The Cousins and the Polar Dive

It was so nice to have Adam and Brita and their kids come up this weekend and visit us. There is just something so calming to have family somewhat nearby. It was a nice day, warm enough to go outside but not necessarily equivalent to a spring day, but blue skies, and the sun was shining. Well, just because there was no snow storm, that apparently meant it was warm enough to go swimming. The kids all started taking their clothes off by the pool to swim in their underwear. (The little girls went Tahitian style.) We kept telling them it was too cold to get in, but the prospect of going swimming was too exciting for them to listen. One of the cousins got in first, and as he entered the frigid water a look of painful shock sprung across his face like he'd just been electrocuted. He quickly ran out wailing about how cold it was, but his warning didn't seem to stop the other kids, or even himself again, from entering the arctic waters. Drake put his floaties on and just went straight in without testing the temperature. The water was so cold he couldn't catch his breath. But he had gone too far into the water for any of the adults to reach him. He had a look of panic and pleasure on his face, but when no breath continued to come, he was getting nervous. I found it ironic that my child was "drowning" above water, with no ability to get air. We kept telling him to kick to the sides so we could reach him and get him out, but I think his legs were frozen too. He finally got close enough that I could lean in and fish him out. Finally a big breath was inhaled and he was able to speak, "That was cold!" Do I really need to tell you what happened next? He got right back in again, he couldn't breath again, and I had to fish him out again! Adam was the designated life guard and would have had to be the adult that jumped in in an emergency... he got lucky and stayed dry. The kids continued to torture themselves for a while longer until they all realized it really wasn't that warm of a day, and they were all freezing. So we piled them all into the bathtub as if it were a "hot tub" and brought color back into their lips. Man they had a good time!

Yes, you are seeing this correctly. A not-quite-two-year-old is driving another two-year-old on the four-wheeler. They were having a great time! The yard is just big enough for the 4-Wheeler to be turned all the way in one direction and make continuous circles without hitting anything. Fortunately, that's how they steered.