100-degree perfection

A couple of weeks ago, we made the decision to venture (through possible smoke) to Redding, about three hours inland (east of us), as we'd heard good things about their water park, which was open until Labor Day. Iver in particular loves the water, has become a decent swimmer, and had a great time in Jamaica (where he was just under the technical height requirement for some of the slides). He has grown and (now 49 inches) was eligible for all of the Water Works attractions. We, as vaccinated as we can be as a family, are pretty much living our lives (COVID or not), which is really freeing, and feels like *old times*. We headed there on Saturday morning, joined by our friends Pat, and girls Sophia (9) and Olivia (7) while alas, Beth had to stay home to study for a NP board exam.

Tall enough!

This petite one will still be under 48" for a while!

These seven-year-olds meant business!

After hearing some friends' advice, Kelvin rented a shady cabana in which we could relax/shelter amidst the 100-degree heat (when not in the water!). It was soooo worth it!

Niall was a little bit of a party pooper, a bit scared of the various pools (despite the regulation life jacket required for non-swimmers), and hung out a lot in the shade...

...or relaxing, poolside.

(He told me that one of the highlights from his whole weekend was playing with the cabana locker padlock!)

The Lazy River (which Iver remembered from Jamaica) was fun for all.

Kiddie area/slides

 

Cowabunga Beach (Wave Pool)

(Niall was not a fan!)

You had to be over 48" to ride the flume slides. All adults participated!

Pat rented a double and triple inner tube, and we had so much fun with the kids going down Raging River!

Iver, Sophia, and I went on "The Avalanche," which is shaped like a half-pipe. Iver, the smallest, had to be in front, and was so brave (but only went on it the once! I think Sophia went back a couple more times). I am often accused of being a bit of a "fun-stopper," (i.e. the less spontaneous and more serious/strict parent) but I had a GREAT time going on the slides with the kids! I haven't been to a water park in decades, and many might be surprised that I love rollercoasters and other similarly thrilling rides!

We stayed two nights at a local AirBnb (Vineyard Cottage), which had an amazing backyard pool and was a bit *fancier* than we usually go, but worth the splurge!  

The inflatable "Jerry" was a hit! 

Pools involve jumping, right? :) 

Although I did a ton of swimming as a kid/middle schooler, I actually hate being cold/wet (even though it's hard to be cold in 100-degree heat!) so you can generally find me poolside, reading or relaxing.  

This snuggle bug feels the same!

Pat helped the kids "dunk" in the hoop in front.

Our Humboldt friends Alyssa and Rob and their daughter Alina (who now live in Chico) joined us for dinner (and popsicles!)

I don't think the kids have been in this kind of heat before... so wanted to try cracking an egg on the blacktop.  It didn't actually cook.

When it's 108 degree at 5 p.m., is there anything better (besides being in  water) than ice cream? 

We introduced the kids to The Princess Bride, one of my favorite (and arguably one of the best) movies of all time amidst the heat one of one afternoon, which they loved and are still quoting/re-enacting. There was a good amount of backseat squabbling and complaining (“We have to drive THREE hours?! That’s too long!!”); however, this trip actually felt like it included more fun/relaxation than stress, which is a great travel milestone to have reached (or to have had, at least once!).  We loved our *bonus summer* roadtrip! 

Keep the joy of the moment

I definitely suffer from worrying about the future before it even happens. Many others can probably relate! These wise words were shared by a physician mom (Sarah Rose Wheatley Hartnett) on FB and I thought they was too lovely to not share.  

"I gave my first grader his new light up dinosaur shoes for the first day of school this morning. They are legitimately the best shoes ever, and little dude was over the moon in love with them. Then out of nowhere he started sobbing like his heart had broken. I asked what was wrong, and he said, "My birthday is next year, and I will grow, and on my birthday the shoes will be too small and I won't be able to wear them!"

So we sat and talked, and after he had calmed down I was able to help him understand that if we let ourselves be unhappy about things in the future that haven't even happened yet, we don't get to be happy about what we have right now. And then we are sad twice instead of just once.

And then I sat with myself for a bit, and I thought about how often my enjoyment of the moment is overshadowed by the inevitability of loss, fear of change, the bitterness of free floating guilt, or some other barrier my brain has manufactured to steal my joy.

So as the school year starts, I am going to think about those awesome dinosaur sneakers whenever I hold myself back from diving fully into the things that light me up.

The price of love is pain and loss, and that price can be very high. But we don't need to pay it up front, and we certainly don't need to pay it twice."

May we all do better at enjoying our current joy-filled moments and avoid catastrophizing about future events and potential losses. May we teach our dear children to do the same.