The P-O-O-L

Going to the pool in September means that leaves dance across the surface of the water, like figure skaters pirouetting. The water is cool, but not so cold that we get goosebumps. Still, the kids climb out of the water to lounge on the hot cement—which they could only sprint across on scorched tip-toes just last month. The shade around the pool is dwindling as the leaves fall, but it doesn't matter because we welcome the sunlight now that it has to stretch a bit further to reach us—to rub our shoulders, boop our noses, run its fingers through our hair...

We haven't been going to the pool as often as we did this summer. I have more meetings, we all have more schoolwork, we're starting to enjoy things that aren't the pool (such as the playground, which isn't enjoyable during the summer). But we did make it to the pool earlier this week! 

Here are the kids playing "Rock, Paper, Scissors" (notice how Benjamin slowly disappears):

Before we went to the pool, I suggested to the kids that we could go to the P-O-O-L if we finished our schoolwork quickly. The kids were all like, "Okay! Yes! We will work hard!"

But poor frustrated Phoebe was like, "What does P-O-O-L even spell? What are you guys talking about? P-O-O-L. P-O-O-L. Hmmm...whenever you spell P-O-O-L it...kind of makes me want to go swimming at the pool. I wish I knew what you guys were talking about..."

If only she realized that she does know what we're talking about!