Spring Break 2018

We had the best Spring Break. We spent it pool and splash pad hopping with friends. Living in Arizona really feels like being on vacation 99% of the time. Bring on the sunshine.

Labor Day

We had a great Labor Day. I was a bit worried with the kids being out of school and Shawn being gone, but a new friend invited us to go swimming at an apartment pool that has a zero entry sandy beach. It was awesome. We had a great day and everyone swam and stayed safe.

Swimming

So much fun swimming and playing with cousins. 

Swim Lessons

Iva and Charlie took swim lessons from a wonderful teacher, April Johnson. They loved swim lessons and both learned to swim. Iva can swim across the pool and take breaths. Charlie can swim across the pool the short way, but hasn't mastered taking breaths. Both of their favorites was diving through the dolphin rings and picking up toys in the shallow end.

Henry and I hung out during their lessons. Henry loved their dog and all the fun things in their back yard. Iva's friend, Maggie, came a few times and hung out as well after dance class.

Monday, April 17th

Monday morning, we woke up and went for a long walk and managed to get a little turned around and lost. That was my last walk of the trip. Grampie splurged for the all you could eat breakfast buffet and boy, were we lucky- it was so good (and definitely, worth it)! 

After breakfast, we headed to the mud baths again. We sure lucked out and it was pretty much empty. Much better than the billion cruise ship people there. 

Step one. Cover yourself in healing mud from head to toe. They had all these little buckets of mud and you just lathered it on. I got a little extra help from guide. 

Step 2. Let it dry. (And take lots and lots of pictures.)

Step 3. Wash it off. You went into a mud pool and rinsed in muddy water. Then you got out of that one and went and rinsed in a cleaner mud pool.

Step 4. Get a massage and then rinse off in a chlorine pool.

After the mud baths, we came back to our room to find it flooded. It miraculously somehow did not get any of our stuff wet and just weaved around it. I still don't know how that is possible. We hit the jackpot though because they upgraded our rooms to ocean front for the inconvenience. The ocean front rooms were awesome. 

We got all moved and settled and then walked up to the next resort, the Sheraton, and swam in the pool and ate dinner there. We all tried to master selfie taking like Meg, but it didn't so much as work for me.

Swim Lessons

I know that I always say this, but we are so blessed to be here in Arizona for Shawn's schooling. Having such a great support group of student wives that understand being students and a students' budget is a blessing.

Because of this, we were able to sign Charlie and Iva up for swim lessons through a student wife, Kelli, in our ward. (We, also, babysat London so we got a price cut there too.) They learned so much more in this lesson than they did in their first at the aquatic center. And they loved all the attention they got. Especially Charlie.

Babysitting CoOp

We are part of a babysitting coop that has been awesome. This last week was our turn to take an evening spot so others could go on a date night. It was a lot of fun and the kids love their friend. It was the perfect excuse to stay up late and swim. 

Swim Lessons

Session One.

Charlie and I did the parent/ child class. Charlie absolutely loved it. He learned to jump off the edge. Swim about five feet and turn around and swim back to the wall. His class was a bit of a bust, but we had fun swimming together. His lifeguard maybe said two words to us in two weeks. But I will say, it was fun to get to spend some one on one time with Charlie. He is a funny little dude.

Iva did the Preschool B class. After reading the descriptions of the classes, we decided to skip Preschool A. I am glad we did. Iva did great in classes. She did even better once I bought her goggles. Who knew what a difference they would make? She can swim a little by herself and loves diving down to the bottom to get the whistle. Unfortunately, her little bum bum is an excellent floating device and makes it hard for her to sink. She is doing a second session now again of Preschool B. She graduated after last session, but they wouldn't let her move to Stage 1 because she is only three and you have to be four. She is loving this session even more and really likes Ms Jaiden.

Henry was a trooper and spent forever hanging out at the pool and never getting in the water. We swapped babysitting with a friend in the ward so she could do the mommy and me class as well. It was fun and Charlie liked having a baby to pick on. He might be a rough little dude.

I was pretty sure Charlie got athlete's foot from swim lessons, but turns out, it was just swimming toes. Thanks to my sisters recognizing it from the photo I sent asking. He rubbed the bottom of his toes completely raw the first lesson. Poor little guy walked on his heels for a week. We got him swim shoes for the second lesson and they worked perfectly. And now he wants to wear them all the time because he thinks they fixed his toes. 

Pool Days

Iva and Charlie absolutely love having the little swimming pool in the backyard. They beg to go swimming multiple times a day. And usually go skinny dipping after dinner before changing into their pajamas. It is the only way to beat this crazy 120 degree weather. And the best part is we don't have to leave home. Sometimes I am feeling adventurous and we do leave home ad go swimming with our friends, the Harris family. They live in a nice apartment complex with a really nice pool.

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