6.11.18 - Pool day & Polite Society

I woke up around 7 a.m. and went to Mom's. We used the Starbucks app to mobile order some iced grande mochas, then I walked in and grabbed them on our drive over to City Hall, and we walked all around the City Center and park talking. It was early enough that it wasn't too warm and we had a really nice time. I haven't been up there in years so it was nice to see again.

On the way back we stopped by Walmart Neighborhood Market and Mom picked up some groceries for herself and some gluten free food to keep around for Clara, which was very sweet. When we got back to her house I took off in a hurry so I could get back to the Jacksons and help get the girls ready for all of us to go to Mark & Linda's pool!

First of all the girls' suits were absolutely adorable and I really enjoyed that. And while I'm feeling a little worn out from all the supplies we have to pack (food, diapers, back up clothes, etc) every time we bring the girls anywhere, this outing was totally worth it. I also haven't been to Linda's in years, and I love spending time with her, and I haven't seen Mark in forever, so all of that I was looking forward to.

Clara's ballerina-like swimsuit

We got there and she waved us to park in her driveway. We went inside and there were not one but three cats (Santino, Mikey Fredo, and Purrrrl), and Clara was psyched  about that. She kept pointing them out and petting them, and Jane started crawling around chasing them, and for the most part the cats took it in stride.

Before we had even got outside the Wolks (minus Denny) and Ellen arrived, so we got everyone sunscreened up and ready to go. Incidentally the sunscreen Merlene bought us is excellent--it's not only gluten free but it's spray on yet still lotion (not aerolized spray) and seems pretty effective. Anyway as we were prepping all the kids Clara noticed the pool outside (which I also have never seen finished and which is gorgeous) and she kept saying "Swim?? Let's GO!" So excited haha.

Yet when we finally got outside she was of course a bit hesitant about getting in, which is fine with me as I want her to be cautious, although I'd also like her to see how fun swimming is. Zoey and Malcolm got in right away, and Jack waded in with Jane (who was perfectly content to be in the water), but Clara mostly stayed at the top step on the shallow end. I tried to entice her with various pool toys or by sitting next to her to get her to go in at least one or two steps more. At one point she stood near the edge of the pool and I got her to jump to me, but when I dipped her in to her waits (where her life jacket reached the water) she got scared and yelled "NOOOOO!" so I put her back on the top step. After that she didn't even want to go on the steps and spent a long time (over an hour at least) walking around the pool perimeter watching everyone, sometimes throwing balls back and forth, sometimes cheering for Linda and Ellen (and Jack) playing pool volleyball, but certainly never actually getting in the water.

Clara is cautious with the pool and perfers to walk around it.

Zoey is happy to get right in.

I was a little disappointed because I think if she tried it she would love it, but I tried to remind myself that she was having a great time anyway and there's no hurry. Zoey and Malcolm were loving it and Mark and Linda are great hosts and seemed happy to share and to tell us about how they put it together (along with other cool aspects of their lovely backyard, such as Mark's very organized garden which Julie really liked).

We had corn on the cob and strawberries and even some delicious vegan bread Ellen brought back from her friend's bridal shower weekend. Mark grilled hot dogs and had his homemade relish and dilled carrots (which Jane liked) and other treats. It was all so pleasant. Of course we had gluten free food for Clara (the muffins she loves, string cheese, oranges, PBJ) and she seemed happy with that.

At one point Clara was sitting on the edge of the pool with her feet on the top step, and I was spinning a yellow beach ball in the pool, which she found very exciting. Most of the rest of our crew were sitting at the patio table eating lunch, and on the radio Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" came on. I've always liked that song largely because of its inclusion in the soundtrack to "Almost Famous," which I enjoyed in high school. Something about being in Missouri in the summer, at a pool, listening to a nostalgic-sounding song that reminds me of high school--man, all of it was nostalgic in a very happy way, and I started singing along while swirling the beach ball and Clara seemed to enjoy it. It was really lovely.

Jane tries to inhale a corn on the cob.

Eventually Jane was rubbing her eyes so I went upstairs and nursed her in the guest bedroom and she completely passed out. Jack joined her and I went back down to the pool. Julie, Ellen, and I were goofing around while Linda took some pictures, and it was then--when no one was paying attention to her that she could tell--that Clara tentatively got back in the water. She layed down in the water on the first step and let her legs dangle over the other steps.

Getting braver.

I brought one of the pool boats over to her and she seemed interested but just before she was about to try to step into it Malcolm jumped in, so I launched him off and grabbed the other boat for Clara. I don't think it hurt that she saw Malcolm do it, and she was ready to get in. "Clara boat??" I picked her up and put her in and she loved it! I pulled her boat all around the pool for at least 45 minutes. She had her sunhat and eventually also Linda's sunglasses, and she was very happy to just keep floating. If I ever dragged her nearer the stairs again she would protest with "Oh! Oh! Clara boat!" meaning she wanted to keep floating. I was thrilled, actually, that she was in the water so much. I eventually dipped my hair in too, which incidentally is definitely in my joy inventory. Such a wonderful feeling.

She wanted to check out the fountains.

Eventually Jack came back down with a refreshed Jane and I had her on my hip in the pool. I took Clara out of the boat and held her on the other hip, and she was scared for a second but then seemed to really enjoy it.

By now we had been at Linda & Mark's for nearly 5 hours, so we decided to pack it in. Clara passed out on the way home but did wake up when we got back, which was fine because I figured it meant she wouldn't stay up too late with Don & Merlene watching her.

Jack and I took turns taking showers and watching the kids. Dave dropped by after work and visited briefly and saw the girls. Then Jack and I left the girls with Don & Merlene and we drove to Saint Louis to have dinner with Mike (his treat). On the drive there we were on the highway and I saw a woman next to us with her windows down singing along to whatever she was listening to. I couldn't hear her at all but it was a pleasant sight. At Jack's insistence (sweet of him) I slept on the way there, and I woke up when we parked in a beautiful area with tall old style houses that reminded me of San Francisco. They were across the street from a large beautiful park with wrought iron fences.

We walked down a super clean sidewalk and found the restaurant, and Mike was in the lobby waiting for us. He introduced us to the owner, Bryan, and we were sat immediately. Turns out Mike knows the owner from years before the restaurant even opened, and he spent weeks helping set up various IT and electrical framework, he continues to help maintain the restaurant, and in exchange he eats there for free probably about once a week. So that was amazing and made me feel more comfortable with him treating us to such a nice meal.

The food was good but the drinks in particular were great, and they all had funny pop culture names like Thai Fighter and I Am Groot. The restaurant has a steampunk theme which I really liked, including gears and pipes holding up lamps and bookshelves, etc. The whole thing is in a brick building which doesn't hurt. We had some fried portobello mushrooms for appetizers and dark chocolate pretzel bread pudding for dessert--those were probably my favorite parts. And we talked and laughed and had easy conversation the whole time. It was very enjoyable.

Then on the way home Jack was talking to me about things he'd been thinking about inspired largely by the sermon he heard at his parents' church on Sunday. And he told me that (paraphrasing) he finds me so attractive not just physically but as his wife and specifically because I've "kicked ass" keeping our family afloat the last couple years while he finished nursing school. It meant a lot to me to hear him say all of that. In fact I think it's one of the more profound and kind things he's said to me, so that was a nice way to top off the night.