Saturday, a Fun Family Day

I received a coupon via email this week with free sitting fees and a free 8 x 10 portrait with $3.99 sheets from JCPenney's. This coupon is unheard of (even the store clerk said she'd never seen one this good before). It expired in a week, so I immediately booked a session to get our family portraits done (why not, even if I just got the free 8 x 10? Of course I ordered way more than that when they were only $4 each).

We got there early and bought the boys' shirts (which we couldn't buy earlier in the week when their computers were down). I took the tags off right there in the store (after paying, of course) and put them on the boys. I wanted us to be in black shirts with denim, which I had seen one time and liked. I think this color scheme makes the faces in the photo really pop. Shawn, my dear husband, said okay to whatever I wanted.

We arrived early for our appointment, only to be told that one of their cameras was down and we would have to wait. And wait. It's always something there. But, we got one of the best photographers they have. She is kind of snotty (to say the least) but she's good at her job and gets the kids to smile and then captures the expression. I was so glad to get her. I thought the pictures turned out well.

That afternoon, we went to Gymboree for a birthday party, which I will post about separately. Later that night when the kids woke up from their naps, we decided to go back to Skyline Pool as a family. We got there just after 5 pm, so it was only $5 per person to get in (Caleb's still free). The boys no more than got in, and they had "adult swim" where everyone under 18 had to get out of the pools, including the baby pool. I think that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard of. I don't mind if they make everyone clear the big pools, but I see no reason to get out of the baby pool, other than maybe the adults who left their kids alone to go check on them. I couldn't believe the amount of unattended children in the pool! I used to think life guarding would be a great job - get a great tan while you get paid! After being there and seeing all the kids by themselves, I think the job would be awful.

The adult swim only lasted 15 minutes (which felt like an eternity with a very disappointed Joshua). All in all, though, we had a great time. Caleb went under several times where I had to dig him out. He has no fear of the water and would lose his balance or slip on the slide and go right under. He'd laugh as he came out, other than a few times. It was scary for me, but he was having fun. They have so many water features there that spray - Joshua was having a blast! He said he was taking a 'shower' as they would dump water down on him. He also would take his turn going down the slide, and he did a great job waiting for the other kids to get out of the way before going down. He has a certain patience about him like that. Caleb also went down the slide, but he made me more nervous as he would sometimes end up under water when it was all said and done. We were on those boys like hawks. Then they would play the 'knock Daddy down' in the baby pool, and we would try to catch the kids while crawling on our bellies. It was a blast, and the water was warm since the day had been in the triple digits or at least close to it.

We ordered sandwiches for supper on the way home since we were all hungry, and Shawn picked them up while I got the kids changed out of their swimsuits and into their jammies. We watched a little TV as a family and then tucked the boys in bed, knowing that we had church in the morning. It was a really fun and eventful Saturday!