Pool

Our previous house had a neighborhood pool and we were right next to it, but I hardly ever used it.  So, when we moved into our current house, I wasn't sure how much we would actually use the pool... well, I would say it gets used at least 4 days a week!! We swim at all times of day too... at 9 in the morning, it's already 100 degrees so if Ellie is taking a morning nap, sometimes Maree and I sneak in for a bit; however, the main time we swim is before or after supper with daddy. Sometimes Marc gets a little carried away and seems to think Maree is 6... not 22 months, but she does really good handling all he throws at her.  

Ellie has also recently had her first swim... I have to wait until the sun goes down because I'm too nervous to have her skin exposed to our intense desert sun!!  She really doesn't react to the water, but doesn't seem to mind  being in there either.  Maree, on the other hand, gets SUPER jealous when daddy is holding Ellie in the water... she will then try to climb all over Marc to get him to hold her too.

Here are some of our pool time fun pictures:

Her tan lines just crack me up

Ellie is going to have to learn to get tough fast it looks like

Daddy/Ellie Lion King moment

So sweet

Cannon Balls!!

While our pool is very fun, we are also aware of all the dangers it possesses too.  It seems like every night on the news, there is a near drowning, or a drowning death :(  Obviously this is terrifying to think about, but now that we own a pool, it is a very real concern too.  One night, Marc was out grilling and the sliding door was BARELY cracked.... I watched Maree somehow wedge her fingers in and push the door open... and just like that, she was out.  Yes, I was watching, and Marc was outside... but WHAT IF it ever got left open just a crack and one of us wasn't paying attention!?!  And, while Maree is amazing in water wings, it also gives her a bit of false confidence, and she thinks she can swim with or without the wings. SO, I don't think she would resist just jumping in... and again, I can't bear to think about this terrifying situation.  The solution?  A pool fence/lock.  I was a bit sad to have to "obstruct" the view from our living room, but obviously it is worth it.  The good news?  Marc's company also does a lot of iron work and so their iron guy made a pretty pool fence for us :)  Here are the before and afters:

Not sure she's a fan of the safety though! 

Lastly, here are a couple videos of our little fish :)