Day At The Pool

We have a great neighborhood and very fancy I must say! There are lots of Americans here, it is gated and very safe, and the amenities are unbelievable. We have two pools, one inside and one outside that was just completed. There is an amazing gym that has every piece of workout equipment imaginable and a few that I've never seen before. We even have a two lane bowling ally! The indoor pool is huge with murals and completely mosaic tiled, which you'll see in the pictures. There is a hot and cold jacuzzi and steam room. We will definitely be visiting the pool more often.

This was M&M's first visit to the water of any sort. So, of course, I was a bit nervous for several reasons; I just saw a segment on "dry drowning"....thanks Laurie...didn't even know it existed, like I said the entire indoor pool area is mosaic and marble tiled so it is VERY slippery, and I wasn't sure if they would hate it or not...they just started really ENJOYING their baths. Well, they loved it! And I loved dressing them in their first bathing suits...I guess for the Mamas it's always about the outfits :-)

These first pictures are of them at home before we went to the pool. They are so funny how they interact with each other. Mary Ellen was just thrilled with seeing Michael in his brightly colored new hat. I could just hear her thinking "Michael you'll never believe how great you look...and the colors!"

Now Michael being all boy, had a completely different reaction to Mary Ellen. He stared at her for awhile too, but I know he was thinking something very different. This picture shows it! He was thinking, "Man, that hat is so bright...Mama really dressed you silly this time". And Mary Ellen looks so happy about her new bathing suit!

Finally a great shot of them smiling! Ready for a trip to the pool.

This is Andrew and Michael in the pool. Not a really clear shot, but a great one of the length of the pool. The ceiling is arched and made of glass, so it was bright but you are protected from the sun...which is important here when it's 115 degrees outside!

Here is Andrew and Michael, still looking a little hesitant. He warmed up to it quickly when Daddy started spinning him around and making motorboat sounds.

I always love to hold them both in pictures, but it's getting harder as they get bigger. Like I said earlier I was a bit nervous anyway, so I was trying to be extra careful. They were loving every minute of it by now. Michael especially loved doing his new yelling noise in the big open space. It made a great echo that he loved!

Mary Ellen lounging on one of the great chaise lounge chairs by the pool. Looking every bit the beach bunny in her very first bikini!

Picture of one of the amazing murals between the hot and cold jacuzzi areas. Really beautiful and as you can see in the pictures we were the only ones there most of the time.

Wrapped up and ready to go home. It was so much fun and I'm thrilled they enjoyed it. It's so important that they love and are comfortable in the water. Growing up in Florida, I never remember not being around the water and it was such a huge part of my growing up experience. Minus all the sun damage that I did to my skin, I want them to have the same experiences with the beach. I can't wait until we're able to take them to the beach and let them enjoy the sand and aqua-blue water of my hometown. The most beautiful and peaceful place on earth! But for now our neighborhood pool will have to do.