Swimming on top of City!

We've been Swimming in Suburbia. We love, Kicking it Up(shur) at our local and free DC public pool, Upshur Pool on a regular basis.  We've spent a lot of time Splishing & Splashing Around in our backyard baby pool.  And we loved, loved, loved hanging with our best buddies at the super nice hotel pool where we learned to use the pool noodle!

But we have yet to go rooftop swimming at a hip downtown condo building!  Whoop Whoop Uncle Greggy!  Our bestest Uncle Greggy was in town for mere hours last week - but he managed to secure us some pool passes to his old condo rooftop pool for a super awesome Friday afternoon swimming session! (Almost as good as securing tickets to the Olympic Swimming Finals in London - but not quite) Jonah was totally stoked about the whole - the pool is on the roof - idea!  I tried to explain to him that there was a time that his mommy lived in a very hip and cool West End building with a rooftop pool - he looked at me like I was nuts... I guess I will always be his mommy - not some super cool chick... oh well!

It wasn't very crowded.  Jonah wanted to know where the lifeguard was and if he was allowed to "use his noodle" - no lifeguard - and YES you can use your noodle... Jonah also noticed - there was no baby pool... that's right kids - everyone in the big pool!

IT WAS FUN!

The weather was gorgeous! The sun was shining!  The kids loved the pool and hanging with Uncle Greg!  They also loved the view!  It was very cool to be looking out over the city!  We were hanging in Logan Circle - pretty close to our old neighborhood - which made me feel cool & hip.  It was a good afternoon!   

THANK YOU! Uncle Greg for giving us a special treat... You made Vera giggle and squeal with delight and Jonah got to use his noodle in the big pool... my kids are forever indebted to you for a giving them a Friday Funday!

We miss you!  And I must admit we miss hanging out at your rooftop pool all summer long - like we did those wonderful summers ago!

Enjoy NYC and come back and visit soon!

Hello rooftop pool with a view!

SWIM!

we love Uncle Greg!

he haw, riding his noodle pony style!

finally - a pic with mommy!

Swimming in Suburbia!

We are on a quest to go swimming as much as possible these days.  Partly because Jonah is going to be "cooped" up for a good 10 days in the next few weeks post his tonsil surgery which happens next week and partly because I love swimming and my kids love swimming - and it is freaking hot out! (It also tires the kids out completely and they sleep blissfully through the night on the days I take them swimming...)

Last week we headed back out to Rockville to visit our buddies.  We had such a good time last time we "visited" suburbia - we figured we go for it again! (see our last adventure here).

We headed to the Rockville Swim Center.  This is a surburban county public pool at its finest! 

It totally reminded me of when we were living in Glenview, IL during the summer 2010 and I took Jonah to the county public pool almost every day... there was a toddler pool, two huge pools, water sprays, water slides, snack bar, playground, the works!  Jocelyn went back to Chicagoland last week for work... and going to the Rockville pool - it flooded me with our fun times in Glenview.  What a crazy, stressful and wonderful two years it has been since our summer in Chicago! 

Getting back to Rockville - this Rockville pool was the same deal - and maybe even better than the one in Chicagoland!  At the Rockville pool there was a nice toddler pool with little sprays and I think three (maybe four) other huge outdoor pools (plus some indoor ones as well?!?), water slides, an entire sprayground, a zero entry pool, and snack bar.  We were psyched!

We were the first ones there.  And the only ones for a bit.  I had my big pool bag with the towels, toys, pool noodle and pool floatys... Jonah wanted to swim in the big pool by himself with his noodle!  Whoop Whoop.  We get ourselves ready, we toddle over to the big zero entry pool... Jonah with his noodle, Vera with her floatys... and we hear a big whistle from the lifeguard...

No noodles in the big pool.  No floatys in the big pool. Oiy!  The agony of DEFEAT!

Jonah was crushed.  But we were with our buddy.  He wasn't so ready to jump in the big pool anyway so we relocated to the toddler pool - all toys and noodles, etc were allowed there and carried on!  The kids had a blast.  We had snacks/lunch at the snack bar.  Then we headed to the "sprayground" which my kids absolutely LOVED!!!!  Jonah went on both water slides - laughing the whole time.  Vera even went on the little water slide!

By then, Vera was pretty wiped out.  I changed her out of her swimsuit, buckled her into her stroller, parked her in the shade right at the edge of the big pool.  Then Jonah and I went for a short swim in the big pool (sans noodle) and sang to Vera while we were swimming. 

By then we were all wiped out!  Another rocking and rolling time in Rockville with some great friends! 

toddler pool!

are we in jail?



sports illustrated - eat your heart out!



Jonah did not go down that slide?!?!

the zero entry pool



the sprayground!



water slides!

Jonah loved it!  he also went down the blue one on the left!!!  and Vera went down this one - with me!  Whoop Whoop!

tired.. waiting for Jonah and Mommy - they are in the big pool!

after the big pool - put this kid in the car - he is done!

WHAT A DIFFERENCE 2 YEARS MAKES!  ALMOST TO THE DAY!

Jonah at the toddler pool - July 2012 - Chicagoland

with Mama in the big pool!

with mommy splashing in the sprays

Pondering the Playseum

Last week, I was trying hard to tire the kids out so they would sleep all night.  Like I mentioned yesterday, Jocelyn was (and still is) out of town, so I really wanted them to sleep through the night!

On Tuesday it was threatening to rain, it was super hot and terribly muggy.  It was not a "playground" in the afternoon kinda day.  The Children's Playseum in Bethesda has been on my list forever to check out - so I decided we'd give it a late afternoon try.  We got there around 3:45pm.  Like I said, I had never been, so we had to find parking - which was not so easy as they are doing all this crazy construction right in front of the place - but we ended up with a metered spot right out front.

The Playseum is basically in the basement of a building on Wisconsin Ave in Bethesda.  There are no windows.  The place is divided up into different spaces that have "themes" - sort of: dress up, attic, nature, blocks, cars, presidents, music, boats, grocery store... there is a baking area and a crafts area... and there is a pet area.  It is billed as a "used bookstore" where you can play.  There are old books around.  The place looks kinda old... in general... the paint, the toys, the props, etc.  It isn't dirty - it seemed clean enough... but it is sorta dingy... that was my take on it...

Of course my kids LOVED it!!!!  They were running all over the place, doing everything, playing together, apart, touching everything!  Finding every nook and cranny including the places they were not supposed to go...

We also ended up bumping into a buddy from our old neighborhood.  Turns out they recently moved too and the mom is pregers with her second.  Jonah had fun playing with his little buddy - or bothering her... he sort of plays with the boy buddies and bothers the girl buddies...

Then we ended up bumping into a playgroup buddy duo too - so that was totally fun and funny.

Overall, we had a good time.  It is super close to us.  But it is sorta on the expensive side considering how much cool stuff there is in the Washington, DC area that is free. It was $6 for each of us (so $18) and we stayed until 5:15.  They also have a Playseum on Capitol Hill - we'd like to check that one out too - we hear it is a bit more spiffy as it opened up more recently.

The thing is the place could be really awesome with some fresh paint and a trip to Ikea and a large order from Oriental Trading Company.  I would love to fix the place up!  It would be fun and then it would look fantastic... but my guess is they do a good business so it isn't going to happen. Oh well.

I have my own "kid" centered business idea that I may put into play one day.  It is related to the Playseum concept but quite different.  Maybe one day, some stay-at-home mom blogger will be posting about my place... a girl can dream!

firetruck

and a police car

Vera went WILD for the animals in the "pet area" - bunnies, turtle, lizards, etc. - they brought out the bunny and she was all over him - hysterically laughing the whole time...

Jonah was sorta into the pets... but a bit timid...

shopping

a little nature break

fishing

Vera sporting the Black Stole... and wistfully staring at

Jackie O!!!!

Jonah found the fireman coat and brought in into the dressup area which only had "dresses" - he wanted to dress up too!

kitchen

boat

typing...

Jonah made them tea...



then Jonah found a tiara and "dressed" Vera up like a "princess" - his idea... his words!




And she is our Princess!



sand!

trains!

and even some music!