Kalahari Resort

We wanted to do something really special while Nana and Papa were visiting in February. We had saved some Christmas money (thanks Grandpa Dave!), so we decided to go to Kalahari Resort in Sandusky. It was snowy and freezing outside, but we were nice and toasty swimming and playing inside! This place was HUUUUGE, with pools and slides galore! We had a nice hotel room and got to explore the waterpark for two fun days.
Andrew, Nana, Logan, and Summer in the wave pool.
Nana, Logan, Andrew, and Summer riding Logan's very favorite slide, "The Dark Ride!" That's not it's real name, but that's what Logan called it (probably because most of the ride twists and turns through a dark tunnel), and it stuck!

Hannah loved this slide, but hated the spray of water in the face, so she quickly learned to keep her hand up by her face. So cute!

Logan LOVED being in the water! We had to literally pull him out by the life jacket every time we finished a slide!In the kids play area, there's this HUGE bucket that dumps like a GAZILLION gallons of water every ten minutes. Here's Papa and Hannah BEFORE...

...aaaaaaaaaaand AFTER!

No, we didn't put Logan in time-out in the elevator. After two days at Kalahari, he had just had ENOUGH pictures!

We had such a fantastic time and made so many fun memories with Nana and Papa! Thanks for coming with us! We love you and miss you!

We should have lived in Beachwood!

This is the Beachwood community pool. Seriously. Yeah, I think we moved into the wrong neighborhood. Usually you can only have the privilege of using this pool if you are a resident of Beachwood City, but since the Thornton Pool closed a week early this year, Beachwood was kind enough to admit Shaker Heights residents this week only. It was awesome!Aaaaand THIS is the kiddie pool. Sweet!

Bryan flipping off the high dive.

Andrew and I had a blast on the water slides! I felt like a little kid again running up the stairs with him to the top of the slides, shivering while we waited for our turn, and then racing side-by-side to the bottom. Then we'd swim, giggling to the edge of the pool and do it again.

One Last Summer at Thornton

I've started thinking a lot about how this is our last year here in Ohio and all the "lasts" we have coming up - our last summer (Thorton pool, Kirtland, green trees, fruit picking), last fall (Patterson farms, beautiful fall colors, school year at Lomond, Halloween), last holiday season (Thanksgiving and Christmas with friends, lights at Lake Farmpark), last winter (thank heavens!), last spring , and then we will be moving. Most of these things I'm really going to miss. I'm sad to think of leaving.

We have a great pool here in Shaker, a place where we've kept cool on many hot humid days. The kids love coming to this pool and meeting up with friends from school and church, and I have loved meeting up with my "mommy friends" to socialize (miss you, Carissa!). There is a big fenced-in baby pool (Hannah and Mommy's favorite), spray ground, big pool with diving board and water slides (Andrew's favorite), and a lazy river (Logan's favorite). I think it will be hard to find another community pool quite like this one!

Mommy and Hannah dipping our toes Hannah at the baby pool

LoganAndrew and Logan running through the Spray Ground
Andrew flipping into the pool

Andrew loves the water slides!

Farewell, summer!

Not me, silly, the season! The temperatures are cooling down, the leaves are starting to turn, and sadly, Thorton pool is now closed. The pool is a lifesaver during Cleveland's hot summer months! Several families from Lomond School and our ward have season passes to the pool, so there is almost always a friend or two to splash and chat with (for kids and Moms alike).

Andrew and Logan loved their new goggles (thanks, Grandma A!) and being able to see underwater!

Hannah was adorable in her strawberry ruffle-bum swimsuit. By far, Logan's favorite place to be was in the Lazy River, riding a noodle. This face says it all! He was so proud of himself! He kept shouting to me, "I'm doing great! I'm doing great!"

Logan also liked getting soaked on the Spray Ground!

Andrew was thrilled to relinquish his life jacket to his little brother! Now that he can touch the bottom in the "big pool," he wanted NOTHING to do with the "baby pool!" Here he is practicing his cannonballs with his friend, Noah.Of course, since Andrew only wanted to swim in the big pool, Logan did too. At the beginning of the season, I had a difficult time taking care of three kids, ages 6 months to 6 years, in the big pool. I even got in a little argument with a lifeguard over it (It's a long story; I won't bore you with it). After a week or so, I invested in a Solarveil pouch sling to wear Hannah in. That solved all my problems! It must have been pretty comfy and soothing too, because most days, Hannah would end up fast asleep in the pool!This was also the first year that Andrew took swimming lessons. He had a really fun time! I was so proud of the way he literally "jumped right in" and wasn't afraid of any challenge his teacher gave him. He even jumped off the diving board into the deep end (9 feet) with no fear! Great job, Andrew! He told me, "Mom, I really think water sports are my thing!" He loved watching the high-divers during the Olympics this summer, and one day he surprised me by doing a front-flip into the pool. "Am I just like those guys in the Olympics?"

Yep, just like them!

Farewell, Thorton Pool! We'll see ya next year!