Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Scottsdale Sun

For the third year in a row, we had a sneak peek of summer with a trip to Scottsdale, Arizona that left everyone with the start of a tan, gave Molly a jump on her green hair (the plight of the towhead), and got us all eager for warmer temps at home!

We worked in two Spring Training games, but spent most of our time poolside soaking in the sun, shoring up swimming skills, and sneaking in some frozen adult beverages.

Our kids absolutely adore the lifeguards and staff at the resort, especially the contests that they run on the hour starting at noon every day. The contests rope in kids of all ages, and include all sorts of wet and wild fun, including water balloon tosses, water slide races, dive stick challenges, pool races, cannonball contests, "shoot for a snow cone" basketball challenges, and poolside trivia. Our kids' fanatic obsession with these challenges must be genetic, since I vividly remember setting up many of these same water games at our pool growing up.

Even our littlest swimmer got in on the action, winning a cannonball contest for her age group (she was the only entrant ;) and acing a water slide race. She was the favorite of all the lifeguards because she was game for all the contests and able to hang with the big kids, despite her teeny-tiny size. We had many, many parents approach us and ask how old she was, in complete astonishment that she's able to swim as well as she does.

We were astonished, too, at just how easy it is now to be around water with our three little fishies. We've put in lots of hard work over the years to get them water-safe, and still have one more season ahead of us when we'll need to be vigilant with Molly, but their strength in the water gives them an amazing independence, and gives us a much-needed break!

 
 





 


 
 
 
 The reason for the season... baseball!






 
We met up with the Millers for a full day at the pool and then an afternoon at the ball game the next day, and the kids could not have been more delighted to have Lorelai and Lily with them in Scottsdale! They made lots of "vacation friends," but nothing beats old friends!


 


 

By nighttime each day, these kids were tuckered out from the sun, the water, and the play.  



 

1 comment:

Moriah said...

Here on the other side of the country, we are having a difficult time empathizing with your yearning for warmer temps, after spending the winter envying your pics of grass, tee shirts and out door fun, while snowed and iced inside.... lol! Your vaca looks like it was sooo much fun! I can almost feel the sun :-)