Summer of the Water Park

Our friend Kelly cut a deal with the city of Renton and got season passes for her family to the Henry Moses Aquatic Center or... the water park.  Luckily, that deal included a pass for our Felix, as Felix spends a lot of time with his good friend, Charlie. 
This pass is very convenient in that even if they are full, pass holders can still get in.  Also, pass holders don't have to wait in line an hour before a session begins; a pass holder can walk on up at any.  A pass holder can even bring one non-pass holder with them.  So that is what Felix did for me a couple of times until I realized (I still had to pay for me) that as often as I envision us going, it would be cheaper if I just got a pass as well.

So Felix and I have been spending a lot of time there- on the weekends and when I get home from work.  As a matter of fact, if you look at Felix's wrists in the adjacent picture, you will see several colored bands.  The water park gives you those to wear each day you go.  Felix wears his like medals.  Eventually they become dilapidated enough that they will fall off.
In all the time we spend there, we have come up with some games: Rocket- where he places each foot in each one of my hands and pumps them as if he is building up momentum before he 'blasts off'.  Splash and Throw- this one is not my favorite because he comes up to me and splashes me in the face.  The consequence is that I toss him.  And his favorite, Crocodile- the crocodile stalks his prey while keeping as little of their body above water as possible.  The crocodile will try to hide behind the assortment of people playing in the pool until they can pounce on the prey and drag them under water.

Another benefit of the water park is that it offers before-hours swim classes, which Felix has participated in.  The change in his attitude about water is remarkable.  Prior to lessons, he was very hesitant to put his head under water.  Now, he is constantly diving under, lets me throw him and pull him under water.  It's been a really good thing for him.