Since moving to the US, I’m often asked what my favourite things are about living here. And well, the weather has to come near the top of that list!
Kicking off the summer with a fun afternoon in the pool with friends is simply not something I could have imagined us doing before we moved here. And knowing that a long hot summer stretches ahead of us, with plenty of time for beach and pool trips is still enough of a novelty to make me excited.
After a fairly mixed May and a cool start to June the weather finally picked up. Just in time for an invitation to a BBQ with the added bonus of a pool :)
I’m conscious that our lifestyle here means that the kids will spend a huge amount of time around water. Making sure that they are comfortable and confident in the water is therefore incredibly important. As is keeping a close eye on them at all times, of course. But ultimately, they will spend time away from us with their friends, so teaching them to be careful, independent and respectful around water is vital.
Afternoons like this one where we were right next to them, sitting on the side of the pool watching closely, are ideal to give them a little more freedom in the water.
My eldest is on the swim team, so is a very strong swimmer. My younger son passed the deep end test at the outdoor pool this year (meaning that he is now allowed to swim anywhere in the pool on his own), and is very comfortable in the water. My daughter is also coming on leaps and bounds and is confident and capable, although must wear her puddle jumper at all times. She knows this and will make sure that she has it on whenever she is near the water.
Seeing the kids in the water, having fun together is wonderful. It still makes me a little nervous, though I don’t think that’s a bad thing (careful and respectful!), but watching them become such confident swimmers is fantastic.
The wee girl had the best time! Playing with her brothers, showing off her ‘scooping’ and kicking, and swimming back and forth across the pool. She absolutely loves being in the water, and I’m so pleased to see her swimming so well.
A summer full of time in the pool will stand her in good stead when swim classes start again in the autumn :)
So, here’s to plenty of sunshine for the rest of the summer and lots more afternoons like this one!
It looks like great fun was had
Love this. Pool party sounds so american, it’s just something we never have over here. Ok, we had one once at someone’s house when we were teens. It was very hilly as I recall.
This has to be a great plus of living where you do, and the snow in winter! We see too much of the in between weather here in Cornwall. I love how water confident your children are, it is something I have always insisted on too with the lakes and river at Coombe Mill. When mine were young it was something I always worried about. We have family friends with a pool that looks just like this, I wish we has the weather to use it more, it looks like your kids are having such fun there, it must make you very happy just to sit and watch them enjoying themselves splashing around there and well done to your eldest, he sounds like one you don’t need to worry about.
Thank you for sharing with me on #CountryKids
Pool parties are so much fun. We had lots when I was a teenager…but that wasn’t in the UK. Great way to build confidence. They look like they are having lots of fun.#CountryKids
So wonderful – reading this has made me suddenly very nostalgic of our previous time living in the US. It really is fantastic when they can spend time in the summer enjoying the pool.
Looks like a wonderful start to summer pool weather. I hope you have many days of sunshine for more swimming.
You lucky lucky thing! We’d love to have a pool in the garden :) They all sound fairy confident in the water…I’m still a little scared of it!! #CountryKids xx
How lovely to be able to have pool parties in the summer and to see your children becoming confident in the water whilst still being careful and respectful of it too. They look like they are having so much fun – a lovely start to the summer season #countrykids
A pool party is quintessentially American isn’t it? I can’t think of anything nicer than being able to spend a lazy sunny day having fun by a pool. How wonderful to be able to do that and watch the kids have so much fun.
#countrykids
Oh I’m so jealous! We learnt to swim on family holidays as children and now both me and my brother are confident swimmers. Our favourite game used to involve holding onto my Dad’s shoulders while he swam across the bottom of the pool. We could never hold our breath as long as he could!
#CountryKids
Pool parties are so much fun, you are going to have an amazing summer. We went to one here in the uK the other week and it was a lot of fun. What a wonderful summer summer ahead for you all xx
Oh that pool. I am very jealous of that pool :-) xx #countrykids
Oh, how I wish we had the weather to have pool parties! It looks like you’re going to have a great summer :)
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Pool parties and Bbq sound like so much fun! I think it great that your children are coming along so fantastically in the water and that their confidence is ever increasing. Xx #CountryKids
I think the weather and pool parties would be top of my list if we lived in the US. So lovely to see that the children enjoyed themselves.
Lovely photos!
This is actually occupying my head lately as I want my son to be a wee bit confident in water. As the term is closing I want to use that time for him to learn. But the sports center is far from where I am.
Seeing this post made me more keen on him going. I hope that I can find a way for us to be able to be water confident this summer vacation.
#countrykids
I would love lots of pool parties if we lived in the US. Our little man loves to swim so it would be top of our list.
OOh friends with a pool! Nice! What a lovely way to spend a summer’s afternoon. The kids must definitely be in heaven! We are more likely to get wet at a barbeque when it starts raining (which it inevitably does – but you know that!) X
Wow! Not jealous of the amazing weather and pool at all :-S ok maybe a little. Beautiful photos! #CountryKids
Oh wow! That’s wonderful. Pool, friends, BBQ and lovely weathers is a perfect combination. They are obviously having a great time there.
We are also working out my daughter’s confidence in the water as our main goal for this summer. :)
#countrykids
Brings back memories. I used to jump off diving boards that seemed way up high and then dog-paddle back to get up the ladder again before I could swim properly. Used to have competitions with my brother about who could hold his breath longest. Great times. Good to see other kids growing up like that.