water

It's by no coincidence that my zodiac sign is a water sign. I. Love. Water.

For a time in my life, I had a live near water -- it was a compulsive security blanket that calmed my spirit. I chose a college (my first one) based on its proximity to water (while it was land-bound, there was a river that was within walking distance to my dorm). I felt like if somehow I needed to flee the area, I was happy to do so via water (remember, I was a good swimmer).

I am most happy when I'm in and near water.

And M is taking after his Aunt Rie. And I have to say, I love it.

My sister's town just opened a brand-new family-friendly pool a few weeks ago, and I can already tell we'll be spending thousands of hours there. M loves the water. I thought he'd be afraid of it after his scary swimming lessons, but the kid still loves it.

There's a whole kids area with a zero-entry, squirt guns, and slides. M can be kind of intimidated by new things, so we were surprised when we took him down the family slide and he pops up out of the water and yells "again, again, again, again!" [The family slide is pretty short, but is wide enough for 4 people, so we can hold his hand as we go down. He doesn't mind going under -- in fact, he quite loves it).

The other slide is a red tube slide designed just for little guys his size. I was certain that the time he went down and somehow flipped around would be his last trip -- nope, he loved it! In fact, he would "talk" (in his ancient Chinese dialect) all the way up, and then "weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" all the way down.

I love that he loves it.

I love that I have the summer off to see all of these fun things.

I love that he asks for me in the mornings.

I love that he was worried this afternoon when I was walking behind the stroller when we walked in to a store, because he thought I got lost.

I love that little boy.

[And I love his little brother. C is so adorable. I'm working on a post about Grasshopper. But for now, he's smiley, cooing, and just as happy as ever. I love that little guy too. And I love that M loves him too.]