Keeping Cool and Catching Fireflies

Our days look a lot like this lately:

We spend our time keeping cool and having fun with friends in the process.
Lexi loves being in the pool
and could literally spend all day jumping, splashing and going off the diving board.
Asking her to swim underwater, however, remains a work in progress.
Ryleigh more than holds her own.
Cold pool water doesn't bother her,
the feeling of sand doesn't bother her,
and she's even happy to join us swimming in the Sound.
My guess is that Ry is just happy to be included,
and she's not gonna waste any precious time whimpering
about all the new sights, sounds and experiences.
At this same age, Lexi moaned and groaned during our beach vacation.
She was really uncomfortable in the Nantucket's cold water,
was very unsure about the feeling of wet sand on her feet,
and was just generally more hesitant.
Little sister is already trying to outshine her, I suppose.

I'm certain that we take for granted living along the Long Island Sound.
While it's not the nicest of beaches in the grand scheme of things,
it sure is convenient to have several to choose from right here in town.
One of our new favorite activities is to meet up with friends in the late afternoon,
let the kiddos play, have some pizza delivered for them,
bring some wine for the moms, and enjoy the fresh air until bedtime beckons.

We've talked about joining our friends at their parents' house
for a pool day the past few summers.
This time, with our move looming on the horizon, we made it happen.
We tested out the brand new water slide, taught the kids marco polo (to varying degrees of success),
had jump offs, water gun fights and shared lots of laughs.
Adrienne said "it's all about making memories", and she's right!

And to prove to Lexi that we are pretty cool parents once in a while,
we went into her room a few weeks back around 9 pm.
She was still awake, and she thought she was about to get in trouble.
She hid under her blankets, until we told her to follow us outside,
that we had a surprise to show her.
And that's how we introduced her to fireflies and taught her how to catch them.

She thought it was just about the coolest thing ever.
They were literally lighting up the yard,
and she raced all around, giggling, pointing out which ones we should catch next.
When it was finally time for bed, we let all our friends go
and promised our not-so-little girl we could do it again soon.
Seeing the excitement on her face,
watching how this seemingly simple adventure made her so happy,
creating another memory with her,
now that is surely worth the bug bites Vic and I suffered!