Pure Joy, a photo by here we wander on Flickr.
If we would let them, both Sawyer and Xander would be in the pool day all day, every day this summer. I am pretty sure that both of them agree that it was the best addition to the back yard, ever. Sawyer loves the trampoline and at times seems addicted to it, but even bouncing cannot compete with the lure of the water. Xander also likes the trampoline, though not to the same degree. And the water is his first choice, too.
In typical identical-but-not exactly fashion, the boys have two different ways of enjoying the pool.
For Sawyer, he is slowly teaching himself to swim. He is practicing his doggie paddle and his back float, both with some success given that he's never had a single lesson and will not let anyone even attempt to help him in the water (at least not when his feet will touch, because the lake and life jackets are a whole different story).
For Xander, it's all about jumping. And yes, we know that you're not supposed to let them jump off the ladder of the above ground pool. But quite frankly, he doesn't do anything remotely dangerous. He climbs up two steps, then hops down on his feet. He loves the big splash, even though he's not really "jumping" very far, since his feet barely even leave the water.
One swims, or something very close to it. The other jumps. And they are content. For hours at a time. Yesterday the boys and I spent several hours, in between potty breaks and snack breaks, in or around the pool.
Good summer fun, from the comfort and convenience of the back yard. We love it.