It was an...

...Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini!!! And how adorable is she?!?! Fun 'n Sun. Slip 'n Slide. Those are the words that come to my mind when I think about this past Sunday.

Layla and myself had a wonderful Sunday afternoon with our good friend, Jen, aka McKee, aka McKeezy! We went to Grand Mission, Jennifer's neighborhood in Richmond, Texas. Only a short 25 minute drive from us. They have a delicious waterpark for the community, it far surpasses any community pool I have ever seen! As soon as we arrived, Layla was intrigued with the different splash pad features. Her first summer, 2007, she was far too small to hit the pools. It wasn't until the summer of 2008 that Layla was introduced to a baby pool. Which, she LOVED, by the way! I mean, just check out that two-toofy grin! (And lack of curls!) WOW! What a difference a year makes, huh? Same itsy bitsy 12 - 18 month bikini. Hair, not so much the same. Hello curls and bye-bye fat rolls! 8-( So sad. (Love her tongue sticking out!)
I just adore the below picture. She was completely enamored with the water spouts. If that last water spout would have been taller than Layla, we could have sooooo submitted the picture to Verizon!!! HA!!! More bars, more places....
Speaking of...that is one of Layla's favorite commercials! She can be in full play mode and drop everything to come watch this commercial.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlpYhNUJvqk
Back to the fun 'n sun. Or rather the squatting? I can relate. So curious, we are. I did this same move when I was about 10 years old at Splashtown in San Antonio. Unfortunately, for me, the pressure was up a lot higher on that water spout! Hello bathroom...no fun there. Fortunately, it worked out for Layla. Just a little cool refreshment for her cutey-patooty. It was an educational day too. She learned about water pressure. If you put your foot over this spout, the others get bigger! Cool. Let go and SPLASH! All in your face. Fun. Layla kept asking me for the "slide, momma. The slide." (Think Tattoo from Fantasy Island. Except replace, "The Plane! The Plane!" with "Slide, momma, Slide!) I, in no way, thought that a child, er, toddler, her age would be able to ride the slides, but I was wrong. As Jen pointed out, many little ones were coming down with their parents. So, off to the top we went as Jen waited at the end to snap our picture. Perfect photo op, right? Layla's first water slide. How exciting!
We waved to Jen when we got to the top and prepared to mount. I had Layla straddled across my body, but decided to turn her facing forward as we started our descent. As I was flipping her around, we went around a turn, and woosh, down on my back we went. I quickly sat up. I bet that was kinda fun for her, I thought to myself. Layla hasn't made a peep. She must be loving it. Right? Woosh, around another corner. And down I go again. Crap. This is a little trickier than I had imagined. Still no sound from Layla-bug. Now I am starting to panic a bit at the thought of the end of the ride. A big splash. 4 feet of water. My 22 month old on my lap - without any floatation device! Maybe this was a bad idea afterall, I thought to myself. A little too late for all the worrying. I had to brace for...IMPACT!!!! (Great action shot, McKee.) That is me. With the green headband. Underwater. Milliseconds before my precious one went under! Just check out that look on her face? Is she having fun or what?!?! (Or what?) Don't worry, folks. I never lost control of the precious cargo. She was in my arms the entire time. (Thank you Jesus, you were obviously riding with us that day!) And I dunked her underwater on purpose. (You don't believe me?) I am preparing her for swim lessons...besides, she didn't cough like she swallowed a ton of water. You can see she took in a HUGE (holy crap) breath of air before impact. And she only cried for a few seconds afterwards. Alls well, that, er, ends well? I suppose.
Although that was just a barrel full of monkies, I decided it was time for a break. Jen snapped the below photo just minutes after THE RIDE OF THE SLIDE. As you can see in the background...that is THE slide! I know, I know. I know what you are thinking...now hush yo mouth! She is fine.
I asked Layla if she wanted to go down the slide again, and she responded with a "No! No slide." So, we played a bit longer and then packed up and headed home.
A very special thanks to Jen for providing great snacks, and such a fun, and very memorable day!


The End.