The Water Mine

The girls and I try to make frequent trips to the local water, gold mine themed, park just down the road. We had to have a pool for the hot summer days and this seemed like the most affordable way to accomplish this goal.

It is very fun. It is, however, very crazy to see me with three little girls all by myself in this themed water park. Let me paint the scene for you. It's about the size of two large pools put together. The center of the park is shallow water ranging from 3 feet to 1 foot of water filled with covered wagon slides that empty into the pool, forming a big oval area. The slides are all different heights and sizes. Circling this area is another big oval designated as a lazy river, which is about 4 feet deep. The park is designed and geared toward elementary age children, so it's very kid-friendly.

You can either go through the lazy river to get to the shallow area or cross a bridge over the lazy river and go straight to the slides. We always start out in the lazy river, usually floating. This give Reece time to freak out for a few minutes, for Rae to get used to the water, and for Elle to scream at me for a little while for daring to bring her into such cold water....I'm pretty sure she's using words that I can not repeat over such a medium as this....:)

As soon as we all have our bearings and are used to the water we make our way into the more shallow area. By this time, Rae is getting brave and doesn't need her float anymore. I, therefore, put the float (kind of like a life jacket but helps them learn how to swim...very cool!) on Elle, and she loves it.

While I find a central location, Rae makes her way over to the slides. She's great! I'm very proud of how far she's come on her swimming and getting used to going under water. She's also great at getting her head back above water when she goes under. This park is great for teaching children how to swim!

Once Reece has watched her sister go down a few slides she gets her courage up and goes with Rae. She always comes back to me in between trips down the slide, but then gets back out there to go again, even if the dreaded "water up the nose" has taken place. She wants, so badly, to be in the water without her float on, but I only allow it in the 1 foot deep area, just to get her chops wet....no pun intended:)

Elle and I hang out in the water and keep a close eye on the girls. Once she's used to the water, she loves it. She likes to lay back and kick as hard as she can.

If one person has to use the potty we all have to get out and go together. If it's time for me to nurse Elle, we all get out and take a snack break. It gets a little crazy sometimes, but it's worth it. We have a great time.

The only time things are a little difficult is entering and exiting the lazy river. The current is so strong so I have to grab all the girls tightly and very strategically maneuver everyone over the the steps, when exiting, or to a float, when entering. It's never pretty, but usually pretty funny. I always feel very proud of myself by the time we leave, and praise God the whole way home for the strength to do it and for keeping us safe.

For those of you that may read this and have your skin crawl because you think I'm doing something dangerous, I assure you we are very safe. I was a lifeguard all throughout high school and college and I'm always within an arms length of the girls. Also, the pool is covered with lifeguards who take their jobs very seriously. I have been very impressed with all that I have seen regarding the staff at the Water Mine. So have no fear. Pray for us, because being in the water always involves risk, and I appreciate any prayers of safety you may feel led to pray:)

If you're ever in town and feel like going with us, we'd love to show you around, our favorite mini-water park, the Water Mine! It's great fun!