Contra Loma '10

Every summer we make at least one trip to Contra Loma.  I love it.  It is always hot, it is clean and there are plenty of life guards.  So yesterday was our first trip of the summer.  We blew up the floaty rings and packed stuff to make a lunch only to find out I forgot the bread.  So we had String cheese wrapped in lunch meat, YUM! ; )

We had a few good experiences.  It started with Haylie loosing her first tooth.  She is our youngest so far.  It was nothing spectacular.  She was eating and felt something hard in her mouth and it was her tooth.

The tooth next to it is now loose, and Hannah's two front bottom teeth are a tad loose too.  So it begins!

One of my goals this summer was to make sure the four older kids were swimming.  So we have tried to take advantage of every opportunity.  Miranda has been invited to several pool parties, and at each one I have told the parents she is not a strong swimmer, although she can make it across the pool.  Contra Loma has a new rule, in order to go in the "deep water" you have to pass a swim test.  I think it is about 25 yards freestyle.  I can't do that, well maybe on a good day.  Then if you can't touch you have to tread water for 30 seconds.  So she insisted that she wanted to take the test.  I tried to discourage her, simply because I didn't want her to be embarrassed.  She knew she could do it.  So we went over there and sure enough she did it.  I was so proud of her.  I love that she knew she could do it and didn't let my lack of faith discourage her.  She loved being able to go in the deep water with the older kids.

For the most part the kids just swam and had a grand time.  We missed the annual picture of Logan Kyle and Caden jumping off the side, but there is hope for another trip.

Having all the kids there is no easy task and I realize  that I have a lot of faith that they will be safe.  I learned from last year that sometimes close is not enough, when Haylie went a little to far and couldn't touch.  I barely reached her before the lifeguard did.  Luckily she was perfectly fine and more than willing to stay in the water.  This year I had floaty rings for both Lauren and Jackson.  The older kids enjoyed pushing them around.  As I looked over to Lauren I saw the floaty tip with the help of her brother coming up under neath it, and she went head first in the water.  Again I was right there so she was OK, but still it was a little scary.

Both of them loved the rings, they also loved playing in the sand.  Oh and the sand is the coarse stuff not the kind you are picking out of crevices for days.  Jackson was happy wherever we put him.  When Lauren was ready to go back in, she would climb in her ring and wade out to the deeper water.  It was funny watching her waddle.  She is still super independent, I can't help but appreciate that part of her personality.

Overall it was another fabulous day.  I would not attempt this  completely alone but try not to lean on the generosity of my friends' help.  But they sure do make a difference.