Slip-n-Slide Fun

So...I love fall and winter. Summer heat...not such a fan. I've told people - and I really think it's true - if I had visited North Carolina in the summer, I probably wouldn't have moved here. Before Grant, I could just hide away inside moving from one air conditioned space to another. But not anymore. Also, the kid seems oblivious to the heat. I'm getting better though. More tolerant (or tolerable?). 

I usually try to come up with at least one water activity in the summer that I can participate in that will be fun for Grant and cool us both off. Last year for his birthday, my mother-in-law got him an Iron Man slip-n-slide that my hectic schedule didn't let us make use of. But it's definitely been hot enough lately so I got it out a couple weeks ago. Grant had no idea what to do with it, so I tried to explain it. But it was easier for me to just demonstrate.

Grant asked if he could take a picture of me doing the
slip-n-slide. I take so many of him, it was only fair.

I learned three things after my first turn on the slide: a) slip-n-slides are fun no matter how old you are; b) it's a bit terrifying as an adult to throw yourself on the ground and hope it's going to work correctly but you can't chicken out when your kid is watching; and c) don't land too hard on your chest or your knees - trust me.

He didn't actually go anywhere, he just threw himself on the slide.

Even after my enthusiastic demonstration, Grant refused to slide on his belly. His knees, yes (which looked painful to me!), but not his belly. I even had him lay on the slide and I pushed him along, to show him how fun it is. Nothing.

Ouch!

But he was having fun so I tried to stop coaxing him into sliding on his belly.

But day two of the slip-n-slide, I noticed him sliding forward, so I told him to just go all the way down and try to go on his belly.

Hooray! Kinda.

Very excited about his belly slide!

After that, he was unstoppable. And by the third time we used the slide (the following weekend), Grant was a sliding pro and my knees were so bruised up I can't believe I was still walking.

He got going a bit fast on this one!

My personal injuries aside, this has been a pretty wonderful way to ward off the heat!

And Grant has been having a blast! A few days after we first used the slide, Grant had to stay home sick and by the afternoon he was begging to go out on the slip-n-slide (Um...no). We're definitely going to have to keep one of these around at all times for the summer!

Seriously with the face! He's so happy...who cares if I'm
without knee caps by the end of summer :)