Fun at the Pool

Jeremy is in meetings at the church, Will is asleep and the other kids are happily playing so I'm going to take the opportunity to be at the computer for a few minutes.

We had a fun day at the Manti pool yesterday. We have been working on a project in our yard this week so my muscles are really stiff and the kids were getting pretty bored. Plus, Matthew had a free pass he earned from school. So... we decided we all deserved a couple of hours of fun! With school starting on Tuesday we figured this may be our last chance to enjoy summer vacation.

It was a great trip! We brought a picnic, (the kids were thrilled to get Cheetos with their sandwiches), but I couldn't get them to sit down and eat. They would eat a bite or two and then run into the pool. A few minutes later they came back for another few bites... then ran right off into the pool. Ashton was the exception... he would not eat AT ALL. At around 2:30 in the afternoon he finally asked where his lunch was.

Kathryn made real progress in swimming. She can hold her breath and dog paddle with her head under the water. Jeremy had given her a brief lesson and she just kept practicing and practicing. Matthew met up with one of his friends from kindergarten and had a great time. Ashton, as usual, was just delighted to be outside expending some of his boundless energy and Will was thrilled to be in the water. This is the first time we have ever taken him swimming (well, that he can remember anyway) and he smiled and laughed as he jumped up and down in the water, climbed in and out of the pool, put his face in the water, and splashed on me and his brothers and sisters. He was so fun to watch.
Jeremy took his lunchbreak at the pool... so that was fun. Grandma Cox came to watch the kids and also helped us load up to go home. Kiersten was tons of help! She took all the pictures and helped me keep an eye on the kids from the poolside.

We left at around 3 pm and we were so exhausted that Will and Ashton came home and took 3 hour naps, Matthew and Katie watched a movie, and I read. I had planned to do some Usborne stuff yesterday afternoon, but I was too exhausted. I did get my office cleaned and organized before we left. I even cleared off Jeremy's desk. :)

Oh, something else significant that happened this week... I taught Matthew to clean the bathrooms! He did a great job!! He especially liked using the Mr. Clean toilet wand to clean the toilet... go figure. That is going to be his new chore on Saturdays. He already does a great job of doing the dishes. And just as exciting... Will started to show great interest in the potty. On Friday, he told us when he needed to go potty and at the haircut place yesterday he said, "Where bathroom? I go potty." We are trying not to get our hopes to high, but we can't help but think that soon we will be done with diapers.

Here is another cute picture of Will this week. He has loved wearing a batman mask.

Katie and Ashton, not to be outdone, decided to pose for a picture too. (I really do try to dress my kids... I'm not sure how they always end up running around without a shirt... and sometimes pants. Oh, and Katie did her own hair.)