Fun at Nanny's House

Spring called this morning and suggested an impromptu lunch/swimfest at Mom's house. I waited for Shawn to get home, he decided he was working the rest of the afternoon. Sarah had a prior commitment to see the ballet "Sleeping Beauty" with a school friend. That left me, Izzy, Katy, and William to head down to Crystal River. We arrived just in time for some yummy flank steak, broccoli cornbread (mmmm), and an amazing salad that Scotty and Spring whipped up. We had french bread as well, but I never ate any because I couldn't stop eating the salad. Anyway, after eating, I let the girls get into their suits, got Willie and me into ours, and into the pool we went. The cousins had a grand time, splashing Uncle Scotty (who gets them back, or what normally happens, he starts it!) sliding down the slide, jumping from the side of the pool, and just all around good family fun. Avery jumped to Daddy (Scott), Izzy jumped to me, and Jon Jon jumped like a maverick as Scott said, in whatever fashion he could figure out. Willie is generally not a fan of pools, but since he was running a slight fever (probably teeth) I figured what better way to cool him down. He and I chased the ball around the pool and he even threw it back and forth with Uncle Scotty. He played cups and shovels at the side of the pool while Izzy jumped to me. He really started to enjoy the water. He loves both bath and shower, but somehow the pool just doesn't cut it for him. At least until now.

The best part of the day was my Izzy. She has been such a scaredy-cat in our own pool, freaking out whenever someone accidentally splashes a drop of water on her, even getting out of the pool because of it. Not today. She wasn't going to let any of those kids chase her out of that pool. She put on her swim vest and floated around, giggling with excitement! Once she saw Avery jump to her daddy, it was all over. Izzy jumped in with such enjoyment, and never got freaked out once. I stopped "catching" her with my hands so that she would go underwater when she jumped, and still, no freaking out. She swam to the steps on her own, got out, and came running back over for more jumping! The great part of this is that tomorrow morning we start swim lessons. At least, she and Katy do. Not me. (Thank heavens.) Sarah is very proficient in the water and really needs to be on a swim team. Since we don't have that, I let her swim off the clam boat with Shawn. Nothing like openwater swimming to make you use strokes. Anyway, she is attending her first overnight summer camp next week so she would have missed the last three of 8 classes, anyway. Katy and Izzy, on the other hand, need to get to a comfort level that they have yet to display. Katy can swim, she just isn't fluid, like it's second nature. It's like training wheels on a bike that have been adjusted so they don't lay flat on the ground, they make you wobble. She can swim across the pool at Mom's, but she doesn't do any real strokes or open her eyes--a real problem if you weren't in Nanny's pool! Isabelle is unable to swim, and prior to today, unable to stick her head under water. Last summer, she did do that fine, but any parent will tell you they definitely regress after summer is over.
And so, I find myself exhausted, swimmed out, and ready for bed. Unfortunately, my oldest is on her way home from the ballet which ran late. The bleary, half-lidded eyes of this poor Momma await her child, so that once she is to bed, I am to bed. At least, that is the plan. And we never, ever, go against the plan.