A lot of hype... ?

We decided that for FHE we would enjoy the newest pool in the area - it looks fun doesn't it?  Because we are inherently cheap, err... "frugal" - we waited for the $2 off discount entry that occurs after 7:00.  I was still annoyed about paying the Non-Resident price since that particular town in a stone's throw from our back porch (literally).  The pool has been much discussed around town and everyone seems to love it.  Myself - well, I think the lifeguards are a little whistle happy... Really guys - the kids are RIGHT in front of you and aren't in danger, they just need to move out of the slide splash down area and frankly - they keep ignoring your whistle, they have no idea that it's being blown for their benefit and hey, you're going to have to talk to them anyway, so just talk and let the other 7 whistles per minute be responsible for my earache.  I was quite grateful for the fact that all of my children are now potty-trained - even if that did mean running M into the ladies room - this 3 layers of protection thing seems a little over the top.  Speaking of our run to the ladies' locker room... I'm all for modesty in locker rooms and all that, but there is a downside.  Being that every shower stall and changing stall has the exact same door on it as the toilet stalls - it took a few minutes and some quick thinking to get to the stall that had the necessary equipment for our needs.  I felt a little foolish pushing open so many doors (none of which had people behind them thank goodness).   The splash features were an awful lot of fun for the little ones - even though the amount of water that poured down on us at one point was quite surprising - and kept them entertained for the entire hour and a half.  The older ones had less to do than at other pools - but seemed to enjoy themselves nonetheless - the slide was a little claustrophobic I hear (not my thing).  I'm sure we'll go back on occasion, but as for getting a years' pass... not gonna happen!

Jumpin' for Joy

Ever since the new business "Jumpin' Jacks" opened near our house a few months back we have been putting the kids off...  apparently many friends have raved about it (only one said it was a bust) and in this past week both H and T went with friends and returned with good reviews.  P has had a free pass since April that he's been dying to use and I picked up a $2 off coupon in early May thinking that I certainly didn't want to pay $8 per child... (yikes - for that I want a roller coaster!)  

Anyway - we finally broke down and decided that it would be an acceptable family home evening event for us...

M had the most fun (well, maybe) and was all smiles - all night, as long as you don't count the time that Dad's helping hands actually made her fall and be trapped between the blow up castle and the inflatable wall of the bouncy toy - or the time when Haven was riding the inflatable dragon that she was attempting to slay with her karate kicks and the dragon fought back... all in all, two teary moments in two hours was pretty good for her.

H, having been before, was ready for fun and took off like a shot - she sustained a few slide burns but doesn't seem to care much - it was almost impossible to keep up with her, we saw her now and then when she was eager to show M something cool.

 

P & W were not disappointed as the place lived up to their expectations - P took one break to play in the little kid area - where his vehicle became an instant chick magnet once he sat down... ooh, an older man...

P, W & T spent a good portion of the night racing in and out of the T-rex guarded obstacle course seeing who could get through their side fastest...  and when Q wasn't busy catching up on his reading....  he was timing them.  They also seemed to come up with creative ways to use the inflatables that weren't intended... 

like laying on the floppy side and launching each other back into the ride...  

To be honest, this is not what he was reading... but it was just sitting there by him and it seemed funnier than the Sports section - I didn't let him see the cover before snapping the picture.

All in all, it was a good family night - especially after returning home with very tired kids, they barely finished M's carefully selected ice cream treats before the youngest 3 fell into bed!  Was that worth $24???  Hmmm... maybe once a year, but we're not buying a summer pass or anything!

Does it Really Count as...

Family Home Evening?  

Last night our family split into two groups:  the dance group, which spent 5:00 - 8:00 at a local high school auditorium enjoying an evening of dance and music AND the baseball group which spent 6:00 - 10:00 at the baseball park enjoying a night of sweat and exertion.  And being the sexist pigs we are, Mom went with the girls to dance while Dad hung out with the boys eating bad for you food at the baseball games.

Things I realized at the dance concert:  you can teach 6 little 3-4 year old girls the same exact moves and they can pull it off beautifully at the dress rehearsal - but at the concert, under the pressure of stage lights, you will always get 6 different impromptu dances!  Parents cannot be expected to be the well behaved ones... yelling to their daughters from the audience to prompt a wave, really!  (no, it wasn't me)  Those stupid ballet shoes just don't stay tied!  Dance costumes get skimpier as you get older.  and... the real big one - I really need a new video camera!!!  

The dancing in the aisles while watching the second half of the concert was a lot of fun since M found a few friends and they were dancing to everyone's music.

I don't know if Q made any similar observations at the ball field (I know for sure he didn't say anything about the older boys and their skimpy baseball uniforms) but for the record, both boys played well and their teams won handily!  Po's team is in first place and W's in third for their respective leagues - and by the end of this week we should know if those standings will stay the same for next weeks' tournament!

Sorry no pictures - I was waiting on the video camera to finish downloading - and now I'm not sure the graininess is acceptable... time to start researching new cameras - any suggestions?