Not a shallow gene pool...a shallow swimming pool.
Last week, we were in Clearwater Beach, FL with Mimi and Poppie (aka Linda and Billy) for an end of summer, last week before school starts vacation. The resort that we stayed at had a great pool. One end had a zero entry, entry. At least, I think that's what it is called when the pool slowly slants into the water instead of having steps. Regardless of what it is called, it was fantastic for the boys.
They both had lots of pool space to swim, float and play. It worked wonders on their swimming skills and their comfort levels in water.
We'll start with Spence. He has a floaty that fits on both arms and goes around his chest. It keeps his head and shoulders fully above water allowing him some independence in the pool. At the beginning of our trip, he still wanted to be held in the water and was very hesitant to jump in off the side. Within a day, he was fully jumping off and swimming toward us. By the end of the week, he was comfortable going under water, jumping even farther and enjoying being thrown by Justin and I (being thrown in the pool was one of my favorite things growing up so it was fun to see him enjoy it)!
Jack also flourished. At the start of the vacation, his swimming was mostly doggie paddling which was slow, barely kept his head above water, and wore him out quickly. On the second day, we bought him goggles and they changed everything. With his new goggles, he could put his face in the water to swim. Suddenly, he was really swimming - moving much faster and stronger. Next, we showed him the game of finding rocks on the bottom of the pool. He loved it. As he played, he learned to dive under water deeper and deeper.
It was so great watching them get stronger as swimmers. It was great for us too because they didn't need us in the water with them all the time. We were able to enjoy ourselves and play with the boys. Mimi and Poppie could also play with them in the pool. A win win in my book.
A few other fun things about the trip
1. We took the boys to their first BIG theme park: Busch Garden Tampa. It was hot, but mostly empty so we were able to ride what we wanted without waiting. Having the animal park right there was interesting too - seeing a big, fast roller coaster right beside a giraffe. End the end, the boys' favorite "ride" was a gigantic inflated floor (like the floor of a bouncing house, only the size of a basketball court). All in all it was fun.
2. Justin was kind of scared to ride a big ride. I love roller coasters. I mentioned that Justin and I should ride one, he agreed but was really hesitant to do it. Finally, I convinced him to go on one. We basically walked right on the ride. His words were "Glad that we didn't have more time to think about this" which made me laugh. As we got locked it, he said he hadn't ridden one of these new, modern coasters - classic! Anyway, we rode and it was great - non-stop from the start with lots and lots of inversions, corkscrews and everything in between.
3. The boys can share a bed. And more importantly, not fight and get sleep.
4. The Tampa aquarium is great. There is a collection of amazing seahorses there. Interesting, beautiful, almost majestic animals.
5. We went to the least expensive baseball game ever - Clearwater Threshers. Parking was $2. Tickets were free. We got a replica of the stadium and a bobble-head doll for free. 6 beers, 2 waters, 2 ice cream sandwiches was about $24. All in, the six of us went to the game and spent about $30 AND we saw a grand slam!
6. Adjoining rooms are great. We had a one-bedroom suite and Linda and Billy had the adjoining room next door. The boys loved knocking on the door and hanging out in their room. We loved that Mimi and Poppie were right next door and could watch the boys.
7. Great Grouper. We had several fantastic grouper sandwiches - really great fresh fish.
8. Hooters doesn't make me happy. Somehow, we ended up a Hooters for lunch (this was Justin's decision). It was the location of the very first Hooters, but that was about the only redeeming thing about the restaurant (never mind, it isn't the first Hooters, so there's nothing redeeming about this place at all). Food was terrible, though we made the mistake of ordering things that weren't fried. Service was quite good.
9. I don't like jellyfish or seaweed. We didn't spend much time in the ocean. Early in our trip, the ocean was full of seaweed and I do not like the feel of seaweed wrapping around my legs because I always think it's a jellyfish or another fish that's going to eat me. On the last day, Jack wanted to go to the ocean again. The seaweed was gone, so Justin took him out a bit (the water was so calm and warm - the exact opposite of Cape May). While they were out, a small wave crashed and there was a 10" jellyfish floating by. I chose to hold that info until Jack and Justin were back on shore.
10. Winter was cool. We also went to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium which is the home of Winter, the dolphin from the movie "A Dolphin's Tale". It was a much different experience than the Tampa aquarium - offering closer interaction with the animals. It was neat - we saw several dolphins, including Winter and her prosthetic tail, stingrays, sea turtles, and sharks.
It was a great vacation - probably the first with the boys that felt more like a vacation. The boys loved the time with Mimi and Poppie (and I think Mimi and Poppie felt the same!). Now on to school, preschool, and all that fall has to offer!
Last week, we were in Clearwater Beach, FL with Mimi and Poppie (aka Linda and Billy) for an end of summer, last week before school starts vacation. The resort that we stayed at had a great pool. One end had a zero entry, entry. At least, I think that's what it is called when the pool slowly slants into the water instead of having steps. Regardless of what it is called, it was fantastic for the boys.
They both had lots of pool space to swim, float and play. It worked wonders on their swimming skills and their comfort levels in water.
We'll start with Spence. He has a floaty that fits on both arms and goes around his chest. It keeps his head and shoulders fully above water allowing him some independence in the pool. At the beginning of our trip, he still wanted to be held in the water and was very hesitant to jump in off the side. Within a day, he was fully jumping off and swimming toward us. By the end of the week, he was comfortable going under water, jumping even farther and enjoying being thrown by Justin and I (being thrown in the pool was one of my favorite things growing up so it was fun to see him enjoy it)!
Jack also flourished. At the start of the vacation, his swimming was mostly doggie paddling which was slow, barely kept his head above water, and wore him out quickly. On the second day, we bought him goggles and they changed everything. With his new goggles, he could put his face in the water to swim. Suddenly, he was really swimming - moving much faster and stronger. Next, we showed him the game of finding rocks on the bottom of the pool. He loved it. As he played, he learned to dive under water deeper and deeper.
It was so great watching them get stronger as swimmers. It was great for us too because they didn't need us in the water with them all the time. We were able to enjoy ourselves and play with the boys. Mimi and Poppie could also play with them in the pool. A win win in my book.
A few other fun things about the trip
1. We took the boys to their first BIG theme park: Busch Garden Tampa. It was hot, but mostly empty so we were able to ride what we wanted without waiting. Having the animal park right there was interesting too - seeing a big, fast roller coaster right beside a giraffe. End the end, the boys' favorite "ride" was a gigantic inflated floor (like the floor of a bouncing house, only the size of a basketball court). All in all it was fun.
2. Justin was kind of scared to ride a big ride. I love roller coasters. I mentioned that Justin and I should ride one, he agreed but was really hesitant to do it. Finally, I convinced him to go on one. We basically walked right on the ride. His words were "Glad that we didn't have more time to think about this" which made me laugh. As we got locked it, he said he hadn't ridden one of these new, modern coasters - classic! Anyway, we rode and it was great - non-stop from the start with lots and lots of inversions, corkscrews and everything in between.
3. The boys can share a bed. And more importantly, not fight and get sleep.
4. The Tampa aquarium is great. There is a collection of amazing seahorses there. Interesting, beautiful, almost majestic animals.
5. We went to the least expensive baseball game ever - Clearwater Threshers. Parking was $2. Tickets were free. We got a replica of the stadium and a bobble-head doll for free. 6 beers, 2 waters, 2 ice cream sandwiches was about $24. All in, the six of us went to the game and spent about $30 AND we saw a grand slam!
6. Adjoining rooms are great. We had a one-bedroom suite and Linda and Billy had the adjoining room next door. The boys loved knocking on the door and hanging out in their room. We loved that Mimi and Poppie were right next door and could watch the boys.
7. Great Grouper. We had several fantastic grouper sandwiches - really great fresh fish.
8. Hooters doesn't make me happy. Somehow, we ended up a Hooters for lunch (this was Justin's decision). It was the location of the very first Hooters, but that was about the only redeeming thing about the restaurant (never mind, it isn't the first Hooters, so there's nothing redeeming about this place at all). Food was terrible, though we made the mistake of ordering things that weren't fried. Service was quite good.
9. I don't like jellyfish or seaweed. We didn't spend much time in the ocean. Early in our trip, the ocean was full of seaweed and I do not like the feel of seaweed wrapping around my legs because I always think it's a jellyfish or another fish that's going to eat me. On the last day, Jack wanted to go to the ocean again. The seaweed was gone, so Justin took him out a bit (the water was so calm and warm - the exact opposite of Cape May). While they were out, a small wave crashed and there was a 10" jellyfish floating by. I chose to hold that info until Jack and Justin were back on shore.
10. Winter was cool. We also went to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium which is the home of Winter, the dolphin from the movie "A Dolphin's Tale". It was a much different experience than the Tampa aquarium - offering closer interaction with the animals. It was neat - we saw several dolphins, including Winter and her prosthetic tail, stingrays, sea turtles, and sharks.
It was a great vacation - probably the first with the boys that felt more like a vacation. The boys loved the time with Mimi and Poppie (and I think Mimi and Poppie felt the same!). Now on to school, preschool, and all that fall has to offer!
A view from the lobby - the pool, the beach, and the Gulf
Handing together on a ride at Busch Gardens
Spencey driving
Dueling iPads
A golden sunset
Spence with Poppie
Spence catching Jack
Hey Jack, there's a turtle behind you
Intrepid explorers
Great brothers!
Bait House - eat here if you go to Clearwater.
The obligatory picture of Jack asleep in the car because it still makes me laugh.
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