Last summer, we went to the local pool at least 20 times. It’s about a mile from our house and a nice, relaxing bike ride.
We finally made our FIRST visit to the pool this week! Thank goodness we didn’t buy a pool pass this year, but it’s such a great facility that we definitely missed out. Adelaide is finally big enough to use the slide in the kiddie pool without falling over and/or getting dunked at the bottom. Emerson can enjoy the fountains without too much supervision. He wants to use the slide, but isn’t anywhere near ready.
Cousins Aidan and Connor joined us with their mom, Aunt Foi. It was a little cold for a pool day, but we all made the most of it and spent a few fun hours there.
After a short nap for the little kids, we went over to the local mansion for a tour. The three adults hadn’t been in the place since sometime during school – likely middle school. None of the kids had been in. It’s a gorgeous house that cost something like $40,000 to build in the late 1800s when the average house cost $1,000. The family made their fortunes first by breeding horses, then by winning a patent war and manufacturing materials used in the expansion of the country.
On the grounds of the house is a small house. It was a way for contractors to show their skills and options in a smaller way, but the family bought it as a play house for their kids. It’s the perfect size for kids up to about age 5. Obviously, Adelaide and Emerson loved it.
To cap off our week at home, we also visited the library. Adelaide likes to listen to the stories by herself (no Mom & Dad) while Emerson would rather play with the computers. We’re participating in the “1,000 books before Kindergarten” movement that seems to be all the rage. Adelaide is reading 20 new books each week for the last few weeks.
We’ve also got a budding falafel lover. Emerson dipped his falafel into tahini, sucked off the tahini, then took a small bite before dipping again. He ate 3 huge falafel balls this way. I don’t think I tried falafel until my mid-20s!
Finally, Emerson is becoming a copycat. He and I at lunch alone together recently and he’d bite when I bit. And drink when I drank. It was a great lunch. He also seems to have picked up on my habit of biting my shirt. He made me bite my shirt and put his shirt in his mouth so he could be just like me. It’s a glimpse into our fun-filled future as he mimics even more of what he sees.
