Remember When ↠ l.p.

Poolside...misery?

"Girls, wait!" I call out to the two as they both stand, halfway into the pool the water at the height of their stomachs. They squint back towards me in the bright, morning sunlight. "You two know the rules," I frown at them and beckon them back towards me. "Sunscreen first, and then and only then can you can get in." They moan and groan, but make their way back to me. "You do this overtime," I scold them. "How many times will it take before you actually wait?"

"Dunno, mom. Maybe if you didn't take so long walking from the car..." Cailyn looks at me from the side, slanting her eyes towards me. "We just get bored."

"I'm only walking ten seconds behind you, I know you can both wait that long and be patient. You've waited for a number of things longer," I mumble under my breath. It's always a bit of a hassle to get to the pool. There are pool toys, towels, bathing suit pieces, sunscreen, goggles, and all sorts of things to remember to bring and then keep track of while at the neighborhood pool. But despite how much effort it is to me, the girls have deemed it their favorite summer activity. This is the third time we've been this week. While we've managed to find the best time to come when there are the least people here and I don't get hot because I'm in the water with them, I still get exhausted each trip we make. I suppose on the bright side, the girls are incredibly happy and exhausted too, but I can't help but see the negative side. I haven't felt well rested since the beginning of June. Something about the summer (or all the ice cream) seems to give the two of them an energy boost, while I simply get tired and sweaty. 

Mother is coming up again for the weekend tomorrow, so hopefully I can turn these two over to her and catch up on a chick lit sort of book and relax. I finish rubbing sunscreen into Cailyn's back and turn to start on Tessie. Despite her protests that I was taking much to long to walk up to the pool, she somehow manages to withhold that urge now as she waits for me to finish with Tessie's sunscreen. I shake my head at her, to which she just stares back at me, wide-eyed and innocent. "Off you go you two, I'll be in within a few minutes." I smack Cailyn on the backside and shoo them off, keeping an eye on them as I settle our things on some nearby deck chairs. I kick of my flip-flops, trying not to wince. My feet and hands are getting torn up from the somewhat rough concrete around the pool. Really, the only good thing that I've gotten from these pool tricks is possibly a leg workout and a good tan. The girls are getting tan too, but I have to be careful with Tessie. If I'm not careful she'll get sunburned far worse than Cailyn, Cailyn being a little darker due to my slightly latino heritage. 

I lather myself up with sunscreen and wade into the pool to the girls. Once I've gotten near to them, still a little unused to the water temperature, I dive underneath next to their feet, poking them a little as I rise slowly. When I come up, flinging the hair and water off my face, they're both giggling. Soon a short-lived splash war commences. The girls win as they have goggles on and keep ducking down beneath the water just as I splash them. Next there are several pool-themed games and then they practice some of the swimming styles I've been showing them. Not that we move out of the shallow end of the pool and nor do I let them take of the jacket floats they're wearing. I'm not ready to let them swim around freely, I'm still double checking and counting each second they're under water. But they've come a long way for how little they've been in the water practicing. They're both unafraid (possibly a bad thing) and happy to learn and improve on their kicking and paddling. 

I myself have gotten a lot of stress and a lot of exercise. I honestly don't know why some people find it so hard to work off post-baby fat. If you've got more than one kid it's a breeze with how much running around you end up doing. I mean genetics is one thing, but one child is a lot of work and several children is a full on workout. Children would make great personal trainers, I've decided after discovering a very slight weight loss. 

Through all these happy days, well somewhat happy...mostly tiring on my end of the deal, I can't help but wish that Sophia and Liam were here. It would be just like our trips to the zoo or aquarium. Liam could watch the girls while Sophia and I tanned on the side, maybe getting in to give Liam a break later on. I sigh mid Marco Polo game and wish, once again and too often, that things hadn't happened the way that they did. What did Sophia think would be able to help me in Australia anyway? I've never even been...

I'M SORRY. I realize I said I would update sooner but I got sick right after I was meant to be updating again and then it's been hard getting back into some sort of schedule. But here is this at least. I hope you like it if anyone is reading this... Vote & leave me a comment with feedback?