off the diving board and Cate is very into going under to get things from the pool bottom.  One of our favorite games is called "you're not my baby" which started with me trying to get Cate to stop hanging on me a couple years ago.  It consists of me holding either child while rocking back and forth saying "my baby, my baby", then with a startled look holding them out and saying "wait you're not my baby you are a gorilla (or any other animal)" then throwing them into the water - far as possible for Cate, just a little ways for Lucy so far.  This game can go on until I can't think of any animals to name and I LOVE IT!  I love to get to roughhouse with them, not my normal form of play, and I love watching them smile and laugh.  It is just awesome.  You've heard this before on this blog but swimming is one of the things I thought I was giving up when we got Cate's diagnosis.  I wish I'd know then at 6 years old she would be an excellent swimmer who is as much a fish as I was growing up.  Then just to make pool days even more awesome, after we finally drag everyone out of the pool both girls are pretty cooperative taking a shower.  That means that we have relatively no bed time fight since on top of already being bathed they are exhausted by 8:00!

Here is too a lot of sunny Saturdays this summer!!!

lots of fruit is eaten by our pool!

grandma looking awesome as usual!

floats are blown up - summer is officially started!  thanks grandpa

"trying to relax here mom"

grandpa has the relaxing thing down!

princesses even invade the pool!

fun stuff!  although this float died this day after Lucy bit it!!!

chilling!

post swimming - Lucy didn't even make it through the credits of the movie I put on!  Cate isn't crying, she spends so much time under water she often has puffy eyes.