Hiking Friends Pool Party

In lieu of our weekly hike, we opted to enjoy one of our hiking friend’s pools. So thankful for beautiful, sunny afternoons, and friends to spend the day with.

End of Preschool Pool Party

The last month of preschool, Jack kept talking about how his class was going to have a pool party to celebrate the end of school. Jack is really good about telling the truth, but this felt like such a strange claim, that I didn't quite believe him.

He kept telling me the same story for weeks, even though I had no confirmation from the school. I checked with friends parents and everyone was getting the same story, but still no invite to said pool party.

The last week of school, I tried to prep Jack for the fact that this pool party probably wasn't going to happen. We had the year end party at a local park and I finally had a chance to bring it up with his teachers.

The corroborated the story, half apologizing since one of the teachers had built a new house with a pool and had hoped for the pool to be ready for the end of school. But she again promised the kids would have a party some time that summer, as soon as the pool was ready.

Summer passed and still no party. Jack would talk about it periodically and I tried my best to prepare him for the fact that it might not happen and sometimes we have to experience disappointment in life.

School started, still no pool party. Then mid September a group text went out. The party was on. Nevermind that it was 50-something degrees the morning of the party. (This was the weekend of Hurricane Irma, and our cousins were staying with us from Florida!).

We went to football that morning bundled up, but Ms. Shelby said her pool was heated, so we went to the party after lunch.

Thankfully the sun warmed everything up (I was still in a sweater). It was fun getting together with his preschool class one last time. Everyone had moved on to either pre-K, one of the two public schools on the mountain for kindergarten, or homeschool.

The kids had a blast and didn't seem to mind that the party was several months late! I was impressed that Jack was able to jump off the diving board and slide down the slide (after he worked up the courage) without a life jacket.

Town Pool with Friends

Our little mountain town has a local pool and every summer we debate whether to purchase a membership.

Since our first visit wasn't until mid-July, we held off again this summer, but I'm pretty sure next summer will be the year we get a pass.

Anyways, this was our very first visit to the town pool. I had heard that the water was extra cold and that kids that swim on the town swim team always freeze at practice at the beginning of the summer. Our experience was that by later afternoon, the water was plenty warm.

Jack loved hopping in from the side of the pool and is getting braver with each jump. By the end of our visit, he had gotten up the courage to jump off the diving board (with his life jacket).

Isaac had fun splashing around in the kiddie pool. And eating. This kid is always happy as long as he has snacks nearby.

We were with friends, so at first we split up and took turns watching our littles in the kiddie pool and the bigger kids in the big pool.

It was a fun outing, and I think we will be back when we can throughout the rest of the summer.

Friend Friday: Warner Park, 2017

It wouldn't be summer without a trip to the Warner Park Pool to meet friends (our first visit here was back in 2013, the kids were a lot smaller then!).

We try to go at least a couple of times each summer and we always have a great time.

Isaac is getting braver at the splash pad, even going down the little slide a few times.

Jack was brave and did the huge slide (he first tried it last summer), though he got scared at the top and had to be talked down by the life guard on his first attempt. Round two, easy peasy.

And my good friend, Courtney, was nice enough to do the swim test and then join Jack on the obstacle course along with her youngest girls.

I have been dealing with hip pain all summer and didn't think I could do the swim test or obstacle course :(

I'm thankful for a friend who is willing to step up and help my kids when I can't.

Isaac's favorite place to hang out is the 2-foot pool. He likes to float around/walk in the shallow.

Jack convinced Courtney to do the obstacle course with him several more times.

I think by next year, he will figure out how to pass the swim test and do the obstacle course as much we will let him!

We had a fun afternoon, swimming, playing, and visiting with friends.

Cousin's Week at Greers Ferry

The boys and I spent last week with my family in Arkansas. I am so grateful for opportunities to spend time with my family, and also to give my boys a taste of what summer was like when I was growing up.

Unfortunately Daniel and my brother-in-law, Robert, were unable to make this trip. We missed them but enjoyed getting together with my parents and siblings.

As our family has grown, it really isn't practical to spend much time at our parents house, so we decided to rent a house at Greers Ferry Lake instead.

My sister drove up from Tallahassee with her kids, then Jack, Isaac and I rode with them to Arkansas. Our brother drove separately from Nashville.

Before we arrived at the lake, we spent one night at our parents. The kids enjoyed picking blueberries and blackberries from the garden so that my mom could make us blackberry cobbler. Though I'm pretty sure they ate more than they picked!

And they also had fun driving the riding mower with my dad and being pulled around on a big, flat wagon by my brother. And we walked through the campus at Harding to show our kids where we all lived and studied many years ago!

The week we were in Arkansas, the weather proved to be unseasonably cool for summer in the south. This stroke of luck meant that we were able to enjoy campfires each evening, but it still got warm enough during the day to swim.

I'm pretty sure the kids would have been happy to hang out at the lake house with the water hose, but swimming and cliff jumping turned out to be a lot of fun too.

Our lake house had a beautiful view of Greers Ferry Lake, but since we weren't right on the water we didn't have to worry about the kids. It was perfect for spreading out, and we had a nice big kitchen for cooking meals.

We celebrated my mom's 62nd birthday and my parents' 41st wedding anniversary. We made them our family's traditional pistachio cake as well as baked salmon, shrimp with cocktail sauce, fried okra, and corn on the cob.

During the day we would swim at Devil's Fork, and were even able to take the kids cliff jumping at Dam Site Marina in Heber Springs. The water was so high that the causeway to the cliffs was underwater meaning you had to wade across!

After jumping on the island cliffs, we ended up going to the really high cliffs since everything was probably about 10feet under water.

My niece, Izzy, surprised us by being a little dare devil. At age 8 she was showing up plenty of teenagers who were too afraid to jump!

Jack and Levi stuck with the medium and lower cliffs, and Isaac was content to splash from the side or float around with me.

We all have so many fond memories from going to Heber Springs and Greers Ferry when we were kids and teenagers (and as college students!). I'm thankful for the chances to make new memories with my kids.

Before leaving the area we visited the Greers Ferry National Fish Hatchery. They raise rainbow trout here and release them into the Little Red River. The kids were all impressed by the fish.

Jack and Levi (both age 5) loved spending the week together, and Izzy (8) and Isaac (2) are forming a special bond.

Family games in the evenings, and sunsets outside with s'mores around a campfire are the things that childhood is made of. Coffee on the deck, in the cool of the morning, is how every day should start. This summer I am choosing slow as often as I can.

We had such a fun getaway! We are looking forward to spending more time with my parents in Canada next month and the kids are already planning our cousin's camping trip for the fall!

Isaac splashing while the bigger kids get ready to jump. 

Levi jumping off the cliffs.

Jack jumping off the cliffs.

Izzy jumping off the really high cliffs. 

Isaac swimming with Uncle Mark.

Jack demonstrates swimming with no floaties!