now and then

We've been dodging the raindrops lately (really, does it need to rain every day??) and enjoying summertime activities when the sun is shining.

One of our favorite places to enjoy the sunshine is the pool. This year we got a family pass, and calculated that in order to "get our money's worth" out of it, we have to visit the pool 47 times (meaning 47 admissions - so if just Braden and I go, that counts as 2 admissions/times, because without a pass we'd have to pay $3 for each of us. . . . if Billy joins us that counts as 3 admissions - you get the idea). I think (hope!) we'll use it enough to justify the pass (it seemed a little pricey when I wrote out that check!). We've already gone a few times that we probably wouldn't have without the pass (quick trips or on days when it might rain and cut our time short) just because we can for "free." So far we've "used" 12 admissions (we can go as much as we want, there is no limit - I just want to keep track to see if a family pass is worthwhile investment for our small family).

Today we walked over for a dip at 5:00 when Billy got home, swam in the late afternoon sunshine for awhile, then walked back home. Braden loved it! He is so brave and is a little fish. He loves to jump of the edge of the pool, and is starting to kick a little bit when I hold him in deeper water. He does not mind being splashed or going under water a bit.

I didn't take my camera today, but did snap some shots last week:

Now - Even at the pool, B likes to play with his tractors and cars. :) Now that he's on the go all of the time, it is sometimes nice for mommy when he plays at the edge of the pool for a while. I am so glad he is not scared of the water, but swimming with a toddler who has no fear can be scary for me!

Then - just for fun, I found some pics from last June in my archives . . . check out our water baby last year! (too bad these pics don't really show how much bigger he is now)

Now - Braden plays/swims hard at the pool - which makes for a great nap when we head home. Last year it was easy to get him to take a late morning nap prior to swimming and he often fell asleep for his afternoon nap in the stroller during "swim breaks," allowing me to read or chat with friends poolside. This year it's another story! B is not about to take a morning nap, so we just power through the day, and he takes a late nap when we get home. He also is not very willing to take swim breaks - he's on the go in the water almost the whole time. But one day last week he was just tuckered out and actually fell asleep in the stroller . . .

Then - . . . which reminded me of last year when that happened regularly (although I don't think he was actually asleep in this pic . . . but you can see how little he was!).

Another fun summertime event in June is the Kalona Days! On Saturday we enjoyed a beautiful morning outside watching the parade.

Now - Braden wanted to be close to the parade action, but wasn't quite sure what was going on (why are we sitting by the road watching traffic drive slowly by?). He kept a close eye on the tractors and trucks in the parade, and preferred drinking from my "big drink" with a straw vs. his sippy cup (so I dumped my pop after he insisted on holding/drinking out of the big cup and filled it with water - he is NOT sipping a 40 oz soda! He looked kinda funny, though clutching his huge drink!).

He also loved the "hard hat" that he was given . . . the parade theme this year was "under construction" since there is so much construction going on in town this summer - so the phone company gave out hard hats instead of candy . . . speaking of candy, he didn't really catch on to the fact that it was candy being thrown/gathered (which is ok by me, because if he knew what it was, he'd have wanted to eat it all!)

Then - just for fun here's a couple of shots of little man at last year's parade: