Raging Rivers

Today we made it to Raging Rivers.  Reason #12,498 why I love summer...last minute (11:30am) decision to go to a water park because, well, why not? No need for planning, just grab some towels and head out...nothing else on the schedule.  I. love. summer. 

Brady, Jon, Cate, Bennett, Carter

Probably a bad idea. I wanted a shot of the park over-looking the Mississippi but I didn't realize how stupid it was to ask Cate to stand on a non-supportive chair, on the edge of a deck, way above the ground.  She's such a good sport  :)

So much for a relaxing day hanging out in the kiddie pool.  Cate realized she was big enough for the huge slides and I spent hours climbing the steep inclines to the top of the park over and over and over again.  All worth it though...I loved that she would throw her arms up and I could hear her squealing "yeeehawwww" all the way down!  She even went on the waterslides where she had to sit in a tube and go down by herself (thank you Ben for always carrying her tube up the hills!).  And she loved the wave pool.  I made her wear her floatie (which she was not thrilled about because "I've overgrown that mommy, I can swim in the deep by myself") because of course she refuses to stay where she can touch...she insisted on going all the way to the back of the pool where the waves are huge and the water is 6ft deep.  She kicks herself out there and I can hear her squeal "bigger! bigger! bigger waves!"  {from where I'm standing in the 4ft water! Don't worry mom, I never take my eyes off her :) } One of the older manager/safety guys who stands guard in the deep end during the waves yelled to me "great job on teaching her to be such a strong swimmer, my job would be a lot easier if every kid were taught to swim like that" then he gave me the thumbs up sign.  It made me smile, but I was really thinking "little do you know, old man, that she taught herself to swim because she's too hard-headed to be told she has to wear a floatie or stay in the shallow end".  But I'm glad she's a fearless swimmer and has so much confidence in the water....makes me one step closer to being able to lay out on a lounge chair all day while the kids play in the pool without my supervision!!!