Weekly Vacation Destination.

Our dear friend E. - we mention her often and I expect you know her by now - lives just outside the beltway in a pretty tree-filled and lakeside community.  The girls and I have had the great, great fortune of visiting her the last two weeks. We've enjoyed her company, her delicious cooking, the nearby lake-dwelling ducks, and - last but not least - the community pools.

Here we are two weeks ago, enjoying E.'s company, the sunshine, and the water. It's so rare for us to having swimming pictures (our pool, frustratingly, does not allow picture-taking. Don't even get me started.). E. was kind enough to snap all of these.

E. doesn't have children, so we have an extra set of hands when it comes to the girls - without her help every time we have visited, nothing would be possible! Plus, the pools in her community have 17" wading pools, which are perfect for A. I don't worry about her going in over her head (our children's pool goes up to 3" and Ms. Fearless still hasn't grasped what it means to have the water go over her haven't-yet-learned-to-swim head).  Plus, during our visits, we've practically been the only occupants at the pools!

Oh, and then there was the duck feeding.  That may have been A.'s highlight of the day. It was mad, serious fun (and "thank you" to the kind family who shared their bread with A.), though I was ever the nervous mother in absence of a giant wall separating A. from the water.  Little E. did what E. does best - she slept.

We returned to E.'s house the following (last) week, too. More pictures from that trip to come. I can't wait to get back there. Where she lives really gives off a feeling that you're far away from the hustle and bustle and it's so relaxing (I love where we live, but why didn't we move there?). Of course, E.'s hospitality and help goes a long way at making us feel this rested and happy.  Thanks, E.! We can't wait to return!